Banned - Taxi Drivers Who Can’t Speak English

[RobertB]

BANNED...THE TAXI DRIVERS WHO CAN’T SPEAK ENGLISH

RULES: Cabbies must speak English

Saturday February 16,2008
By Paul Broster

IMMIGRANTS were last night banned from becoming taxi drivers unless they can pass an English test.

Council chiefs are insisting all new cabbies have a good grasp of the language before they are allowed on the road.

The move in Manchester follows complaints from customers. Under a 12-month pilot scheme, applicants will sit a 15-minute oral test.

Licensing officers will ask them to “describe a recent journey you took” or “describe your favourite place in England”.

Applicants will also have to prove they understand common expressions such as “Can you drop me after the lights?” and “Can I have a receipt?”.

The test will be followed by a basic maths exam to prove the cabbie can hand out the correct change. They will also have to prove they can use an A-Z. More than half of Manchester’s 3,000 black cab and private hire drivers do not have English as a first language.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/35094/Banned-the-taxi-drivers-who-can-t-speak-English

[Katriel]

sounds like they're trying to make it hard for anyone new to the country that might commit the heinous crime of supporting themselves. that way they become marginalised and open to sharia, oops sorry, i meant islam, no wait, propaganda, caramba

if the poor blighters can drive, read a map, count to 10 and are familiar with the concept of money for the Love of God and your fellow men/women, give tham a chance! i've been to all sorts of interesting places and with a smile and sign language and a teeny bit of patience you can do far more difficult things than get to where you're going! i mean, we're not monkeys, and neither are they!!!

[MrMannn]

Katriel, I take the opposite take.
This edict came after customer complaints. A taxi driver by necessity must be proficient in the language of the land. If he cannot understand the phrase, "Drop me off here." then he shouldn't be in business.
--there are plenty of other jobs that do not require customer interaction.

This isn't cruel, its simple common sense.

[Katriel]

the world is choking people unnecessarily with silly rules and regulations to crush and break them; it's not that hard to say, put a list of words on the dashboard in both languages that the passenger/driver can point to for clarification. I mean, how much interaction do you need? what about the GPS units you see everywhere now? enter your destination, it tells the dude behind the wheel where to go. simple.

i think a lot of this has to do with people's fear and hatred of others (viz. brothers & sisters?), and yet again the powers that be make a spurious excuse without exercising compassion and intelligence.

i'd much rather use the simple system above, than have some smelly loudmouth earbashing me with his opinion on everything because he happens to speak the local language. sure the new guy might be on the nose too, but at least i could choke in silence.

[Katriel]

From what I hear lately, the locals in Manchester and the rest of the UK don't speak english anymore anyway; maybe the complaint should be that the cabbies couldnt speak arabic?

[antitox]

If you want to start mixing languages in lands that have a common speech, then you create more problems for the people. This is common sense. Stop defending those who are lazy.

[heybales219]

Katriel, I take the opposite take.
This edict came after customer complaints. A taxi driver by necessity must be proficient in the language of the land. If he cannot understand the phrase, "Drop me off here." then he shouldn't be in business.
--there are plenty of other jobs that do not require customer interaction.

This isn't cruel, its simple common sense.
:thumb :nod

[funmudder]

Katriel there are PLENTY of other jobs that immigrants can take. HOW can a cabbie actually do a job if he can't understand what passengers want? That is absurd. You are defending laziness ignoring how cruel it is to passengers who just want to get somewhere and are paying for it.

calling good evil and evil good = calling common sense evil and evil a right :rolleyes

[antsinmypants]

Agreed!

Here in Germany you have to jump through lots of hoops to get a job, let alone one that deals with the public... and you have to be proficient in the language to get that job.

I sure as you know what, want a taxi-driver that not only knows where he's going but what I need when I go to another city, or a foreign country.

I don't know what we would have done when we went to visit Leipzig or Berlin had we someone who didn't speak the language taking us where we were going... let alone not knowing what we meant had we asked for help with x, y or z... or to get out earlier than our stop.


While my German isn't exactly A+ yet, DH's is as he grew up here, and even with different dialect you can still get across where you want to go and how fast, how far and the fees... same as in the UK having different dialects..

If someone can't understand when I say 'I want out after the lights up ahead...' I'd feel a bit panicky and kidnapped when the car wouldn't stop.

[NewWorldOrder]

Katriel, I take the opposite take.
This edict came after customer complaints. A taxi driver by necessity must be proficient in the language of the land. If he cannot understand the phrase, "Drop me off here." then he shouldn't be in business.
--there are plenty of other jobs that do not require customer interaction.

This isn't cruel, its simple common sense.






Yep. :thumb