SPSV test

ciaran67

oisindoyle wrote: »

Well heres one of the questions on it ,,and it beggars belief how stupid the whole thing is ....

"How do you get the attention of a passenger with hearing difficulties in your taxi."???

You would think that maybe you might wave your hand to get their attention or tip them on the arm ,,,NO NO NO ,,,

The answer is .....You "flash the internal lights in the vehicle"...

Thats the answer the CTR want ,,,i mean how stupid can you get!!

Reminds me of the night i picked up 6 hard of hearing customers. They were all signing to each other, deep in conversation. I switched off the light in the back, moved off, and there was silence. I was wondering why they'd gone quiet and then I realised they couldnt see each other so i switched it back on. They all started signing again. Was funny.

als393

hi
are you passed your test?
what is Residential Areas?

2732

als393 wrote: »

hi
are you passed your test?
what is Residential Areas?

hi what is english where am i is this england.

Seanie30

Hello all, I am involved in one of the programme's which Fiona Smith of Wicklow VEC is co-ordinating. So far, 30 odd PSV licence holders have committed in Carlow and the feedback is really good regarding the classes. The manual is covered in detail using a question format in Carlow rather than sifting through the manual paragraph by paragraph. If there is 43,588 active licences in the industry and only 1554 Industry Knowledge exams sat thus far coming into the deadline for free tests, there must be a whole lot of drivers who are avoiding the test for one reason or another. I do understand that the Taxi Regulator has not yet created any solid consequences for those who do not pass the exam before December 31st 2011, but from what I'm hearing it's a case of pride in the profession for most lads who simply just want to pass the exam and become aware of every regulation and right pertaining to them in their profession whilst avoiding any issues which may arise should regulations be tightened in the coming years. At any rate, the preparation courses are up and running in many counties and are free of charge. The test is not nearly as straight forward as it is made to sound by some and we all know that what may be fine for someone who has the patience to sit and digest 180 odd pages of information may not be so easy for others of us. As I said, the courses are free, so I stand to gain nothing from encouraging participation. Contact your county VEC's Adult Education centres to see if you can avail of the courses. Take it easy on those roads lads...

I Was VB

Seanie30 wrote: »

Hello all, I am involved in one of the programme's which Fiona Smith of Wicklow VEC is co-ordinating. So far, 30 odd PSV licence holders have committed in Carlow and the feedback is really good regarding the classes. The manual is covered in detail using a question format in Carlow rather than sifting through the manual paragraph by paragraph. If there is 43,588 active licences in the industry and only 1554 Industry Knowledge exams sat thus far coming into the deadline for free tests, there must be a whole lot of drivers who are avoiding the test for one reason or another. I do understand that the Taxi Regulator has not yet created any solid consequences for those who do not pass the exam before December 31st 2011, but from what I'm hearing it's a case of pride in the profession for most lads who simply just want to pass the exam and become aware of every regulation and right pertaining to them in their profession whilst avoiding any issues which may arise should regulations be tightened in the coming years. At any rate, the preparation courses are up and running in many counties and are free of charge. The test is not nearly as straight forward as it is made to sound by some and we all know that what may be fine for someone who has the patience to sit and digest 180 odd pages of information may not be so easy for others of us. As I said, the courses are free, so I stand to gain nothing from encouraging participation. Contact your county VEC's Adult Education centres to see if you can avail of the courses. Take it easy on those roads lads...

I passed the Industry Knowledge test 93%. But i've a active intrest in the biz. Some questions on there would stump alot of drivers.

Dai John

The reason that the drivers are not rushing out and doing the exam. is that the Gardi issue the licences regardless of any exam., and despite the Jan.2012 deadline the licences of late have an expiry date of 2015. Also the Taxi Reg. has issued the I.D.'s for the same expiry date. So why bother. They did the same with the Dispatch Operator's Licence, more than half failed to apply but continued to operate.The Taxi Regulator refuses to prosecute, by their own admission.We have so many illegal operators in our area that it is a joke. No one in authority is interested. There is no reason to comply with these rules. Hope this explains the reason behind so few applications to do the exam. They are not enforcing any laws, so ignore them and carry on as long as possible, which in a good many cases will be retirement age.We live in a banana republic without the weather and all our leaders seem to be smoking opium and dreaming, they do not appear to be in touch with the real world. P.S. I did the exam.,hold a Dispatch Licence and have been fully compliant, I regret this now as I could have kept the money myself and had a good piss up, better me than them. We have 10 drivers in our set up and 5 will be retired before 2015.

steph1

Seanie can I just remind you that there are lady taxi drivers too so less of this 'lads' stuff.

