Cabbies from Vale of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, could soon be required to undertake compulsory medical tests to be granted a licence.
If the plans proceed, insulin-dependant diabetic and epileptic taxi drivers will not be permitted to drive a public hire vehicle on the Vale’s roads.
Local council chiefs are deliberating over plans to make every driver applying for a new licence or renewing an existing one, have a medical report from their GP.
Taxi Health Check Consultation
Anonymous forms were sent to cab operators to gain an understanding of their opinions about the move. Response to the plans has been mixed.
One Vale cab driver deemed the plans ‘bureaucracy gone mad’, and added: “Why not stop everybody driving in case they have a heart attack at the wheel?”
Several taxi companies have also voiced concerns about the cost of obtaining medical for each of their drivers. Another Vale taxi driver commented: “While I agree, in principle, to health checks, it is yet more money to be found. Licenses for taxi drivers are already costly, a lot of cabbies simply will not do it”.
Wycombe, South Bucks and Chiltern District Councils have already introduced similar measures for taxi drivers. The matter will be discussed further by Aylesbury Vale District Council’s licensing committee before a final decision is made.