Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

Just seen on the news that the government want taxi drivers to take examinations to b-pec standards to prove they can drive a taxi!
The taxi drivers are up in arms about it, say it wont prove a thing, and costs £200 - £300 a time.
I am a qualified plumber, heating engineer and gas installer, I had to take b pec exams even though I was already qualified, and have to take them again every 5 years, plus any extra ones like Lpg, unvented, solar, gas analisis, etc etc, they all average £200 - £500 every 5 years, and I cant get my certificates (corgi etc) without them, electricians have similar to put up with, and there are plans to make all trades the same, so, is it a good thing or a bad one? To show how these bpec tests (in my opinion) dont make good or bad installers, the thread started by accylass about her boiler has photos that show that many 'qualified' people are not what they should be after 'qualifying' for thier certificates.

Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

It is a difficult one. How do you know the tradesmen you use do a good job to the required standards?

I don't think part P has done anything to make sure electricians are any better than they were. All it has done is push their prices up to pay for all the exams and courses to pass them. I doubt any of them will be doing anything different now than they were.

The most stupid thing IEE did was to change the damn wiring colours. What sort of a tosspot decides to swap a phase and neutral colour around. We had the best and easiest 3 phase colour code in europe, if not the world and now they have harmonised then with Europe. Harmonised my backside, Europe is still a mess of different colour codes. We should have stuck 2 fingers up at Europe in the 70's and stuck with red, yellow, blue and black neutral for 3 phase and red, black for single phase. Every phase was instantly identifiable.

Ok rant over....for now :mad:

Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

[quote=Neil;638616]It is a difficult one. How do you know the tradesmen you use do a good job to the required standards?

I don't think part P has done anything to make sure electricians are any better than they were. All it has done is push their prices up to pay for all the exams and courses to pass them. I doubt any of them will be doing anything different now than they were.

One of my mates is an electrician, not only has he to take part in the exam, but one of the examiners picks one of his last jobs and inspects it and asks questions about the job, before he gets a new cartificate. If that doesn't weed the good from the bad, what will.

Retlaw

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Must be me but I thought the thread was about taxi drivers and the way that they can, with the aid of a spanner change the taxi plates from one car to another.Mind you they all look the same to me.:hidewall:

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Spanners or the drivers???

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Rant away I agree with you.

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One of my mates is an electrician, not only has he to take part in the exam, but one of the examiners picks one of his last jobs and inspects it and asks questions about the job, before he gets a new cartificate. If that doesn't weed the good from the bad, what will.

Retlaw[/quote]

Corgi do inspections retlaw, they can be bi annual, annual or just whenever they decide, but they dont check on you doing a repair, they check that you know how not to leave a gas leak, or a dangerous appliance, how to test gas metres and flues, rubbish pipework and sub standard stuff isnt picked up, if they see bad ones, they inspect them more often than the prescribed 12 months.. But Corgi will be no more after 2009 anyway, they lost the franchise to Capita.

Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

Oh joy more confusion.

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Not to mention calling out a service engineer from India :rolleyes:

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Sorry but my par boiled cauli between mi lugs cant hack all this officialism and changes. Anyone got a headache cure????

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know quite a few taxi drivers, also am aware they are making next door to ****** all these days, all that should be required fer me is a full driving licence, n a criminal background check, i know Hackney used to be, council contacted scotland yard back in the day, not sure if private hire was the same? but should be.

Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

But Corgi will be no more after 2009 anyway, they lost the franchise to Capita.[/quote]


So will you be Corgi registered or Capita registered? At the rate Capita are going, they will have their sticky little fingers in every pie soon. After the mess they made of Housing/Council Tax claims for Blackburn, methinks there will be some very unhappy folks out there.

Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

If the Test the Taxi Driver has to take includes knowing the area they work in i think its a good idea.
i got the same taxi firm to and from the last accyweb meet and the driver going had no problem finding my address and the oaklea pub but the driver that picked me up ended up Manchester road, after me telling him 4 times how to get to my home he finally found it.
so i think it would help

Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

So will you be Corgi registered or Capita registered? At the rate Capita are going, they will have their sticky little fingers in every pie soon. After the mess they made of Housing/Council Tax claims for Blackburn, methinks there will be some very unhappy folks out there.[/quote]

Originally, we were told that the corgi logo etc would be the same (as what I dont know cos it has changed a few times, and we now have blue, green and orange badges anyway), now we are told that it will all be replaced, and Capita have 2 years to saturate public awareness, for those who dont know, corgi act under and are controlled by the health and safety executive, which of course is government run! :rolleyes:

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So it would make more sense to be HSE registered :(

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It probably would Neil, British Gas used to own Corgi, and was privatised in 1980 probably because they obviously couldnt be self regulating, but in my opinion, they still pull the strings, hopefully Capita will stop that, they also say thier first port of call will be to the rogues and illegal gas workers! Time will tell! Napit made a bid too apparently, at the end of the day, of it wasnt a money spinner, none would be interested.

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All this cost to get accreditation could make it hard for the small indie operater to be in business. The down side could be an increase in the rouges and the mess, dangerous repairs they have done and the extra costs fixing it. I am in favour of certification to prove they are compitent on the job but could they not bring in one that covers all the requirements without the large costs involed to get them.

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The cost is the whole idea Spuggie, the governmnt ha to get all this money back, that they have paid out proping up Northern Rock and B & B, or am I just being cynical:rolleyes:

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Re: Taxi drivers - credentials.
 

We got in a taxi last weekend and the driver who is based in Accrington didn't know where the Bee's Knee's Pub was!!!!!!

My ex hubby is a driver for a local firm (when he is awake). They might be a bit more expensive but at least they know where to take you. And the cars are in good condition!!!!

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Most taxi drivers now have those Sat Nav things to find their way around. I don't know if they work off postcodes or street names, but I would say they are next to useless if the driver can't spell correctly.

As for the drivers asking how much do you usually pay, it's a ploy to get more money from you. All prices have to be listed in the car along with the price per mile. I always check the mileage when getting in a taxi and pay for the mileage used not what they think they can get away.

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Were I stay they need to pass a test for the local area before they get a licence though they do use sat nav when going further afield. To the point about cost if they are not metered which unlike my local ones are I use the tariff I am familiar with based on the mileage done.

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So I wont be able to hoover out my Baxi back boiler any more :rolleyes:

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Will these b-pec exams for cab drivers be conducted in English or Urdu?

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Dont tell your home insurers about that, they will cancel the policy pmsl, people hoovering appliances is not a good idea, and stems from idiots who are supposed to be servicing, doing little else but hoovering it, is a good sign they know little about the actual mechanics of it, a bbu should take a good hour to service.. that doesnt mean hoover it for an hour Neil ok? :D

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Taxi drivers in Bury (Hackney) own the plates, the last one I saw sold was 30k, what happens if they fail these supposed tests?

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I used to pay what was on the clock,now It's all cash in hand with no checks on the fares.and no clocks.
I pay what I think is right and if they are not happy I tell them to send me a bill.

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when i ring up to book,i always ask How Much? saves any crap later.;)

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It was Red , Black and Green when I lived in the UK , Did they change it ? :eek: ;)

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Nah not the Taxi Drivers.:D

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They are brown or white, but mostly brown! :eek:

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Taxi drivers, including Private Hire drivers should be treated the same as PSV drivers. In other words take an advanced driving test.

After all they are transporting the general public for payment of a fare.

The only difference is the size of the vehicle.

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A fair point. I use taxis and never even considered what they had to take test wise apart from the local one for their plate. In a way it is public transport and should be treated as such and a side effect might be better drivers.

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Isn't it PCV these days?


I just found something interesting on this site inspired by Tealeaf's question:

An episode of Last of the Summer Wine comes to mind. :D (The Loxley Lozenge?)

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I know mate, it takes 1/2 hour to get the damn fire front off and on. I only hoover for 1/2 and hour.

All its needs to be 100% ish is a new ignition electrode and glass front for the fire - which we don't use because you can't light it :(

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Not the firm I use derek, all white:D

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When I drove for Arcade a lot of years ago my doctor had to certify that I was fit to drive and my car had to go through a special MOT. That was all.

Oh! Yes! I had to buy an acceptable First Aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

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Tut tut frightening all them drivers. Take 10 mins in the sin bin Mr Jaysay. :p