Highland taxi drivers are to be cut some slack in their region-wide Knowledge test.
Councillors yesterday agreed to drop the pass mark for that part of the exam from 85% to 75%.
The pass mark for The Knowledge within the drivers’ own area remains at 85%.
The decision was taken by the Highland Licensing Committee, after consultation with taxi and private hire companies in Dingwall, Fort William, Inverness and Wick.
Drivers face six pages of regional route questions and general tourism knowledge before tackling the local part of their test.
Councillors heard how three operators in Wick said the 85% pass mark for the Highland-wide test was unnecessarily high, given that most vehicles were fitted with satnav.
Wick councillor Willie Mackay said: “This test has been on the go for some time now and we’ve got to move with the times. Satnav can pretty much take you to the front door of any premises you wish to go. I’d be struggling to answer some of the geographical and landmark questions in the test, so I’d be keen to see the pass mark dropped to somewhere around 70%.”
Thurso and Northwest councillor Karl Rosie said he was concerned at any lowering in standards.
He said: “Tourism is such an important part of the Highlands and how we look to the future, it should be incumbent on all of us to be ambassadors for the area we’re in, so having a good knowledge of routes and surrounding environments can only be an advantage. I think we should aspire to at least maintaining standards, I’m not so keen on reducing them.”
Councillors also heard how recruiting drivers in areas like Caithness was an ongoing problem.
Aird and Loch Ness councillor Emma Knox said: “If I was in Caithness, I think I’d prefer to have a taxi that maybe has to use satnav than not to be able to find a taxi at all. I agree 75% seems reasonable in the circumstances.”
Councillors approved the 75% pass mark, effective from today.