Taxi drivers to face competency tests

New taxi drivers will soon have to prove their English skills and their knowledge of
local geography to get their licence.
Under new national standards agreed to by the nation's transport ministers at the
Australian Transport Council meeting in Sydney on Friday, all new taxi drivers will
have to pass nine competency tests.
From July 1, drivers will have to pass an English language test, as well prove their
ability to identify local roads and attractions, and their ability to calculate
fares.
Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said most taxi drivers provided a
professional service but the measures would ensure all potential drivers were up to
scratch.
"Certainly all of us have had the unfortunate experience of ... taxi drivers not
knowing where an important location is," Mr Albanese told reporters.
"What we need to do is to make sure that across the board these national standards
are applied.
"It's good for the industry, it's good for the broader economy as well in terms of
tourists who rely upon taxis to get around and it's also important for everyday
Australian residents who use taxis."
It would be up to the states whether the new standards could be applied
retrospectively to current drivers, he said.
Australian Taxi Industry Association chief executive Blair Davies said there should
be discussions with regulators about retraining all drivers.
"One of our concerns is the focus of these reforms is purely on people coming into
the industry and doesn't address issues that people might well have about the
standard of drivers that are actually out there at the moment," Mr Davies told AAP.
He welcomed the standards but said the English test needed to be appropriate for
drivers.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Taxi Council said similar standards were implemented in
NSW in the mid 1990s and had been substantially improved since then.
The Council fears drivers will go to other states to get their licences and return
to Sydney without the appropriate safety training.
The consequences of putting a driver on the road who has minimum training and little
experience in Sydney could be very serious the spokeswoman said.
"And by that, I don't mean they're going to decide to quit, I mean they're going to
get killed," she said.
But Mr Albanese stressed that the new standards would stop so-called "jurisdiction
shopping".
The transport ministers also agreed on single national regulators for trains, ships
and heavy road vehicles.
Seven road safety experts have also been appointed to the National Road Safety
Council, as well as four road safety ambassadors.