A desperate would-be taxi driver tried to bribe Aberdeen officials with hundreds of pounds as he struggled to pass a test to enter the trade.
Kashif Iftikhar had failed Aberdeen’s controversial Street Knowledge Test no fewer than 12 times when he took drastic action in his bid to find work.
He twice tried offering invigilators “between £700 and £800” if they would bend the rules to let him into the profession.
The determined would-be cabbie was also caught looking at his phone during two of the tests.
Mr Ifitkhar has now tried another avenue to become a taxi driver – as he asked gobsmacked licensing chiefs to waive the need for the test altogether in his case…
What is the Street Knowledge Test?
Taxi drivers must pass a test proving their knowledge of Aberdeen before they are licensed to operate in the Granite City.
The 44-question test covers three areas: streets, landmarks, and routes.
This exam has proved contentious over the years, with opponents claiming it’s an outdated barrier to entering the trade – arguing it is contributing to Aberdeen’s night-time shortages.
One question even asks drivers: “How do you get to the Neptune Bar?” despite the pub closing more than a decade ago.
It was recently revised in late 2024, reducing the questions from 80 to 44.
Aspiring Aberdeen taxi driver tried to bribe officials
Luckless Mr Iftikhar sat the test on a dozen occasions and failed every time.
Increasingly desperate, he offered the huge sum to invigilators in both September and November 2022.
A report that went before licensing bosses on Wednesday details these occasions.
It states: “It should be noted that on September 27, 2022, Mr Iftikhar offered £700-£800 to the enforcement officer who was invigilating the test, to be passed.
“On November 8, 2022, Mr Iftikhar again offered the same sum to the civic licensing
standards officer who was invigilating that test, to be passed.
“Both offers were immediately refused.”
His tests were not marked in November 2022 and in October 2024 as “he was noted using his mobile phone to look up answers”.
The report added: “Mr Iftikhar has failed all four sections of the test on every occasion he has sat it except one (on September 12, 2023).”
So why did aspiring cabbie want an exemption to the rules?
Mr Iftikhar wrote a message to licensing bosses ahead of the meeting explaining why he would like to be exempt from the test.
He told them that “due to personal circumstances“, he is unemployed.
The email continues: “I believe that working as a taxi driver would be a suitable opportunity for me, especially since I have over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and three years as a delivery driver in Aberdeen.
“I have also communicated with the Job Centre about pursuing a taxi license, as I believe it will provide me with a more stable income.
“Unfortunately, I have struggled with the knowledge test, particularly in understanding street signs and navigation.”
‘There’s an urgent need to provide for my family’
Mr Iftikhar stresses that he has held a driving licence “for 13 years without any points or
penalties”.
He concludes: “Given my background and the urgent need to provide for my family, I humbly request that the committee consider granting me a taxi licence without requiring the test.”
Mr Iftikhar failed to attend the committee meeting to discuss his application.
The committee almost immediately went to a vote and refused to grant Mr Iftikhar’s plea for an exemption.
Uber called for an end to the difficult street knowledge test
The test itself has a sub-par pass rate of just 18.5% between 2021 and 2024.
Uber, which began operating in Aberdeen in 2024, has previously called for a change to do away with it.
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