Taxi drivers on the road to success with Bedford College Training Services

More than 100 drivers in Bedford have completed a customer care course thanks to an initiative between Bedford Borough Council and Bedford College.

They learned how to better serve disabled customers, cope with children on board, deal with difficult people and generally offer a service with a smile.

One driver commented: “Before going on this course I would sometimes find it difficult to deal with customers, but now I have a new approach which I think is appreciated.”

Bedford College’s Assistant Director of Enterprise Julie Jeffery said: “It was a big commitment for these drivers to come along to the classroom for a morning, afternoon or evening session for more than ten weeks. But they have all done really well and have found it useful.”

The course is funded by Train to Gain, Government cash to help people make more of their employment or business opportunities. The students are all Bedford Borough Council approved taxi or private hire car drivers. The course is administered by Bedford College’s Gordon Window and delivered by ABA Training Ltd tutor Eirian Baker  and a team of qualified assessors, as part of Bedfordshire and Luton Opportunities Consortium (BLOC).

Anne Howes, Training Manager for ABA Training said: “We are very proud of all the drivers who have shown such dedication and enthusiasm in successfully completing the course. This course has been a real success and much of that is due to the way drivers have supported and encouraged each other in taking up the challenge of learning new skills to improve their service, we hope the rest of the Bedford drivers will now be encouraged to come along too.”

A further course will be started later in the year – based in Queen’s Park.

Keith Simmons, Bedford Borough Council Head of Registration and Records said:

"It's really impressive to see so many drivers take up this course, which sets out to raise the standards for local taxi firms. The days of picking up a two way radio from a cab office and starting work as a taxi driver are long gone. This qualification helps to recognise this while providing an opportunity for these drivers to strengthen their skills."