Manchester Confidential - Taxis News Feature

Pending publication. Will post link at such time.

Don’t you just hate it when you’re running late so you decide to get a taxi only to find the driver doesn’t know which way to go? You drive around for ages, get to your destination even later, only now it’s cost you £20 for the (dis)pleasure.

It seems to have become common practice around Manchester with many taxi drivers unable to get from A to Z, let alone think of using one.

To become a licensed Hackney Carriage driver, one must be able to pass a Knowledge Test about the areas of the city they will be driving in. So how well does the Manchester Knowledge Test prepare taxi drivers when so many are still clueless and is it a good enough measure?

“A lot of new drivers don’t know where they’re going because the test only asks you how to get from A to B without knowing the stops in between,” says John, one of two taxi drivers I talked to during a five minute fag break in Albert Square.

“But I have heard the Knowledge Test has got harder because of the complaints we don’t hear about – there’s a lot of complaints going into the council – that some drivers are not aware of destinations they should be,” he says. A claim which Manchester City Council has refuted stating they don’t receive many complaints at all.

But John continues: “I’ve just had a passenger who’d asked on a previous journey to go to Withington Hospital from Longsight. But she was taken to The Britannia Country House Hotel near the airport,” he laments.

Stories like these are fast becoming a common bugbear for the people of Manchester. It’s reported 80% of applicants currently fail the Knowledge Test. A statistic the council has put down to drivers not revising sufficiently on their first attempt. And is it any wonder when there is no minimum time requirement for revision between application and sitting the test.

In London drivers must study for 34 months before sitting their equivalent test. Arguably it’s a lot bigger than Manchester, and although coaching sessions are provided, perhaps setting a specific time period of work to put in would result in more knowledgeable drivers. And maybe even reduce the stupidity of one driver who couldn’t find his way from Didsbury to Sale.

Says Mike, who has been a taxi driver for 17 years: “I picked up a fare in Didsbury when the taxi driver in front wanted to charge a group of lads five times as much to Sale. Apparently his route was to go into Manchester and come out onto Chester Road. He didn’t know he could cut across,” he laughs.

It’s clear that the Knowledge Tests requires an immediate marked improvement with so many mistakes still being made by drivers, but in the days of satellite navigation systems are they even needed?
“Yes, more so as you can’t trust satellite navigation systems at certain times,” argues John, “They’re very good if you’re going out of town, but there are certain jobs where your own knowledge takes you there quicker than a GPS would.”

A high percentage of recent intakes had come from the private hire sector. John highlighted how such drivers continued to employ practices used to overcharge passengers “like setting their own fares instead of using the meter.”

Another trick is ‘cherry picking’ where drivers park outside nightclubs with their lights off.

“If a passenger asks to go somewhere the driver doesn’t like Longsight or Moss Side, they’ll be told “I’m waiting for a job”. If someone wants to go to Rochdale they’ll be told ‘£50’,” he says.

“People should be made aware what the fares are to stop them being ripped off,” reflects Mike, “There are a lot of good drivers on the job and they want to do the job properly, but unfortunately lot of bad drivers that just want the money today and don’t care about the customers tomorrow.”

“You’ve got to know where you’re going and you’ve got to do the shortest route, you can’t delay your passenger because it’s an offence,” he concludes.

Have you had your day ruined by a bad taxi driver? Vent your spleen below, go on let it all out.