Bradford Council scraps knowledge test but insists on company logos on vehicle

New taxi drivers in Bradford will no longer have to complete a knowledge test. Instead, Bradford Council said they would simply be given training on the city’s key visitor attractions and landmarks.

The council said the knowledge test was being scrapped because of the widespread use of satnav systems.

Drivers must also display licensing stickers and the name of the firm they work for on the side of their vehicles, despite objections from drivers who said it could make them targets for vandalism and abuse.

Cllr Shakeela Lal said she would not feel safe getting into an unmarked taxi. “I understand there are some no-go areas for Asian taxi drivers,” she said. “But I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting into a taxi without a decal. I’d wonder how official they were.”

But drivers said there had been an increase in private hire vehicles being targeted and vandalised, with windows being smashed. “Other drivers are subject to abuse because we have stickers on our cars,” said a local drivers’ representative.

The drivers argue that people who book private hire vehicles can get information about their cab and the name of the driver via app or text, and this meant there was no need for vehicles to display decals identifying which company they were from.

But the council’s licensing manager said not all operators had the technology to provide passengers with such details by phone.