Suffolk County Council is the first authority in the country to introduce a training course which new taxi drivers must complete before they can be granted a licence.
All new taxi drivers in Bury St Edmunds are now required to pass the one-day driving assessment and preparation course before being granted a license by St Edmundsbury Borough Council.
Road safety officers will run the course, which will cover both theory and practical training.
The theory session includes information regarding licensing, customer care and disability awareness, as well as general driving information and legal responsibilities regarding speed, mobile phone use, drink/drug driving and seat belt and child restraint laws.
The practical session requires candidates to go out in a trainer’s vehicle and receive coaching and advice, as well as an assessment on standard of driving.
Suffolk is the first local authority to commission such a scheme. The new course is just one of the options – a Driving Standards Agency test or an advanced test is also available.
Drivers who pass the assessment receive a certificate and a cab badge so that customers can see they have been through an approved training course and have reached a certain standard of knowledge and competence.
For more information contact Michelle Haward, senior RSO, or visit: www.suffolkroadsafe.net.
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