Has sat-nav made taxi drivers' 'knowledge' test redundant?

A West Yorkshire council is considering scrapping its knowledge test for taxi and private hire drivers as the vast majority use sat-nav technology to get around.

A review of the test - which includes answering questions about key landmarks, routes and areas within the district - is being considered by Bradford Council as part of possible broader changes to licensing rules.

Some drivers say a clear understanding of Bradford's road network helped them to better serve the public, but others welcome a possible removal of an "irrelevant" layer of red tape.

At the taxi rank on Sunbridge Road, Talib Hussain says the knowledge test still serves a purpose for drivers.

"You can't rely on GPS all the time," he says.

"When you become a taxi driver, you should know the roads and streets - it helps you do your job better and serve your customers better."

Mr Hussain has been driving cabs in Bradford for over 40 years, having moved into the trade after a career in textiles ended due to redundancy.

He adds: "GPS can waste time or take you the wrong way, I do think I am a better driver because I have the knowledge."

Another driver, Muhammad Akmal Khan, who learnt to drive in the Netherlands, admits he found the test "difficult" because English is not his first language.

"I speak Dutch, German, Urdu and Punjabi, but I still passed my test on the first attempt," he says.

He feels the knowledge test should remain, along with requirements around drivers being able to speak a good level of English.

"When the customer gets in the car, you need to have a rough idea at least of where Fagley or West Bowling is for example," he says.

"What will you do if the [GPS] connection fails, who do you follow?"

Local knowledge also helps build "important" rapport with customers, he adds.

Taj Mohammed, however, has a different view.

"I think it's just an extra hurdle now," he says.

"I have been a taxi driver for a very long time, almost 50 years, but even for the newer drivers I don't think they will lose out.

"The more they use [sat-nav technology], the more they remember - it's experience."

Nadeem Ahmed, chair of the Bradford Private Hire Operators' Association, says the test is now "a bit of an irrelevance".

"GPS doesn't fail much, I've never had an issue," he says.

Mr Ahmed recalls he had to answer at least 25 out of 30 questions correctly when he first gained his taxi licence in Bradford.

"They ask you how you get to locations like Shipley, the centre of Bradford, Bolton Woods or Great Horton," he says.

"There was a day or two of training, but times have moved on now."

Bradford Council's review of its current regulations also includes potential changes to how liveries and branding are displayed and whether rules on statutory declarations of previous criminal convictions should be amended and streamlined.

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