Taxi drivers must pass English test

New taxi drivers in South Staffordshire will have to pass an extra driving test – and prove they can speak English – before being allowed to get behind the wheel, under plans revealed today.

Until now, drivers in the district have only had to hold a normal driving licence for one year before being granted their taxi licence.

But from July, all new drivers will have to pass a 40-minute exam and prove their understanding of English before being allowed to carry passengers.

South Staffordshire Council is one of the only local authorities in the region that has had no form of test for new taxi drivers – with Wolverhampton, Dudley, Birmingham, Shropshire, Cannock and Walsall Councils already running similar schemes.

Under the plans, drivers will not be tested on driving skills but on their knowledge of rules and regulations for licensed taxis.

The multiple choice exam will cover the highway code, taxi hire law and the council's drivers and private hire vehicle conditions.

A score of 30 out of 50 will be a pass and anyone who fails will be allowed two more chances before being banned from trying for three months.

The plans are outlined in a new document on taxi and private hire licensing policies which is due to be passed by the licensing committee on June 1.

Councillor Kathleen Perry, chairman of the committee, said: "Our primary concern is always to make sure that our taxis and private hire vehicles are safe and that those licensed to drive them have the knowledge and understanding of the rules relating to taxis and private hire vehicles and the Highway Code as well as a sufficient level of English to be able to transport people safely."

The 322 drivers already licensed by South Staffordshire Council will not have to pass the new test unless they lose their licence. Other changes include plans to allow any coloured vehicles to become a private hire taxi.

Dark vehicles were previously deemed too similar to hackney carriages.

In Wolverhampton cabbies want a change in the rule to ban foreign drivers from getting licences for at least five years.

Nasim Ullah, chairman of the Wolverhampton Hackney Carriage Drivers Association, said he did not believe recent arrivals in Britain should be able to pass criminal background checks without having lived in the country for a long time.