Seanie30

Apologies Steph...of course I'm aware of that!

Everyone is aware that enforcement is the single biggest issue for the Taxi Regulator to address. If you take other professions John such as teaching there was for many years a policy of allowing those who did not hold a teaching qualification to teach in schools, particularly in VEC schools....but that is not so prevalent now. The point I'd make is that eventually the enforcement occurs and it cleans up the situation. At any rate John, if you decided not to sit your test and fulfil the regulations what would make you any different from those who operate outside the regulations? Nothing. At least you can be proud of yourself and you show you have pride in your profession....so it may not translate to any clear benefit yet...but it will!

Dai John

Seanie 30, was education wasted on you ? I clearly stated that I have passed the exam. and have been fully compliant, and am convinced it was all a waste of time and money.I am still covered regardless of the exam. until 2015 not 2012. (way past my retirement age ) and as for the Dispatch Operator's Licence, Doyle herself admitted after one year there were no prosecutions pending or otherwise ( this meeting was in Cork ).She also admitted she could do nothing about this mythical date of 1 Jan. 2012, it was me who asked her. So I could have saved e,250 on the licence and about 250 to do the exam. 3 times (yes the Industry knowledge was easy but try the Area Knowledge ).Only 8 % pass that. Pure stupid, questions about road numbers and towns 50 miles away where we NEVER visit. THE TAXI REGULATOR DOES NOT ISSUE SPSV driving licences, only I.D.s As for teachers not being qualified... not the same, in the case of illegal taxis, there is no insurance. But your point may explain why so many people are illiterate. ENFORCEMENT IS A MUST NOW. Cowen and co. have made apathy a way of life. Spend time in places like Germany etc. to see how things can be done.

lost marbles

als393 wrote: »

hi
are you passed your test ?
I am new here and going to test next week can you give me some advice?

ok so lets say that this post is genuine and not a wind up .
the guy /gal by some fluke passes the spsv exam ,in a few months is out there plying away as a taxi driver and judgeing by his post he can hardly write in english so even using a sat nav will be difficult .
mary [fictional btw] gets into his taxi and is only short of driving it herself in getting to her destination .so in future mary starts to avoid taxis driven by NNS .
now people are starting to call mary a racist .
see where im coming from

oisindoyle

lost marbles wrote: »

ok so lets say that this post is genuine and not a wind up .
the guy /gal by some fluke passes the spsv exam ,in a few months is out there plying away as a taxi driver and judgeing by his post he can hardly write in english so even using a sat nav will be difficult .
mary [fictional btw] gets into his taxi and is only short of driving it herself in getting to her destination .so in future mary starts to avoid taxis driven by NNS .
now people are starting to call mary a racist .
see where im coming from

Great post and so so true .

Dai John

als393 wrote: »

hi
are you passed your test ?
I am new here and going to test next week can you give me some advice?

Yes, ask yourself what you are going to do when you have the licence. You could frame it and admire it on the wall because it will be of no use in a car.There are over 45,000 people holding a S.P.S.V.licence, most short of work, do you have something special to offer the public that the rest of us do not? You could get a job in Lagos, they must be short of drivers, most of them are here.

Seanie30

Dai John wrote: »

Seanie 30, was education wasted on you ? I clearly stated that I have passed the exam. and have been fully compliant, and am convinced it was all a waste of time and money.I am still covered regardless of the exam. until 2015 not 2012. (way past my retirement age ) and as for the Dispatch Operator's Licence, Doyle herself admitted after one year there were no prosecutions pending or otherwise ( this meeting was in Cork ).She also admitted she could do nothing about this mythical date of 1 Jan. 2012, it was me who asked her. So I could have saved e,250 on the licence and about 250 to do the exam. 3 times (yes the Industry knowledge was easy but try the Area Knowledge ).Only 8 % pass that. Pure stupid, questions about road numbers and towns 50 miles away where we NEVER visit. THE TAXI REGULATOR DOES NOT ISSUE SPSV driving licences, only I.D.s As for teachers not being qualified... not the same, in the case of illegal taxis, there is no insurance. But your point may explain why so many people are illiterate. ENFORCEMENT IS A MUST NOW. Cowen and co. have made apathy a way of life. Spend time in places like Germany etc. to see how things can be done.

