Taxi Driver Requirements

Ms Inquisitive

Does anyone know of the specific requirements required by a taxi driver in relation to knowledge of the local area in which they chose to operate or do these exist at all?

Ham'nd'egger

Ms Inquisitive wrote: »

Does anyone know of the specific requirements required by a taxi driver in relation to knowledge of the local area in which they chose to operate or do these exist at all?

To apply for a PSV badge for any idea, you need to apply via your local Garda Station. In your application, you need to provide...

• A Tax Clearance Certificate (TC1)
• The names and addresses of two referees; these will be contacted by the Gardaí to verify that they know you.
• Passport Photos

Gardai will also check their records to see if any criminal record is held by the applicant. Assuming all is well with you, a test needs to be sat and passed as well (In theory, that is. I can't speak of other areas but my brother in law didn't sit on for Mayo). Upon passing through the test, a €3 fee is payable to your local Motor Tax Office and the PSV licence is printed by the Taxi Commission and forwarded on to you.

The Dublin test isn't terribly hard, it's based on landmarks, areas, places, roads and streets etc and takes about one hour.

A driver can only ply or stand for hire in the county/area that his/her PSV is issued from. However, they can operate outside of the area to drop off a fare or to pick up a booked fare. So a Dublin PSV holder can pick you up in Shankill off the street but not off Bray main street, but if you were booked to pick up in Bray via a phone call etc, it's fine.

MOH

A taxi driver was giving out to me the other night that 'non nationals' only need to do 40% of the test that everyone else does.

is this the nonsense it seems to be?

[this was during a discussion of taxi drivers promoted by the taxi in front stopping in the middle of his turn from O'Connell St onto Eden quay to pick up a fare. (He was Irish)]

Ham'nd'egger

MOH wrote: »

A taxi driver was giving out to me the other night that 'non nationals' only need to do 40% of the test that everyone else does.

is this the nonsense it seems to be?

I would be of the opinion that it is nonsense. What in my opinion is the real problem is that it is too easy to obtain a PSV and as such, every Tom, Dick and Harry can apply for one; currently, there is over 40,000 licenced Taxis, Limos and Hackneys in Ireland and possibly as many drivers.

Stephen P

I'm thinking about applying for a taxi license. Where do you do the test? Is there a book with sample questions etc...?
If a taxi drivers reads this could you let me know cos I've a few questions I could PM to you, I don't want to hijack this thread anymore. Sorry OP!!

Ham'nd'egger

stephen p wrote: »

I'm thinking about applying for a taxi license. Where do you do the test? Is there a book with sample questions etc...?
If a taxi drivers reads this could you let me know cos I've a few questions I could PM to you, I don't want to hijack this thread anymore. Sorry OP!!

PM me, I'll try help you out.

Spook_ie

Good luck on seeking your SPSV license, however it does serve to highlight a problem with the current Dublin system in that you dont actualy ever need to drive on the streets of Dublin to get an SPSV license. All you need do is attend one of the SPSV "cramming" courses such as held in Mount St. Memorise "parrot fashion" some areas, hospital address's, through routes in Dublin etc. and you will more than likely ( if not at the first attempt, then by the second ) obtain an SPSV license..

Anyone any input from other licensing areas?

2qk4u

I rang the PSV officer in Drogheda to inquire about a duel stamp on my licence,I asked some questions about the test and was told - "ahh sure come up and we can have a chat for about 15 mins and sure dont worry about that stuff,no problem getting the duel stamp"..

jlang

I'm not an expert on taxi terminology so can someone explain what a "duel stamp" entitles you to.

Screwthe unions

The SPSV test aint hard...as long as you know what you need to know.
TBH its so straightforward it too easy.

The SPSV test are carried out most weeks...youll just have to wait your turn.

Anyone thinking of becomming a taxi driver...com'on in!!...the waters great!;)

Spook_ie

Screwthe unions wrote: »

The SPSV test aint hard...as long as you know what you need to know.
TBH its so straightforward it too easy.

The SPSV test are carried out most weeks...youll just have to wait your turn.

Anyone thinking of becomming a taxi driver...com'on in!!...the waters great!;)

Screwy you don't even drive a Taxi anymore so how would you know?

Spook_ie

jlang wrote: »

I'm not an expert on taxi terminology so can someone explain what a "duel stamp" entitles you to.

If you have a license for two or more areas you can display the license for which ever area you are working in and do it legaly.

So in theory you could get a license for everywhere in Ireland and then just follow the crowds to the various festivals

2qk4u

Spook_ie wrote: »

If you have a license for two or more areas you can display the license for which ever area you are working in and do it legaly.

So in theory you could get a license for everywhere in Ireland and then just follow the crowds to the various festivals

I think you are only allowed be licenced in 3 counties,so that would be two areas in the case of meath beacuse its a meath/louth licence.So you would have two spsv licences in theory but you can only legaly have one spsv so thet give you a duel stamp on your original licence.

Spook_ie

AFAIK you won't find anything in any regulations limiting you to 3 license areas, I leave myself open to correction with relevant links. As for Louth/Meath being 2 areas again AFAIK it is now 1 license area (The license areas are now based on the Garda Siochana divisions) hence Louth/Meath, Dublin Metropolitan Area, Waterford/Kilkenny etc.

the boss of me

I was talking to a guy last week whose father is a taxidriver. He let his psv license lapse as he didn't know it had to be renewed every five years.

Anyway this guy was telling me his father had sat and failed the PSV test twice and was waiting to sit it for a third time. How can you live all your life in Dublin, work as a taxidriver for five years and still fail the test ?

Either the test is not as easy as "Screwthe unions" suggests, or someone has a very stupid Daddy.

Screwthe unions

Know your hospitals,Hotels,Public Buildings,landmarks,areas,routes,and general rules of the road.

Hotels maybe a lil trickey...as theres hundreds in the capital now...hospitals...youd never guess theres about 40 in the Dublin Metropolitan area....public buildings...easy enough...areas and routes...name 6 or more roads on any route and your laughing...in fact in you can name more than 6 youll get extra marks.

If your serious about doing the PSV test one good way to practice is pick a random route in your head and name every road and/or street youd use. do this again and again and before long youll realise that alot of routes in and out of the city use alot of the same roads/streets over and over..e.g Dail to Montrose Hotel...or Stephens Green to Club 92.

I might not be driving a taxi anymore Spook...but I still have an interest in how the industry is gonna pan out over the next couple of years...I think you know aswell as I do its really gonna be make or break for many lads.

Spook_ie

Screwthe unions wrote: »

I might not be driving a taxi anymore Spook...but I still have an interest in how the industry is gonna pan out over the next couple of years...I think you know aswell as I do its really gonna be make or break for many lads.

And with the next year or two being make or break in the taxi industry, I find it disturbing that you would encourage people to swell the ranks

Anyone thinking of becomming a taxi driver...com'on in!!...the waters great

regardless of smilies

Screwthe unions

TBH Spook...there was irony in the statement I made. A lad I know whos being laid off from CRH was asking me about whats involved in getting himself on the road as a taxi and I advised him he'd be better of sticking his redundency into Northern Rock!!

Victor

Screwthe unions wrote: »

hospitals...youd never guess theres about 40 in the Dublin Metropolitan area

One would think they would have had the Adelaide Hospital on Adelaide Road and the Meath Hospital on Meath Street, but no they didn't.

Not only that, but they moved them to Tallaght.

Screwthe unions

One would think they would have had the Adelaide Hospital on Adelaide Road and the Meath Hospital on Meath Street, but no they didn't.

Not only that, but they moved them to Tallaght

.

hahaha....yeah...think ya have a point there Vic.