TfL defends English test rules amid Uber complaints

          

Transport bosses have defended new regulations requiring private hire drivers to pass a test in English, following criticism from Uber.

The company said the exam would put drivers out of work.

From 1 October, Transport for London (TfL) will require the qualification of licence applicants from countries where English is not the majority language.
It said the new rule had strong public support and was less stringent than that imposed on black-cab drivers.

The new rules will apply to anyone seeking a new licence or a licence renewal.
Initial proposals had called for only proficiency in spoken English, but the final draft requires, among other criteria, at least an intermediate language qualification.
Besides the spoken portion, the exam also tests reading, writing and listening skills.
It is referred to as the "B1" level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and is equivalent to the level the national curriculum in England expects of children aged nine to 11 years.
Someone who passes will have the "ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and to deal in a general way with non-routine information", the framework says.

'Threatened livelihoods'

Uber said it agreed with the requirement for drivers to pass a spoken exam but said the full rules would "threaten the livelihood of thousands of drivers".
In an email to users calling on them to write to the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, Uber's general manager in London, Tom Elvidge, said: "Fewer drivers will mean longer waiting times or no cars when you need them most."
He also said the B1 qualification would demand more of applicants than the British citizenship test.
But, according to the Home Office, that test also requires a B1 level in English.
In addition, Mr Elvidge said TfL's new rules were more stringent than those the government applied to employees who interacted with the public as part of their duties.
TfL denied that, saying its rules were "in line with Home Office intentions for customer-facing public-sector workers".

'Public support'

Helen Chapman, TfL's general manager of taxi and private hire, said: "We are working to modernise and improve standards in London's private hire industry.
"The proposal for an English language requirement was supported by 80% of the 20,000 respondents in our recent consultation, suggesting very strong public support.
"We think that it is appropriate for this requirement to apply to private hire drivers, who will often be responsible for transporting vulnerable passengers."
A TfL spokesman said it was presumed that to pass the black-cab drivers' "Knowledge" exam, applicants would need a much higher proficiency in English than the intermediate level to be required of private hire drivers.

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