16 November 2017

Views sought on new scheme for taxi and private hire driver medical assessments

Drivers and operators of taxis and private hire cars in Aberdeenshire are being asked for their views on a proposed medical assessment scheme.

Aberdeenshire Council, as licensing authority for taxis and private hire cars in the area, requires all drivers to meet DVLA Group 2 Standards to ensure fitness to drive.

There are various options for ensuring compliance and the council would like to hear from operators and drivers before introducing a scheme for medical assessment of applicants for taxi and private hire car driver licences.

To support this, three drop-in sessions are to take place as follows:

Wed, Nov 29:  Viewmount, Stonehaven, from 11am-2pm
Thu, Dec 7:   County Hall, Banff, from 11am-2pm
Fri, Dec 8:   Gordon House, Inverurie, from 11am-2pm

Cllr Fergus Hood, chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee, said: “There are more than 2,000 taxi and private hire car operators and drivers in Aberdeenshire and it’s important that we hear as many views as possible before deciding on the best way to introduce the medical assessment scheme.

“Through the scheme, we will be able to ensure that all applicants have met the appropriate standards, which will provide peace of mind both to the local licensing boards and to applicants themselves.”

The drop-in sessions will be followed by an online consultation before a final decision on the way forward is made by Aberdeenshire Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee.