APPLICATIONS for taxi licences in a Nottinghamshire borough plagued with submissions from drivers outside the county have almost halved.
Figures obtained by The Post show that an average of 70 taxi licences have been applied for in Gedling since a knowledge test was introduced in May.
In the 12 months before the test was introduced, the borough saw an average of 135 requests a month – 1,629 in the financial year 2013-2014.
Nick Wood, operations manager at Alert Cars Ltd in High Street, Arnold, welcomed the news.
He said: "We found the problem with all the drivers coming from all over was that is slowed the application process down. You would wait more than 12 weeks to get a driver licensed."
Mr Wood said all his local drivers took the test and not one failed.
"It's better for local drivers now," said Mr Wood. "I heard that quite a few out-of-town drivers failed the test. That should speed up the process and it already seems like it's making a difference. Customers want drivers who know the area. Mine do, and by having this test it only helps."
Gedling had become a hotspot for drifting applications as it saw 1,629 between 2013 and 2014. In the city, 420 applied in the same timeframe while Broxtowe had 211 requests and Rushcliffe just seven.
The figures, requested through the Freedom of Information Act, show that there was more than twice the number of applications in Gedling than the three other authorities combined.
Applications in Gedling rose from 720 in 2011-12 to 1,017 in 2012-13 and 1,629 last year. There have been 567 applications since May this year.
Gedling Borough Council reported applications from driver from as far away as Plymouth and many drivers from Derby had been whizzing down the A52 since Derby City Council introduced its own knowledge test.
Mark Keenan, managing director at Western Cars in Derby said: "I'm glad to hear Gedling have done something about it. Drivers were getting their badges in Gedling but working in Derby. A lot of them didn't know the city at all.
"But we still have the problem. They have started going to councils in Birmingham because they haven't got a knowledge test yet."
But in April, more than 100 drivers from outside of the borough protested against the introduction of a knowledge test outside Gedling's council house in Arnot Hill Park Arnold.
They said the £35 test was an unneeded extra cost on top of paying for their plates as well as cars that are less than five years old and a full annual service history.
Deputy council leader Councillor Michael Payne said reducing the number of applications means the council is ensuring the highest standard of drivers for local people.
"The knowledge test has been a further step in improving the quality of the taxi service in the borough," he said.
"We have got some top quality drivers in Gedling and we would expect those who operate in the borough to pass."
Councillor Payne took the test himself, and passed.
"We are not asking for anything unreasonable. Regular drivers in the borough should be able to pass. I think residents in Gedling would expect their taxi drivers to know where they are going."
