Anyone can be a black cab driver it seems, especially if your English is poor and geographical knowledge woeful – certainly judging by my experience in Sheffield city centre yesterday.

I needed to go from the city centre to a commonly known street less than two miles away. A cab with its yellow light on (meaning it was for hire) stopped and I got in. The driver could barely speak English, and even with my best annunciation, did not know the location of my stated destination. I started to explain the route to him but he was utterly lost.

A legitimate cab driver

“You really don’t know where it is?” I asked.

He replied, “I am a new driver,”

“Uh, why would I pay you money when I am doing a major part of your job by working out the route?” I queried.

A ‘new driver’? Isn’t there a minimum requirement before becoming a cabbie? There was no photo ID on display, making me wonder if this man was the friend or brother of a licensed driver sub-letting this vehicle illegally.

Back out and onto the pavement, another taxi stopped. This guy’s grasp of English was markedly better – but he also didn’t have a clue where the street was, even though, as with the previous driver, I told him what the nearest recognisable landmark was. However, this guy phoned a friend (presumably the legitimate owner of this second vehicle) who knew the street and so I actually did get there.

With a population of 555,500 (2010 estimate), Sheffield is the UK’s fifth largest city. For many years, the local authority imposed a limit of 300 licences for Hackney cabs but deregulation in 2005 meant anyone able to pass the council’s test could ask for a licence. Since then the number of legitimate drivers has more than doubled to well over 600.

Now, with mandatory insurances and taxes to pay, any motor vehicle is burning its owner’s money, even if it is parked on the street whilst its owner is taking time off. So what better than to have someone else drive it and so earn extra cash during down-time?

#justsaying