Wiltshire Council calls for MORE taxi drivers as contracts worth £250 a day remain unfulfilled

Wiltshire Council are calling for more licensed taxi drivers in the area as vital special education contracts worth over £250 a day for longer routes remain unfulfilled.

Taxis are seen as an essential part of the transport network providing a valuable service to the local community and in Wiltshire there is a shortage of taxi drivers.

Not only are taxi drivers needed by the community, but Wiltshire Council also needs reliable drivers to fulfil its growing number of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) school and social care contracts. These contracts offer regular work and hours. They also help and support some of the most vulnerable people in Wiltshire.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "The council is committed to delivering contracts across our services which deliver the best value for money. Wiltshire needs a workforce with the right skills to prosper and more taxi drivers would help the council deliver our commitment to ensure young people get the best start in life.

"Being a taxi driver is a flexible job and they can either work for a taxi company or be their own boss, deciding when and where they want to work. Local taxi firms currently have lots of vacancies and we are carrying out a recruitment campaign on behalf of the taxi trade across the county.

"It's easy to become a licensed taxi driver and once people have become a licensed driver, we hope that they will bid for one of the growing number of SEND school transport and social care contracts that we have available. There are plenty of opportunities and plenty of work available."

Wiltshire Council has lots of contracts available which start at around £30 a day for short routes, increasing to £250+ a day for longer routes. Drivers are free to combine these contracts with rank work.

Becoming a taxi driver takes around six weeks and costs around £400. To be licensed, people need to provide proof and undertake these simple checks:

• Proof of Identity

• Driving Licence held

• Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check on previous convictions and whether disbarred from working with children

• Right to Work in the UK

• Medical (if applicable)

• Undertake on-line Safeguarding Training

• Take a guidelines test

• Knowledge test (if applying for a hackney carriage licence).

Anyone wanting to find out more about becoming a taxi driver, how to licence a vehicle as a taxi, private hire or hackney carriage vehicle, and for an application pack can visit Wiltshire's taxis information page on their website.

Drivers wishing to find out more about the council’s SEND school transport and social care contracts and how to bid for one, are urged to email Wiltshire Council's Passenger Transport Unit.