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London Insists on English Requirement For Private Hire Drivers (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader shares a Reuters report: London's transport bosses said on Monday that all drivers of private hire vehicles must speak, listen to, read and write English to a set level, intensifying a battle with taxi app Uber which says the expected standard is too high. Earlier this year, the capital's transport authority said it would introduce the measure as part of a series of stricter rules on apps such as Uber and private hire firms like Addison Lee whilst supporting the city's iconic black cabs. The move prompted San Francisco-based Uber, which allows users to book journeys on their smartphone, to take legal action arguing that the written component was too demanding. But on Monday, regulator Transport for London (TfL) said drivers will have to take either an English proficiency test or provide proof, such as a British school qualification, that they can meet the required level.
Uber can't hire any decent people. Only desperate people who let's just say aren't from around here. I can't even imagine that 10% of Uber drivers make enough money to profit on. The only way Uber makes a lot of money is screwing drivers, and avoiding regulations and when they can't they just leave.
We don't need to communicate with our customers, their app already told us where they want to go AND the way, so pay up and shut up.
Uber spokesperson
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
Sorry.
"Prediction: within 10 years, Windows will be a Linux distribution." Me, 7-6-2016
Give me some bad points for this?
The article reads like it's a bad thing but then doesn't have any negative points. Seems more like another clueless millennial ranting than news.
I mean, if you can't speed-read English, how do you deal with non-picture traffic signs?
I wouldn't try to drive in Japan or China, never mind try to work as a driver, until I could *fast*-read all the typical ideograms. At least English is utterly easy in comparison.
OTOH, if the requirement is that the drivers need to write good essays, then yes, I would see that as excessive, sad as that might be.
If you can't speak the trade language, you can't do business, capiche?
People conducting business that involves the public and their safety are required to know the national language. Imagine that. ....But I can just imagine the rabid leftie PeeCee do-gooders will be all over this.
Stepping into a car where the driver does not understand you is not going to go well.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
The London Cabbie is renowned around the World for their knowledge of the City. And part of that knowledge is knowing that such things as "Cholmondeley" is pronounced "Chumly".My Father who lived in London for years, refused to drive in it, instead relying on the Black Cabs and the Tube.
Getting around London requires a certain mindset. For instance, getting from point A to Point B may initially appear to be a straight line, except when it isn't. (Note the classic London Tube map. Geographically, it bears no relation at all to reality.)
A good sound knowledge of English is only the starting point.
"The hardest of all taxi driver tests in the world is how many have described “The London Knowledge” a reputation which very few would argue with."
http://www.theknowledgetaxi.co.uk
"It takes the average person between 2 and 4 years to learn the knowledge,..."
Uber wants a special exemption so that it can contract low-cost idiots, who may not know that a One-Way Street is not a suggestion, and that driving down one the wrong way can cause traffic to back up past Manchester.
Why not allow a discount under non-English-speaking drivers? As long as it's disclosed. Don't outright ban it: let the customer decide.
If you don't want chit-chat, and can get a non-English discount, it's a good deal for a customer.
Table-ized A.I.
The app takes care of destination and cost. And if an especially sketchy Uber driver decides to have his way with a passenger who can't defend herself...well, it's not like he was going to ask for consent anyway.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
They want to act like taxis, let them meet the same standards. Speaking the majority language should be mandatory. How else are you going to communicate in a timely manner with police and emergency services if needed? Or with the passenger when they're trying to tell you to stop because they're about to throw up? Or when the map is wrong? Or that they've just got a phone call or text and need to change their destination or pick up something/someone on the way?
Same thing as in Quebec - if you can't speak French, you aren't allowed to work in any job that involves direct communication with the public. Not even as a receptionist or Walmart greeter. (not really an issue for most since in the large cities almost everyone speaks both of Canada's official languages, and the English speakers who can't speak French even though they've been living there their entire lives are willfully ignorant rednecks who will be dead in a few years as old age takes them away).
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
The requirement is racist. Heck, simply asking, whether a person speaks English — without even requiring him to — is racist.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
You are also required to speak English to fly aircraft commercially.
and this article is more proof. I'm never using a ride share company that doesn't properly insure, train, and make sure the people who represent them speak the native language.
https://www.youtube.com/result...
How is this even controversial?
If you are going to work in a job where you are supposed to interact with the public, it is not an unreasonable requirement that you fluently speak the language of the country where you are working, with special emphasis on terms related to that profession (say, technical computer terms for a job involving tech support).
This is especially true for public transportation. Remember that public transportation services don't just box people up and move them around like they are some sort of inert dummies. Public transportation is often the first human contact people will have with your city/country when they first arrive. It is important to cause a good first impression, so that people keep coming back.
America needs this at ALL levels, especially the government.
You want to apply for goverment aid? Better speak and read the English language...
