Major Toronto Taxi brokerages will not accept DRVRhub short online training for their drivers
Toronto Taxi brokerages indicate they will not accept DRVRhub’s fully-online Vehicle for Hire driver program.
Major Taxi brokerages say they will not accept DRVRhub fully-online training with no requirement for students to identify themselves as proof of training for Taxi drivers.
Neither Beck Taxi nor Co-op Cabs will accept a DRVRhub certificate of completion as proof a driver is qualified by their brokerage.
“We have our own training; we never stopped training, even when Toronto did,” says Abdul Mohamoud, CEO of Co-op Cabs. “We hired the best instructors the City of Toronto had and we have kept them for all these years. Toronto may accept an on-line certificate from these folks, but it’s not good enough for us; that driver would still need to take our Co-op program. All drivers are welcome to come and take our training – we are certified to deliver the Accessible training program to all drivers that need it.”
“We connected with Centennial College and we’re deeply disappointed that their comprehensive training was not immediately approved,” says Kristine Hubbard, Operations Manager for Beck Taxi. “In-car driver training was a necessary component and we learned that the failing point for many was this most important requirement to drive safely on our streets. Any training that does not require an in-car component at this time is not an approved course for drivers looking to drive with Beck.”
In an effort to learn how there could be such an enormous disparity in approved training programs and certifications for Vehicle for Hire drivers, Taxi News has contacted the Toronto’s Media Office, which has indicated several times that they are working on getting answers from L&S Staff, who “need more time” to find the answers.
“Hi Toronto:
I am working on an article regarding the new VFH training provider, as I did with AMB and Drivewise.
DRVRhub does not require a student to show up in person anywhere.
- How can they then confirm that the person who wrote the test is the person who will be driving VFH?
Only the drivers’ license number is required, with no photo.
One human being who knows all the test answers could sit at a computer and take the test for hundreds of drivers.
- How will this be prevented?
Other approved suppliers note that they were required, as part of the RFI, to prove that their instuctors are licensed to provide training. DRVRhub has no instructors.
- How were they approved?
I finished the test in 37 minutes. In fact I could have done it a lot more quickly – you only have to Click to Continue at the end of every page to move ahead. One person with a list of 100 drivers’ license numbers could generate 100 certificates in a few hours.
- How does Toronto see this improving safety on the streets?
My deadline for today’s article is 1pm, however, I will be writing follow up articles and will incorporate your information whenever I get it.
Thanks,
Rita Smith
