Licensing Private Hire Offices
All Private Hire offices should be licensed by 23rd October and any that have not sought registration will be operating illegally after that date with the PCO being authorised to impose fines and prosecute against the terms of the new act. At the time of writing, it is estimated by the PCO that there are in excess of 2000 minicab (Private Hire) offices in London, yet surprisingly only 970 of them have sought registration, so I will be extremely interested in the action that is taken after the 23rd of October.

Licensing Private Hire Drivers
The first consultation paper has been issued regarding the licensing of Private Hire drivers and I am led to believe that there will be a short second round of consultations on the proposed regulations at a later date ready for the new legislation to take effect from the Spring of 2002. It is imperative for the taxi trade that our submissions are taken into account on this subject, or the consequences could be dire for our business. My suggestions have already been submitted to TfL, but here is just a very short resume.

Driving Skills
Licensed Taxi drivers must demonstrate their proficiency in driving members of the public before they are issued with a licence, this requirement must also be extended to Private Hire drivers. It is currently envisaged that a PHV applicant must be 21 years of age or over and have held a full driving licence for at least three years, but this does not prove that they have had any driving experience during that period. In fact, the applicant may never have driven in London before and as we all know, that in itself places extra demands on the driver. To maintain public safety, the PCO must test whether a PHV driver can drive safely whilst coping with passenger distractions, especially in a saloon car where driver and passenger share the same compartment. It must also be appreciated that to many elderly and disabled passengers, the standard of driving is very important to the comfort of the journey they undertake.

Topographical Knowledge
I believe that prospective PHV drivers must undergo a test on their topographical knowledge for several reasons. Any driver that knows where he is going and who is not forever consulting a map book or constantly looking for 

road signs, is a safer driver. London Taxi drivers are renowned for their knowledge, providing a very high level of customer satisfaction and Private Hire drivers should complement  such skills. Indeed, a MORI poll of Londoners confirmed that 91% of them favoured PHV drivers undergoing a test to demonstrate that they have a working knowledge of the area in which they operate. It is a fact that most licensing authorities outside of London, require PHV drivers to pass some form of Knowledge, often identical to that required of a Licensed Taxi driver.

Two Types Of Licence
I believe that there should be two types of PHV licence based on the taxi industry; an All-London Licence and a Local Licence based on a smaller section of London. London is a large city and it's vital that any PHV driver who wishes to work the whole of London has a good understanding of its geography and appropriately, they should know main landmarks in all of London's 33 boroughs including major public destinations such as railway stations, airports, hospitals, tourist attractions and sports venues, together with a good understanding of main routes across London.
   Once this has been achieved, they would then have earned an All-London Private Hire Licence. However, it must be recognised that many of the new PHV drivers will only wish to work in a small sector of London and the above would be too encompassing for what they or the public require, consequently I believe there should be a Local PHV Licence, similar to that which exists within the Licensed Taxi trade. The boundaries would be based on the Boroughs; however, in Central London new boundaries would need to be created. The local test would have to be less comprehensive than the All-London concentrating on the local area. However, an applicant should still be expected to know the main thoroughfares across London together with key transport termini. Otherwise why would a prospective Taxi Driver choose to do the Knowledge for a suburban area when he could do a shorter Knowledge for a PHV licence, pick up via his radio

and set down anywhere in London, whilst the Taxi Driver could only pick-up in his own sector? The PHV licence for a local area would allow the driver to pick-up in his area and go anywhere, equally he could pick-up and return to his area only, with no exceptions.

PCO Fees
I have long been an advocate of charging for the Knowledge. I cannot think of one other examination in the country where a fee is not involved. At this present time there is an 80% wastage with applicants on the KoL and an examination fee would help to focus the minds of the applicants while helping to eliminate time wasters.
   I was very pleased to see that the Mayor intends to introduce a KoL fee of £50, in my opinion not nearly enough, but a step in the right direction. However, if he intends to stick with the £50, then a fee for every appearance should be introduced. Why should existing Licensed Taxi drivers subsidise KoL applicants? They should be prepared to pay for the resources they use. In view of the above, you can imagine my dismay in learning that the PCO will be increasing the Taxi Drivers licence fee from £103 to £160, while the vehicle passing fee will be increased by almost 40% from £78 to £106, an absolutely scandalous leap. Still, someone has to subsidise the KoL...?

Driver's Forum
You will probably have read in past issues of Call Sign that two of our members have asked for a Drivers Forum. I will be more than happy to oblige, but I need to know the size of venue to accommodate everyone who is interested. So if you feel that you would be interested in attending such a Forum, please leave a note for me, telephone or e-mail message, so that a suitable site can be hired.

Computer Sale
You may also remember from a past issue of the magazine that I wrote of the Call Centre being re-equipped with new computers while the old ones would be sold off to members and staff once they had been refurbished. Well, they have now been refurbished and will go on sale at £50 each - sold as seen. I anticipate a high demand; consequently, if you are interested then there will be forms available from the Member's reception. Fill one in and there will be a draw for the lucky members.

Brian Rice