If I were to move to, say, France, I'd feel obliged to learn French, preferably before I actually moved there, but as soon as possible upon arriving there otherwise.
Same would go for any other country I might find myself living in. It's rude and absurd for someone moving to another country to expect everyone else to learn your language, you should learn their language, especially if you have a job where you interact with the public-at-large all day long.
Maybe I missed it, but the article doesn't appear to state whether or not the existing cab drivers also have this requirement. If they do, then this is just a matter of forcing Uber to meet minimum standards.
However, if the regular cabbies *arn't* also required to meet these same minimum language requirements, then it would be reasonable to cry foul over these regulations.
See subject line.
London is in ENGLand.
So what about deaf drivers? Certainly not a requirement for the job of taxi service, albeit maybe more convenient. Mute? What if they have one arm, will that suddenly become the arbitrary criteria that no customer gets to decide matters?
I'm fine with criticizing the likes of Uber, but if our best argument for serving customers is discriminating against people that can objectively do the job, maybe we should re-evaluate our position.
This forum Sig is licensed under the LGPL.
I'm sick of racist twmffat trying to cram English down our throats - what use have commuters for to learn the lingua franca.
A modest proposal: Uber drivers and cabbies speak Welsh or gtfo.
I mean what a cheek, expecting people who work in the UK to actually speak the language. Political correctness gone mad!
You think that's ridiculous, try living in Quebec, where they literally have a language police
There are many american companies that have a presence in Quebec, they deal with the public in English almost exclusively, working for one such company now, no French is even spoken/written here
There are plenty of people in Quebec who only speak French and would put even Trump to shame with the amount of racism and ignorant rhetoric, and political parties that actually support that type of ideology and try to enforce it. In ten years it'll be Nazi Quebec
It's important to understand that the UK 'taxi' market already exists in two forms; the black cab which can be hailed or booked, and 'private hire vehicles', which can only be accessed via an office to which a phone call could be made. This bifurcation is probably 50 years old. When the only phone is a landline, this is very restrictive. When phones become mobile, it's less so, but you are still dependent a vehicle being near you. Now Uber offers automated, easy access - and reduces the bifurcation to very little; you spot the uber car on the screen instead of on the road.
Clearly there is no need for private hire drivers to become more proficient in English than was the case before uber happened, so it seems clear this is pure protectionism by politicians seeking to avoid being haranged or even maltreated by taxi drivers when they use them - which of course they do far more than the rest of us.
Uber is regulated under the long existent 'private hire car' regulations, which have never addressed this issue in the past. Its creation now is therefore an attempt to protect a comfortable group in society who makes a nice living out of being taxi drivers, without really earning it.
If there is a national official language in the UK, then that is a reasonable requirement.
However, I'd love to be able to specify the native language of my driver and/or the competency level for my preferred language to communicate.
Then, the drivers with the best fit for a fair would get preferential treatment over a "fresh-off-the-boat" driver who can't understand directions or be understood.
If I only spoke Afrikaans, I'd prefer a driver with that background. Right? Plus letting the passengers rate each driver on language skills would be good to weed out the test memorizer groups.
Will the uber drivers have to pass that?
The English speaking world has lots of not-native English speaking drivers. If this was an issue of safety they'd require people to take written parts of drivers tests in English. Given they give these tests in other languages it's humorous to hear that this is a good idea. There is no evidence that a lack of English speaking skills has any negative impact on ones ability to drive. The other thing is that just because something could happen is not a good justification for doing something. You could have a heart attack on a plane for instance over the Atlantic ocean. I don't see people saying we need to have doctors on board. No, because, it is a reasonable risk to take.
If you don't want to take a taxi or get in an Uber driver's vehicle that is up to you, but don't go telling the rest of us we can't. That's just wrong. I don't want to live in this nanny state we've got, but sadly exiting it is very very difficult.
> all drivers of private hire vehicles must speak, listen to, read and write English to a set level
The listening test is a bit problematic, because it is discriminatory towards the deaf, even though deafs are legally allowed to drive cars, unlike the blind. I don't think London wants to pay for a cochlear for each hearing-affected applicant, considering an implant costs as much as a mid-range car.
Seriously, around here you can take your drivers test in a dozen different languages, but realistically being able to read (and speak) the local language is an important f***ing skill. There are plenty of signs that are text-only, and when you have an accident or a cop pulls you over then not being able to communicate is a pretty big deal.
So what happens when self-driving cars are proposed in London? Is text-to-speech going to pass the Turing test?
There are moments when I'm grateful that I live in the somewhat overregulated UK rather than a libertarian's fantasy!
The reality is that other companies are trying to match Uber in the UK. The problem of course is that Uber has got the momentum, so others are struggling to catch up; although the network advantage isn't as extreme as that which protects Facebook - 'everyone' is on it so you have to be to be in the game - it is still significant.