Isle of Wight cabbies to sit SAFEGUARDING exam every two years

Taxi drivers on the Isle of Wight will be asked to sit a ‘safeguarding’ exam every two years under new proposals approved at Cabinet.

Under the new taxi licensing policy approved by Cabinet this week, drivers will be required to undergo regular training including sitting a safeguarding exam every two years.

The Isle of Wight Council already carries out in-house safeguarding training for drivers, who must have an enhanced DBS check as part of the policy that has been in place since 2016.

Training includes spotting and reporting safeguarding issues such as trafficking and abuse of any kind and ‘County Lines’ activity, where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

Cabinet lead for Community Protection, Councillor Ian Stephens, said: “The main aim of the taxi licensing policy is public safety and firming up safeguarding training, which already takes place, in this policy.

"These moves will make sure that vulnerable and at-risk members of the public continue to be looked after safely and any concerns raised with the appropriate agency.”

The move follows the publication of a central set of policies and standards by the government to help regulate the taxi and private hire sector across all local authorities covering:

• Increased criminal checks on licensed drivers, operators and dispatch staff

• Extra standards to help ensure driver, vehicle and passenger safety.

Another change to the taxi policy relates to the maximum age of cars.

Under previous rules, the maximum age of a car when applying for a new licence was three years. This has now been extended up to five years for electric vehicles, in a bid to encourage cleaner, greener forms of taxi transport.

The council carried out a consultation with local taxi firms last year.