Cabbies must make small talk

Taxi drivers will have to become more chatty to pass a basic skills test being introduced in a Black Country town.

Cabbies and private hire drivers will have to hold a 15-minute conversation with an examiner on various topics such as their favourite places in the West Midlands.

The conversation will be varied to avoid drivers learning "parrot fashion" and they will have to show they can keep passengers entertained on a journey with polite chat. The pilot scheme follows concerns some drivers are not doing enough to amuse customers.

The idea, due to be rubber-stamped at Walsall Council's licensing and safety meeting on July 30, was originally sparked over concerns about foreign drivers' standard of English.

However, council chiefs hope it will encourage all new drivers to be friendlier and more conversational with passengers.

In a report, principal licensing officer Steven Knapper said: "Following members concerns, and in line with the commitment by the licensing office to improve customer services, it is proposed all new applicants for private hire and hackney carriage driver licences will be required to pass an initial assessment test before their application is accepted for approval."

Mr Knapper said the new test would not replace the "more stringent" knowledge test drivers have to pass to get a full licence.

The aims of the test, to be initially run over a six-month period, is to ensure all cabbies can read road signs and other important information; be able to converse with passengers, write receipts and do basic maths.

The assessment will also include a basic numeracy test and a reading test.

Those who fail will be offered further training at Walsall College. Manchester City Council is among those which has introduced English tests for drivers.

The North-west city's cabbies have to prove they can respond to questions in English as well as speaking clearly on topics such as recent journeys and favourite places in Britain.

As part of the 12-month pilot they must be able to answer questions such as 'Can you drop me after the lights?' and 'Can I have a receipt?' In addition, candidates are also given multiple-choice maths questions, such as how much change should be given from a £20 note if the fare cost £9.30.