CHECKS to further improve the veracity of taxi drivers in Thurrock have been introduced by Thurrock Council.

Councillors have approved a new taxi licensing policy which is intended to reassure passengers that all licensed taxis that operate in the borough are safe.

The same rules do not apply to private hire drivers, who are not allowed to pick up fares at random but can only do so by pre-booking.

The new rules mean that drivers are not only required to be subject to an enhanced DBS check they also need to sign up to the constantly updated DBS Update Service. This will ensure they do not have any unspent criminal convictions which mean they are not safe or suitable to be a Thurrock taxi driver.

Before they can be licensed all drivers must also complete Thurrock Council's child sexual exploitation awareness training, have completed disability awareness training, have passed the council's 'knowledge' test and have met the council's language proficiency test.

Council leader and cabinet member for public protection, Cllr Rob Gledhill, said: "This new policy means that anyone using a Thurrock taxi can rest assured that the driver is safe to travel with. The introduction of a new national minimum standard for taxi drivers means that other local authorities have had to come up to a standard we were already setting.

"Our taxi drivers do all they can to keep passengers safe and meeting these standards is just part of what they do to provide a safe and secure transport service in the borough.

"This is not about making life difficult for tax drivers or taxi companies but about us working with them to reassure residents that any taxi operating in Thurrock is as safe as possible."

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However, despite Cllr Gledhill's assurance that the council's intention is not to make life harder for local firms, the move has gone down like a lead balloon in what appears to be ever-diminishing local taxi service circles.

Local taxi firms have repeatedly told of the difficulty they have in recruiting drivers because of the bureaucracy in applying for a licence.

However, the council points out there are here are currently 320 taxi drivers licensed in Thurrock.

We asked for comparative information about the numbers five and 10 years ago, but the council says it is ' is not readily available because of the way licenses are issued for differing lengths of time'.

A former taxi driver, who quit the role because of the ever-increasing bureaucracy and cost of paperwork, said: "Companies used to have 20 to 30 drivers on a Saturday night. Now you will be lucky if they are even open, and if they are they have just one or two drivers.

"Customers moan about calling local, as they have to "wait ages" and the companies never have any drivers, but this is what happens when customers choose a cheap Uber rather than local drivers. It's been a vicious circle and the council has not helped at all.

"And now the council now the boot in again, it just stamps another nail in the coffin.

"If they were really serious about supporting a safe, local taxi service the council should promote schemes and ways for people to use local cabs over the likes of Uber.

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"They should work with firms to recruit new drivers and then promote schemes for locals to want to choose local cabs over Uber and other options not operating out of Thurrock."