I have no doubt John that my education was far from a waste. I think you should read my post again....I made the point that at least you can hold your head high knowing that you fall within the regulations and have some pride in your profession. If you think it's a waste so be it, that's a personal opinion.

I just want to make it clear I have absolutely no issue with anyone here, I was just stating that not everyone finds the Industry Knowledge exam easy and that there is support out there in terms of preparation.

I don't think the statistics are completely clear regarding the Area Knowledge test as it states that there is a 21% pass rate for new entrants and dispatch operators on it. That is in combination with the Industry Knowledge test. One thing that is sure is the Area Knowledge exam is tricky to negotiate. I know it must be extremely difficult in every county to know every town inside out, truth be told it's not possible. But on the other hand, consumers have the right to be brought to their destination and the right to expect the driver to know it. It's a very difficult area to assess.

One final thing to clear up with regard to teachers! My point does not go anywhere near explaining why anyone is illiterate and I wouldn't want it portrayed that way.My point was simply that up to recently teacher's who didn't hold a H.Dip could teach in secondary schools without consequence but thankfully that is changing now. I know there are many great teacher's out there who didn't have a H.Dip but in the interests of fairness for employment purposes it's as it should be now. Everyones profession has the great and the not so great within it but I'd love to see the SPSV industry following a similar path to education in terms of insuring the best can shine.

Seanie30

lost marbles wrote: »

ok so lets say that this post is genuine and not a wind up .
the guy /gal by some fluke passes the spsv exam ,in a few months is out there plying away as a taxi driver and judgeing by his post he can hardly write in english so even using a sat nav will be difficult .
mary [fictional btw] gets into his taxi and is only short of driving it herself in getting to her destination .so in future mary starts to avoid taxis driven by NNS .
now people are starting to call mary a racist .
see where im coming from

I think their are many consumers who would agree with you on that....but Mary may well fall foul of the same problem with Irish drivers. I think the main point to be taken is that poor area knowledge and service can lead to consumers choosing alternative means of transport regardless of the race or nationality of the SPSV driver. Perhaps, that persons communicative English and reading capacity is excellent and maybe it is just their writing with which there is an issue. Who knows!

Dai John

Seanie 30, I take in all of your points.But why does the Taxi Reg. make these rules and not enforce them ? Five of us here have renewed our licences this year and the expiry date is 2015 so there is no requirement to do the exam. Kathleen Doyle openly admitted that she can do nothing about this anomaly and the only difference between those of us who went to the trouble of obtaining Dispatch Operators Licences and those that did not was the cost,there is no enforcement .Standards are required but insufficient thought has been given to the matter. In county Tipperary (where I operate ) approx. 10% of S.P.S.V. vehicles are taxis, but there are questions about meters.In any case you do not need to know the different costs on a meter to be able to read it .Why do you need to know the required shoulder width and boot size when there is a list of suitable vehicles ? We are 4 miles from the county Limerick border and a lot of our work takes us that way, but in the area knowledge test I had questions about Nenagh and Roscrea, in 19 years I only visited Nenagh twice and Roscrea never, but I could not begin to count the number of times I have been to county Limerick. Like a lot of recent legislation it is pointless.The H.G.V. C.P.C.is another pointless piece of legislation. Every town and village has an illegal taxi, again; no enforcement.

lost marbles

Seanie30 wrote: »

I think their are many consumers who would agree with you on that....but Mary may well fall foul of the same problem with Irish drivers. I think the main point to be taken is that poor area knowledge and service can lead to consumers choosing alternative means of transport regardless of the race or nationality of the SPSV driver. Perhaps, that persons communicative English and reading capacity is excellent and maybe it is just their writing with which there is an issue. Who knows!

what alternative form of public transport does "mary " have a choice of at 4am [lets say she lives in dublin then from thursday to sunday she has the "fightlink,pukelink,] but this isnt going to get her safe to her front door .
most jobs that involve where communication with the general public require all forms of communicative skills .
why should the taxi industry be any different . why should two out of three be good enough .
and because "mary" finds even one flaw and votes with her feet [no pun intended ] do some consider her racist .

wanderingmac

any tips for area knowledge test for Donega? What do I need to study?

