The Committee was asked to consider the Council’s current policy which required Private Hire Drivers to undertake a topographical Knowledge Test and whether this should be amended in the light of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) consultation on best practice and feedback from the Trade.

The DfT consultation proposed that licensing authorities would not be required to set private hire drivers a topographical test but could choose to.  This was suggested on the basis that legally the prospective passenger had to go through an operator to hire a private hire vehicle which would give the driver time to check the route or enter it into a navigating system.  Some Members thought this sounded sensible although it was noted that a sat-nav would not be aware of unexpected changes to a route caused by an accident or road closure for example which could be an issue if the driver was unfamiliar with the given route to find an alternative.

The issue had also been raised by one of the Council’s long standing Private Hire Operators because they had difficulty recruiting drivers who reported finding the topographical test difficult and off-putting.  The other issue the Operator raised was that drivers exclusively doing ‘school runs’, often under contract with the County Council, did not need to have as an extensive knowledge of the borough as other drivers.

Officers explained that to fulfil the ‘fit and proper’ test drivers must be able to demonstrate ‘suitable knowledge, experience and skills’ to drive and perform their duties.  Locally, part of this was passing a topographical knowledge test whilst it was acknowledged that not all licensing authorities required this.  Hackney Carriage drivers also had to pass a route test which was considered to be more challenging.

The Committee noted that the topographical test had been much simplified over the years to being a simple written test where drivers already knew the 60 locations they would have to identify from a list which was supplied in advance.  Drivers were required to name the road each location was in and the town, with a pass mark of 45 (75%). 

Officers had canvassed other licensing authorities but they were unenthusiastic about discarding the topographical test for private hire drivers and thought it could be open to abuse.  Officers stressed that the particular operator that had submitted this request was very reliable and Officers appreciated the issues they faced.  However, it was agreed that to dispense with the topographical test would create a two-tier system if some private hire drivers had to take the test and others did not.  Also if their circumstances changed and a driver expanded on taking school runs, Officers would find it difficult to monitor and enforce.

The Committee sympathised with the recruitment problems experienced by the operator in question and did not want to deter new drivers from applying.  Some Members considered that as set out in the DfT consultation because journeys were pre-booked it gave drivers a chance to learn their route or use a sat-nav.  However, it was also recognised that Runnymede’s topographical test was straightforward and reviewed regularly.  It was also noted that drivers faced penalties for using a mobile phone while driving and being knowledgeable about the borough and its various locations should make using a satnav unnecessary.

RESOLVED that –

the policy on the Private Hire Drivers Knowledge (topographical) Test be retained