Taxi Training Hampshire

Most local authorities including Portsmouth will require you take a taxi driving assessment test.

This will be carried out by a DVSA Approved Assessor. The test will require you to show a level of driving skill and ability associated with that of an experienced driver. The assessors will be from The Blue Lamp Trust.

The DVSA itself stopped doing taxi assessments in order to concentrate on ordinary driving tests. Diamond does not do taxi assessments in the Portsmouth area.

You are strongly advised to get some professional training before going to test.

• The cost of training with Driving-Pro is £35 per hour and normally taken in 2 hour blocks
• Proof of insurance is required when taking tests in the clients’ own car
• MOT if your car needs one should be brought along to test

There is nothing to stop you doing a blue lamp test in your own car. In fact most people do.

• If your car is an auto your test will only be valid for auto
• Proof of insurance and MOT is required
• It must be legal meaning anything that might fail an MOT will probably mean your test will not go ahead
• So check tyres, indicators, side, brake lights and warning lights
• Make sure it is clean and tidy

In Portsmouth and the surrounding areas taxi tests are conducted by The Blue Lamp Trust. They call it an assessment rather than a test. The examiner will want to know that you’re a safe, professional driver.

Your assessment consists of a driving licence check and eyesight test followed by a 45-minute driving assessment across a variety of road types. In practise this means you can be anywhere in a 20-minute radius of where you start the test. Failing the eyesight test or do not having your licence to show the examiner means you will fail before you even get into your car.

The less the examiner notices about your driving the better. When you get into any car and the driver is a good one, you will feel safe and relaxed. This is what your passengers should feel when they are in a cab with a professional driver. Safe and relaxed is how the examiner wants to feel.

Before your Blue Lamp Taxi Test make sure you are able to pass. Here at driving-pro, we see a lot of drivers who have taken a test without any training and have failed miserably.

At the beginning of your test, the examiner will say he wants you to be smooth, safe and legal. If you can do those three things, you should be just fine. Remember that the examiner can only mark what he sees on the day.

This means that some people fail by bad luck. But others pass with a bit of good luck. Your job as a professional driver is to replace luck with skill.

Once you have passed your Blue Lamp Trust Assessment you will be well on the way to becoming a professional taxi driver.

The driving test will last for around forty five minutes. You will have to drive on a wide range of
roads and in a variety of road traffic conditions and this may include motorways, dual
carriageways and country road. Make sure when you turn up both you and your car are clean and tidy.

Manoeuvres:

The test will require you to carry out 2 reversing manoeuvres from the following chosen by the
assessor:

• A turn in the road
• A left or right reverse from major to minor road
• Reversing into a car parking space (Bay Parking)
• Reversing into a space at the side of the road (Parallel Parking)

Manoeuvres must be made safely, under control and in accordance with the Highway Code.

Stopping the vehicle:

Same as a normal driving test you will be asked to pull over and stop a number of times.

You should:

• Pull up at a reasonable distance from the kerb where it is safe, legal and convenient
• Apply the handbrake
• Select neutral gear
• Ensure there are no obstructions, such as a street light, that would stop a passenger
opening the door

The Independent drive:

You will be asked to drive without being given directions by the assessor by either following a series of street directions, following traffic signs, or a combination of both, for about ten minutes.

It doesn’t matter if you doesn’t remember every direction, or if you go the wrong way. It is about being capable of making your own decisions whilst driving, about their route and how to get there.

This includes deciding when it’s safe and appropriate to ask for confirmation about where you are
going. The examiner is not going to try and trick or trap you into a mistake.

When taking the independent driving test:

• If you need to ask the examiner for a reminder of the directions then do so
• If you go off-route your overall driving test result will not be affected, unless you commit a
  driving fault
• The examiner will also help you get back on the route so you can continue with independent driving
• If there are poor or obscured traffic signs, the examiner will give directions until the next visible traffic sign
• A detailed knowledge of the test route is not necessary
• You cannot use a Sat-Nav

Show Me Tell Me:

You will be expected to be able to carry out vehicle safety checks. These will be asked for at the beginning of the test. Done well it gives a good impression to the examiner.

Show Me Tell Me