Council to ask for checks on pre-booked Inverness taxis after revelation some drivers CAN’T FIND the airport or the hospital

The council will ask for your view - do you think private hire cars should sit the same local geography test as taxi drivers?

By Will Angus, Local Democracy Reporter

February 25 2025, 4:19 pm

Requirements to take the test could be in place as early as next year. Picture by SANDY McCOOK

Private hire car drivers in Inverness could soon undergo the same local knowledge test as taxi drivers.

It comes after councillors were told some new private hire drivers could not navigate “simple” trips to Inverness Airport or Raigmore hospital.

A number of other local authority areas in Scotland already require a knowledge test for private hire car drivers.

Private hire cars operate slightly differently to taxis in that trips have to be pre-booked and cannot be hailed or picked up from a taxi rank.

Councillors have now asked for a public consultation on the matter.

Owner of Inverness Taxis highlights issue to councillors

Gavin Johnston, owner of Inverness Taxis expressed the need for private hire driver’s area knowledge to be of a higher standard.

Mr Johnston said: “As we are the biggest operator in the Highlands, moving over a million people a year, we probably get the most complaints in the Highlands when it comes to this.”

“We’ve seen a lot of people relocating here to become a private hire driver in the past few years.

“Nobody has an issue with that, people can work where they want.”

However, Mr Johnston added he “would like to see the [Private Hire Car] drivers coming to the area to be a bit more equipped to do the job”.

Owner of Inverness Taxis and SafeKab Gavin Johnston. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

New drivers fail ‘basic’ trip knowledge in Inverness

Mr Johnston continued that some new drivers he has spoken to fail to know “simple” destinations around Inverness like the hospital or the airport.

“We give them the job pre-booked so they know the job but anything can happen on a trip.

“There could be someone who takes ill in the car or it’s an emergency and they need to deviate.

“The driver needs to have basic knowledge of major areas.”

Should private hire drivers require a knowledge test? Let us know in the comments

Do other areas have knowledge tests?

The requirement for private hire drivers to undertake a knowledge test is up to individual local authorities to decide.

Along with Highland Council, a number of councils that also do not currently require a private hire car knowledge test include Dundee and West Lothian.

There are several councils that do require a test, and these include Aberdeen City, Perth and Kinross and Angus.