Losty Dublin

wanderingmac wrote: »

any tips for area knowledge test for Donega? What do I need to study?

All of Donegal. Every town. Plus your meter/taxi regulations, etc.

Every county has the same thing going on; you need to know where the library or wherever is in Buncrana and Bundoran. You'd almost never pick a fare up to or from either but that's how they are calling it now. So get your local phone book and map out and head down, if it's worth the hassle to you.

djliammorgan

i did the spsv test for kerry got 75 percent in the area knowledge ....one of the questions was what street is the garda station in cahirciveen on ? the four answers given seemed to be wrong ?? there was no reference to them in the offical taxi regualtor osi map and google maps and the garda website wtf???

ciaran67

djliammorgan wrote: »

i did the spsv test for kerry got 75 percent in the area knowledge ....one of the questions was what street is the garda station in cahirciveen on ? the four answers given seemed to be wrong ?? there was no reference to them in the offical taxi regualtor osi map and google maps and the garda website wtf???

I was asked to name where a particular estate is in Wicklow, i think it was Deerpark. There's literally a Deerpark in every single feckin town in Wicklow. Somebody should write a programme about being a cab driver and the taxi regulator... it would be the funniest thing on tv.

steph1

ciaran67 wrote: »

I was asked to name where a particular estate is in Wicklow, i think it was Deerpark. There's literally a Deerpark in every single feckin town in Wicklow. Somebody should write a programme about being a cab driver and the taxi regulator... it would be the funniest thing on tv.

Would be hilarious indeed ciaran :D.
Even here where I operate in Mayo there are estates with the same name or similar in various towns. Mayo is a huge county. Now I have been driving for a number of years and I am doing the skills development test next week which I dont agree with having to do but am glad I dont have to do the area knowledge test (so far!) It is an absolute joke that I would be expected to know every place say in Claremorris or Ballinrobe. Sure I never get fares to there as all my fares are local and people are not going to pay 100 euro to go in a taxi to these places. The most that I need to know here in Mayo are the hospitals, the bus and train stations and the airport. All the rest is local based business. The only time you now get a long fare is if somebody is in the town on business and thats quite rare nowadays.

taximus

You all know these tests are a scam. I'm doing the area knowledge test for Cork soon and would appreciate any help from someone who has done it. Maybe you can remember some questions? That would be great. Now, for all you overly-righteous people out there who say that to help each other out with the questions is wrong, I would say to mind your own business. Ill pass this test eventually anyway, only difference is that its gonna cost me money that my family and I dont have. Plus, Ill be saving the government money with social welfare too by passing it early.
So....anyone who can help me out with the cork area knowledge test....let me know please.

djliammorgan

U can get ordanance survey maps for the test, if u go on their website and order the maps specifically for cork. It's a start make notes of all the Garda stations , hospitals , torn halls etc... Memorise all the major road numbers n22 etc.....u will fail the first time for sure but it will give you an idea of what to expect but there will be repetition of questions. You will nee to memorise golf clubs , hotels, and landmarks I think out of te questions only 2 where on locations of housing estates..... Use google maps aswell and reference them with the o.s maps too.....I did it in Kerry so I cant give u specific details on cork good luck

taximus

I appreciate your help and your time but unfortunately I cant really afford to fail the first time. Dont have the cash or the time to do another test. I need to get earning now. The information that needs to be learned and retained or this test is unfairly massive. Like I said....it's a money racket. So, Im appealing to anyone who has knowledge of the actual questions to let me know. Thanks.

Cookie_Monster

taximus wrote: »

I appreciate your help and your time but unfortunately I cant really afford to fail the first time. Dont have the cash or the time to do another test. I need to get earning now. The information that needs to be learned and retained or this test is unfairly massive. Like I said....it's a money racket. So, Im appealing to anyone who has knowledge of the actual questions to let me know. Thanks.

what an attitude, what else are you going to cheat on, NCT, lie to your insurance company?

