Dubai: Candidates hoping to acquire a taxi driver’s permit will have to undergo English language, psychological and behavioural assessments, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Monday.
RTA has signed an agreement with the British Council to conduct these tests, which are a prerequisite for obtaining professional permits.
The step comes as part of RTA’s strategy in forging partnerships to serve its objectives of world-class standards.
Abdullah Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said that the assessments will help improve the standards of the taxi service in Dubai.
“The new standards will contribute to realising RTA’s objective of reducing customers’ complaints from taxi drivers to 1 per cent per 100,000km. The RTA has managed to reduce it from 2.7 per cent in the past to 1.4 per cent per 100,000km right now,” said Al Ali
He added that the agreement signed with the British Council is a second set of tests for potential taxi drivers in addition to existing tests run by AMIDEST.
“Pursuant to the new amendments introduced to the taxi drivers recruitment system, applicants must fulfil certain conditions such as a basic knowledge of English language, in addition to the new standards where applicants are subjected to five tests as part of psychological and behavioural assessments,” said Al Ali
Claire Grundy, deputy director of the British Council, said that the British Council was honoured to sign this agreement with the RTA to support the UAE in realising its vision.
“This partnership signals our firm commitment to support local entities towards rendering the UAE a key player in the global market. Adopted by the British Council, APTIS system is a modern and affordable English assessment tool to assess and improve the English language proficiency of public transport staff, which contributes to shaping Dubai into a really global city,” she said.
A number of taxi drivers told Gulf News that the new assessment system will help potential cabbies better prepare for the job and equip them with the necessary tools.
“The new standards will ensure drivers have the necessary skills and I guess this will help in the selection process of potential taxi drivers. But the initiative doesn’t say if there will be any training provided for the candidates. It is also not clear what is the minimum proficiency level required,” said Syed Furqan, a long-time taxi driver.
Another taxi driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said the system will help filter out weak candidates.
