SOUTH KESTEVEN AXES TAXI KNOWLEDGE TEST TO TACKLE DRIVER SHORTAGE

New taxi drivers in South Kesteven will no longer have to pass a "knowledge test" to get their licence.

Members of South Kesteven District Council approved and adopted a new hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy removing the requirement for the knowledge test to make it easier and cheaper for people to start working as drivers.

Cllr Philip Knowles said the council received “a huge amount of feedback from drivers, from members, operators, members of the public” asking them to rethink the old rules.

The council made these changes because they were worried about the high costs of applying and the difficulty of keeping drivers in the area.

To help with the price, new drivers can now get a one-year licence instead of a three-year one, which is “less costly, obviously, than a three-year licence.”

Applicants can also now pay their fees in smaller amounts via direct debit/standing order, rather than paying everything at once.

Cllr Knowles noted that “it was an expensive business to recruit and retain new licensees,” and these changes should help.

While the knowledge test is gone, drivers must still pass an English test. However, the council has made the first attempt free to save people money. Cllr Knowles explained that “the first English test will be free and any subsequent test if you fail it once and come back for a second go, you would have to pay for.”

The council has also written to the government to ask for fairer national rules, as Cllr Knowles argued the current system “is not fair at the moment.”

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