This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35065681
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Call to scrap current London cab driver Knowledge test | Call to scrap current London cab driver Knowledge test |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The test that all black-cab drivers in London must pass to secure a licence should be scrapped in its current form, according to the Conservatives. | |
| The Greater London Authority Conservatives called the test - known as the Knowledge - "archaic" and a "major barrier" to recruitment. | The Greater London Authority Conservatives called the test - known as the Knowledge - "archaic" and a "major barrier" to recruitment. |
| The exam requires drivers to learn 25,000 street names. | The exam requires drivers to learn 25,000 street names. |
| Drivers' representatives said they were "stunned and shocked" by the suggestion. | Drivers' representatives said they were "stunned and shocked" by the suggestion. |
| The Saving An Icon report by Richard Tracey found black-cab drivers needed to make "fundamental changes" to keep up with the "increasingly popular app-based private hire firms" in an expanding city, and said it should be cut down by two-thirds. | The Saving An Icon report by Richard Tracey found black-cab drivers needed to make "fundamental changes" to keep up with the "increasingly popular app-based private hire firms" in an expanding city, and said it should be cut down by two-thirds. |
| The Knowledge | The Knowledge |
| He said the Knowledge was outdated in a world of GPS navigation, expensive, and could take people on average three years to complete. | He said the Knowledge was outdated in a world of GPS navigation, expensive, and could take people on average three years to complete. |
| "The examinations imposed are overly comprehensive in a time of GPS navigation, and the cost of purchasing the designated Hackney Carriage is a barrier to entry in an industry which is also rapidly ageing," he added. | "The examinations imposed are overly comprehensive in a time of GPS navigation, and the cost of purchasing the designated Hackney Carriage is a barrier to entry in an industry which is also rapidly ageing," he added. |
| BBC London Live for updates on this and other stories | BBC London Live for updates on this and other stories |
| But Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said: "I'm stunned and shocked that anybody would suggest doing anything that altered or lowered the standard of taxi driving. | But Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said: "I'm stunned and shocked that anybody would suggest doing anything that altered or lowered the standard of taxi driving. |
| "However, that does not mean that we wouldn't be prepared to review some issues... with the proviso that standards wouldn't be dropped." | "However, that does not mean that we wouldn't be prepared to review some issues... with the proviso that standards wouldn't be dropped." |
| Taxi driver Nick, from Hertford, called the proposed move "devastating". | Taxi driver Nick, from Hertford, called the proposed move "devastating". |
| "It would be a huge backward step," he said. | "It would be a huge backward step," he said. |
| "For a forward-thinking city, why would you not want a very high standard of taxis? The only reason they would do would be to [bow] to the pressure of Uber." | "For a forward-thinking city, why would you not want a very high standard of taxis? The only reason they would do would be to [bow] to the pressure of Uber." |