Drivers seeking a taxi or private hire licence in Knowsley will face more rigorous testing as the council overhauls its licensing process following issues with third-party training providers.
New In-House Assessment Replaces Level 2 Qualification
Currently, applicants must pass a Level 2 Qualification in Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire, completed with an external company. The council’s licensing officers then conduct a one-hour written essential skills assessment covering safeguarding, language proficiency, vehicle maintenance, health and safety, and passenger assistance.
Knowsley Council said it became aware of marketing by training providers that suggested some form of association or approval from the local authority. Some providers offered “study guides” appearing to provide answers to the council’s essential skills assessment.
This highlighted a “real need to review the process for confirming driver standards,” and the council believes “the most effective way to ensure constant standards is to consider an entirely ‘in-house’ assessment.”
At a Licensing Committee meeting on Wednesday, councillors approved a recommendation to remove the Level 2 Qualification requirement and replace it with a fully in-house approach for better control over content and verification of standards.
Enhanced Testing and Randomised Questions
Councillors agreed to review the essential skills assessment, potentially enhancing it to align with the City Region approach and serve as a suitable alternative to the qualification. The pool of possible questions will be expanded and randomised for each applicant so no one sits the same test. This aims to eliminate the risk of third-party misrepresentation, the council said.
Other options include digitising the test with video speaking elements to better assess oral language skills. Council officers noted that several drivers have been rejected in the past due to insufficient English language command.
The council will also conduct an annual review of driver licence entry standards to ensure they remain fit for purpose.
Licensing team lead Antony Denton told the committee these steps would create a “stronger mechanism to ensure the quality of those standards for all drivers.”
Driver Standards and Workload Implications
Green councillor Graham Golding asked if drivers must complete training milestones before the assessment. Denton replied that applicants would need to meet certain standards relating to their history and experience before being put forward for the test.
Independent councillor David Hitchmough asked if the council could absorb the increased officer workload. Denton said the team would look to make tests more efficient, including digitising elements to allow automatic marking, adding: “We don’t anticipate it to be a massive increase in resources.”
Previous Issues with Taxi Academy
In June, the council said it was aware of a company called the Taxi Academy offering taxi driver qualifications and using the council’s logo without permission, as well as sharing “potentially misleading and inaccurate information” in its promotion of the qualification. The council said the Taxi Academy was “making false statements that applications using [its] services will be given priority when submitting an application to Knowsley Council. This is untrue.” It added that claims implying a guaranteed licence were “completely inaccurate.”
In response, the Taxi Academy said it could not identify any use of the Knowsley Council logo on its website. A spokesperson said: “There may have been historical paperwork or documents produced some time ago that included the council’s logo, but we are not aware of any use of the logo on our current website.” The company stated it has “never stated, implied or suggested that applicants who use Taxi Academy receive any priority or preferential treatment from Knowsley Council.” It clarified that references to a “faster or streamlined process” relate solely to the efficiency of its own service, such as arranging medicals without delay and helping applicants complete DBS applications promptly. The spokesperson added: “Licensing decisions, application processing and waiting times are entirely matters for Knowsley Council, and we have never claimed otherwise.” The company said references to Knowsley Council on its website are descriptive only and not intended to imply endorsement or partnership.
New Emissions Standards for Vehicles
At the same meeting, councillors agreed to require hackney carriages and private hire vehicles to meet certain emissions standards. To register with the council, hackney carriages must have been manufactured after January 2011, and private hire vehicles after September 2014.
