All taxi drivers in San José received a letter from the San José Police Department Permits Unit, informing us that a written test, every two years, will be administered at the time of our permit renewal. Cabbies are expected to have a minimum competency level regarding traffic laws, and safe driving practices. Drivers’ knowledge of the San Jose Municipal Code, Title 6, the California vehicle Code, and the California Driver Handbook will be tested.

Yesterday, many of my fellow cab drivers staged a noisy protest against the mandatory re-certification. They drove around City Hall honking their horns and tying up traffic. At the press conference the cabbies complained that the retesting was unnecessary. And, they threatened to stop work for a day, or for however long it would take, to get the City to back down.

According to this mornings Mercury News, part of the test would include a driving test with a police officer in the taxi. I checked with the SJPD Permits office and was told that the Mercury’s information was incorrect. The renewal test will only consist of 25 multiple choice questions. The test will not be timed. Drivers need only get a 70% pass rate. It does not appear that the test will be difficult to pass, so I am not sure why this particular group of 300 drivers are so riled up. Could it be, that it’s just the principle of the thing?

Since I began driving cab back in the early 80’s, I feel insulted that the SJPD and the City of San José find it a required condition that I now must be tested every two years to keep my permit. Perhaps a better idea would be to ask new drivers to pass a probationary period before they could gain “Tenure”, and to let those of us who have been around some years, just left alone to do our jobs.

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