6-week Knowledge?
I was stopped
recently by a Dial-a-Cab driver who
berated me for daring to suggest in the
December Call Sign that we
should have a 6-week Knowledge. I took
out a copy of that issue and asked the
driver where I had actually uttered the
words "6-week Knowledge."
"You didn’t say it personally," the driver told me, "I read it in
TAXI. Richard Massett said that the
report from the London Assembly
Transport Committee headed by Peter
Hulme Cross calls for a 6-week Knowledge
and as you say the report has much
common sense in it, what other inference
can there be?"
Well, Richard – who does an excellent job with the London Cab Ranks
Committee – doesn’t mention me at all,
but in his article (30 November) headed
GLA Knowledge Shock, he infers that the
KoL is to be reduced to just six weeks.
When you get towards the end of his
article, he goes on to add almost as an
afterthought that what in fact the
report calls for is a 2-year Knowledge
as now, followed by two tests with 6
weeks in between.
The report says about the KoL: "The Knowledge requires both
personal and financial commitment and an
alternative source of income to support
the candidate whilst training. This is
leading to high drop-out rates - 60% –
80% according to current figures. It is
vital to ensure that people are not
dropping out for any other reason than
failing to meet the required standard."
Does that sound like someone who is trying to destroy a system
that works well? So far as I am
concerned, the system that Richard
dislikes is worth looking at and working
on provided that the Knowledge Boy is
regularly tested throughout the two
years and provided that the final tests
– both anticipated as lasting at least
90 minutes each – are genuine tests and
not some sort of computer game. If, as
thought, much of the PCO work is to be
outsourced, then they should have far
more time for Knowledge appointments and
perhaps a return to a 2 x 56-day first
appearances, followed by one each month
with a total Knowledge lasting between 2
and 2.5 years. Looking just at current
number levels is plain selfish. If we
want our trade to continue long into the
future, we must make sure that the
numbers entering it are sufficient for
that future to happen. If two years no
longer sounds a lot, well, my 15 months
in 1970/71 seemed to last forever!
In addition, Mayor Livingstone says that he wants the KoL to stay
as it is. Doesn’t that on it’s own make
you believe that it will damage us?
Perhaps he believes that it will
eventually make us fade away – which it
eventually will?The report goes on to
add:
"There is opposition
within the trade to Knowledge reform
from drivers and organisations who fear
the market will be |
‘flooded’, thus depressing their own
earnings. A comprehensive MORI survey
commissioned by the LTDA shows clear
evidence that taxi supply slightly
exceeds demand at present. The survey
does not, however, address potential
long-term concerns about taxi supply
associated with the retirement of
drivers from the profession, or any
potential increase in demand. The
Committee would suggest this kind of
flexibility needs to be built into the
system now. It is the duty of the
strategic body regulating the trade to
plan for the long term, rather than deal
with problems in an ad hoc manner as
they arise."
I agreed with that in last month’s Call Sign and see no reason
to change my view now. I wrote then:
"The report says that we
have more drivers over 70 than under 30!
That is symptomatic of an industry in
decline – one that needs fresh blood
gradually replacing the old variety, yet
our numbers are currently decreasing
year on year and new recruits are
dropping out of the Knowledge because
they see no end to it."
My view on the report IS that it contains much that makes
sense. It has spoken to people and
organisations from the taxi trade who
have been around long enough to know
what is going on around them. We DO need
a steady supply of new taxi drivers
because otherwise we are going to be
totally overwhelmed by an opposition who
seem to have little trouble filling
their cars whilst continually
multiplying in numbers.
I do feel let down by the organisation I belong to – the LTDA – who
have done so much good for the trade
over the years, yet who decided not to
participate in one of the most important
reports ever carried out about this
trade, preferring instead to bitch about
it afterwards.
Two sides of the PCO
In previous
Call Signs, we have
reluctantly levelled criticism at the
PCO because it appears that their
long-held view of making sure that the
licensed taxi business keeps up its
standards seems to be fading in favour
of the opposition.
Only time will tell if that view is right or wrong, but I have to
say that on the other side, Call
Sign has once again been
welcomed at Penton Street, where our
reporter was given unlimited time to
throw questions about so-called "silly
stops" to Dave Stock, the PCO’s
Head of Vehicle Inspections and |
Standards. That report
too is in this issue.
That attitude compares rather favourably to the time I went to
visit the PCO for Taxi Globe many
years ago to find out why drivers
couldn’t remove the piece of wood that
stopped the centre partition sliding
window from opening more than around 4
inches (remember those days)? The answer
given on that occasion was "because we
say so!"
You do not get that at Penton Street any more. Yes, they are far
from perfect, but fear is no longer
something they use…
CoF Review
The result of
the Conditions of Fitness ‘Review of the
Review’ has now been announced and
unsurprisingly to many, the status quo
has been maintained. I can see why the
E7 is attractive to some with its better
fuel economy and substantially lower
purchase price, however, to me it still
resembles a small van and whilst it can
obviously serve a purpose to many parts
of the country, it fails in one major
part for London; to me it is totally
lacking in anything remotely resembling
class or style in addition to its
unsatisfactory turning circle.
John Wells
I still cannot
believe I am writing this; Johnny Wells
is dead. John Wells, the laughing
dispatcher; John Wells, the laughing
shooter whom this magazine sponsored so
many times; John Wells – the laughing
taxi driver! In fact, it’s rather
difficult to picture John without his
huge grin and now, at just 47, John has
succumbed to bowel cancer.
To his family, we can but send our deep sympathies…
Happy New Year
2005 hasn’t
been much of a year so far as I am
concerned. Much of the first half saw my
darling wife Linda undergoing an illness
that stopped me working entirely for
almost two months so that I could be
with her, followed by a very gradual
return to something like a full-time
schedule. Many drivers still ask me how
Linda is and I’m delighted to say that
she has made an astonishing recovery, so
if nothing else, the end of 2005 is at
least far better than the beginning.
So my sincere wish to everyone out there is to have the very
happiest and healthiest of New Years,
because without your health, all the
money in the world becomes useless.
Last word…
Due to Call
Sign’s printers closing early for the
hols, this issue has been put together
much quicker than usual – and without
the CoF review results which are
expected any day. Hopefully this issue
will be mistake-free; if I’m unlucky,
well at least it’s some excuse!
Alan Fisher
callsignmag@aol.com
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