I take my DSA taxi driving test tomorrow, any tips?

Shorehamkid · Oct 31, 2011

Figured they'd be some taxi drivers amongst our ranks, I have my taxi test tomorrow and wondered if anyone had taken it? What's it like compared to your normal driving test?

Obviously I can only have 9 minors, no majors etc and I can't pull up near trees, lamposts, double yellows etc, but was wondering if you had any tips or advice?

Thanks in advance gents!

Hercules Rockerfeller · Oct 31, 2011

Depends whether or not you turn up on time and get me where I am going in a hasty fashion.

edna krabappel · Oct 31, 2011

From experience, the key factors to becoming a success in the trade are:

-Never, ever indicate.

-Don't wear your seatbelt under any circumstances.

-Park wherever you like so long as you put your hazard lights on. I believe you get extra marks for parking on zebra crossings.

-Wherever possible, steer with one hand and rest the other arm on the window ledge.

Hope this helps :thumbsup:

Shorehamkid · Oct 31, 2011

Haha, I was gonna go in with that approach but I think it could be my undoing!

Manx Shearwater · Oct 31, 2011

Don't forget to go on at length about bloody immigrants coming over here and taking our jobs, and how much you love the royal family, Gawd bless 'em, and what about that Gadaffi bloke? He had it coming eh? And don't get me started on those overpaid football players, bloody ponces the lot of 'em...

kip · Oct 31, 2011

I drove a taxi for 14 years, I left about a year ago because it became so quiet. I didn't have to do the DSA thing back then but I hear it's no walk in the park. Do yourself a favor though and go and do something more worthwhile with your time. It's a shit job and you will end up hating everyone.

Everest · Oct 31, 2011

I have an Adur Hackney licence.
When I took my test, it was just a 10 minute drive around town.
Nothing like the DSA test.

Hope that helps.

kip said:
you will end up hating everyone.

just as well he's registered on here then.

jordanseagull · Oct 31, 2011

edna krabappel said:
From experience, the key factors to becoming a success in the trade are:

-Never, ever indicate.

-Don't wear your seatbelt under any circumstances.

-Park wherever you like so long as you put your hazard lights on. I believe you get extra marks for parking on zebra crossings.

-Wherever possible, steer with one hand and rest the other arm on the window ledge.

Hope this helps

Taxi drivers don't have to wear their seat belts though?

Everest · Oct 31, 2011

edna krabappel said:
-Wherever possible, steer with one hand and rest the other arm on the window ledge.

Absolutely wrong Edna.
You steer with the arm that you are resting by the window.
The left hand is used for picking nose/scratching scrotum etc.

edna krabappel · Oct 31, 2011

jordanseagull said:
Taxi drivers don't have to wear their seat belts though?

Ah, you see that's a common misconception.

Hackney carriage drivers don't have to wear them all the time they have a fare. They are supposed to wear them the rest of the time. Private hire drivers are subject to the same laws on seatbelts as everyone else is.

Frankly, wouldn't you just wear one anyway??

edna krabappel · Oct 31, 2011

Everest said:
Absolutely wrong Edna.
You steer with the arm that you are resting by the window.
The left hand is used for picking nose/scratching scrotum etc.

Sorry, my bad!

kip · Oct 31, 2011

jordanseagull said:
Taxi drivers don't have to wear their seat belts though?

Most of the time they don't. You are exempt all the time you have a customer on board and when you are plying for hire. This is most of the time for a Hackney carriage (green and white ones in Brighton) but private hire divers have to wear them in between jobs. You can't claim to be plying for hire when you are outside the city boundary either so they have to wear them when coming back from Gatwick say.

kip · Oct 31, 2011

edna krabappel said:
Ah, you see that's a common misconception.

Hackney carriage drivers don't have to wear them all the time they have a fare. They are supposed to wear them the rest of the time. Private hire drivers are subject to the same laws on seatbelts as everyone else is.

Frankly, wouldn't you just wear one anyway??

Not true see my above post

edna krabappel · Oct 31, 2011

edna krabappel said:
Ah, you see that's a common misconception.

Hackney carriage drivers don't have to wear them all the time they have a fare. They are supposed to wear them the rest of the time. Private hire drivers are subject to the same laws on seatbelts as everyone else is. *Craftily edited here* to reflect the fact that doesn't include when they have a fare. Obviously as they're not plying for hire then they have to slap one on the rest of the time. It's supposed to allow them to escape if someone tries to batter them.

Frankly, wouldn't you just wear one anyway??

...

edna krabappel · Oct 31, 2011

kip said:
Not true see my above post

Everest · Oct 31, 2011

edna krabappel said:
Ah, you see that's a common misconception.

Hackney carriage drivers don't have to wear them all the time they have a fare. They are supposed to wear them the rest of the time. Private hire drivers are subject to the same laws on seatbelts as everyone else is.

Frankly, wouldn't you just wear one anyway??

Oh dear.

The OB getting the law wrong! :facepalm:

kip · Oct 31, 2011

Everest said:
Oh dear.

The OB getting the law wrong!

Not unusual for the police to get this wrong, made me laugh one night in Brighton station a traffic cop gave out about 20 tickets for drivers not wearing seat belts. I bet he got some stick

Everest · Oct 31, 2011

kip said:
Not unusual for the police to get this wrong, made me laugh one night in Brighton station a traffic cop gave out about 20 tickets for drivers not wearing seat belts. I bet he got some stick

I was stopped by a check point once.
The policeman asked me if I was Hack or Private Hire as I didn't have my belt on. He only had to look at the rooflight that had "TAXI" in big letters on it.
I suppose that should have given him a clue.

Shorehamkid · Oct 31, 2011

It's an Adur private hire licence i'm going for... hopefully it's alright to be fair. Just constant checking of the mirrors and blind spot is obviously of paramount importance!

BensGrandad · Oct 31, 2011

edna krabappel said:
From experience, the key factors to becoming a success in the trade are:

-Never, ever indicate.

-Don't wear your seatbelt under any circumstances.

-Park wherever you like so long as you put your hazard lights on. I believe you get extra marks for parking on zebra crossings.

-Wherever possible, steer with one hand and rest the other arm on the window ledge.

Hope this helps

You are slipping Edna it is compulsory for them to be using a mobile phone usually playing with the earpiece of their bluetooth.

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