Get off your ass, do the study and you'll pass no problem, just like any other test or requirement. It's not a money making scam it a basic test to ensure drivers can actually provide a reasonable service to customers, why are you even thinking of entering the market if you can't be bothered meeting the requirements?

djliammorgan

to be honest man i wouldnt be in that much of a hurry....you will fail it at least once....its the only way to narrow down what you have to study....also....once u pass. you have to wait to get the certificate.....another bit of advice would be to get your tax clearance cert and anything else you need sorted now..ie the application form photos aswell....once you have everything , i imagine because you are in a busy area you will be waiting at least 3 months for your license from when u pass the exam , then you have to get your vehicle sorted .... vehicle license and suitability aswell...so dont go into the exam with the preconception that you wil be driving straight away. im still waiting....and my exam was done 2 months ago..

djliammorgan

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

what an attitude, what else are you going to cheat on, NCT, lie to your insurance company?

Get off your ass, do the study and you'll pass no problem, just like any other test or requirement. It's not a money making scam it a basic test to ensure drivers can actually provide a reasonable service to customers, why are you even thinking of entering the market if you can't be bothered meeting the requirements?

i agree that its not a scam its there too ensure only people who are serious about the job get the opportunity to do the job...theres no certain way of getting help for the exam as im sure there is a huge database of questions...and they are picked at random.....it is a damn hard test tho.. and any help is help....theres no quick and easy way into the business,

taximus

1 in 8 people pass and that guy is telling me to get off my ass?? mate, I've been 'off my ass' since I was 16 years old out working in all sorts of conditions. I've been 'off my ass' while you were probably sitting on yours driving around all that time so please....less of it. Now, I appreciate the positive talk I've gotten from the one or two other guys that have answered...though I do believe it naive to say that it isn't a money racket that is being masked under the 'right people for the job' image.
I'm not looking for a quick fix. Im not looking for the easy ride. Im looking at a wife and two kids that I have to support so to be honest...I dont give a damn about the 'righteous line' I should take.
I have everything else in order....I just need to pass this test. Anyone who has knowledge of the questions, I'd appreciate you contacting me. Anyone else.....keep your thoughts to yourself coz I aint interested.

oisindoyle

taximus wrote: »

1 in 8 people pass and that guy is telling me to get off my ass?? mate, I've been 'off my ass' since I was 16 years old out working in all sorts of conditions. I've been 'off my ass' while you were probably sitting on yours driving around all that time so please....less of it. Now, I appreciate the positive talk I've gotten from the one or two other guys that have answered...though I do believe it naive to say that it isn't a money racket that is being masked under the 'right people for the job' image.
I'm not looking for a quick fix. Im not looking for the easy ride. Im looking at a wife and two kids that I have to support so to be honest...I dont give a damn about the 'righteous line' I should take.
I have everything else in order....I just need to pass this test. Anyone who has knowledge of the questions, I'd appreciate you contacting me. Anyone else.....keep your thoughts to yourself coz I aint interested.

If you are unemployed my sympathies to you .BUT I would suggest you stay on the dole for you will not make much driving a taxi nor will you get to spend much time with your wife and 2 children .
The stress constant pressure and all that driving a taxi entails is not worth it mate ,trust me .Stay on the dole at least you are guaranteed a wage and most important you will get to see your family and be less stressful

steph1

Do the test and see how you get on. I would agree with Oisin. I am driving a taxi six years and the last year and a half the business has gone down the swaney. Now I am in the West of Ireland in a town where unemployment has hit big time and since the taxi fares went up in 2008 our business here has plummetted. When I started out I was able to work no more than 5 nights and have a decent wage. Now I could work seven nights a week and make a pittance apart from Saturday night which is still the busy night but nowhere like it was a few years ago.
Drivers are sitting at the rank or driving around trying to get on a rank and when you do get on a rank you could be there for anything up to two hours or more and then get a local run which is usually a fiver as thats all the punter will give you.
If I were you though I would stay on the dole and retain the other benefits you get because one thing is for sure at this present moment in time you are not going to make a decent wage at taxi driving.