Thurrock Council has approved a new taxi licensing policy that will reassure passengers that all taxis that operate from the borough are safe.
The new rules mean drivers are not only required to be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, they also need to sign-up to the constantly-updated DBS Update Service. This will make sure they do not have any unspent criminal convictions that mean they are not safe or suitable to be a Thurrock taxi driver.
Before they can be licensed, all drivers must also:
- complete Thurrock Council's child sexual exploitation awareness training
- complete disability awareness training
- have passed the council's 'knowledge' test
- have passed the council's language proficiency test
Leader of Thurrock Council and Cabinet member for Public Protection, Cllr Rob Gledhill, said: "This new policy means that anyone using a Thurrock taxi can rest assured that the driver is safe to travel with. The introduction of a new national minimum standard for taxi drivers means that other local authorities have had to come up to a standard we were already setting.
"Our taxi drivers do all they can to keep passengers safe and meeting these standards is just part of what they do to provide a safe and secure transport service in the borough.
"This is not about making life difficult for tax drivers or taxi companies but about us working with them to reassure residents that any taxi operating in Thurrock is as safe as possible."