Cabbies must know English, landmarks

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to sign a deal with his state counterparts today that will enforce the tough laws for new taxi drivers, which includes speaking and writing basic English.

All potential drivers will have to pass the same eight competency units but a sticking point could be how to target the nation's current 70,000 taxi drivers when their accreditation expires.

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It is understood some states fear bringing in tougher standards for current drivers because it could trigger an exodus at a time when there is a shortage.

Queensland does not have a shortage and the state's Transport Minister Rachel Nolan is likely to reveal today that over time all drivers will have to adhere to the new measures.

Ms Nolan has already announced changes to English language testing for drivers after Queensland Transport's own research showed the state had one of the lowest requirements in the nation.

Queensland did not require testing to be conducted independently of taxi training companies. The state's failure rate was described as "low" compared with South Australia (85-90 per cent), Western Australia (35-40), Victoria (25) and New South Wales (15).

Mr Albanese said it was important there were high standards for the industry. "We need to make sure all drivers, no matter where in the country they're trained, have the skills required to do their job to the highest standards," he said.

"From the middle of next year, all potential drivers will be tested across a range of skills, including basic arithmetic, knowledge of the area's major attractions and English proficiency."

It is understood drivers will only have to know the local attractions. For example, in Townsville it could be The Strand, on the Gold Coast it could be Dreamworld and in Brisbane it could be the airport and South Bank.

Some of the standards include: the ability to operate wheelchair-accessible taxis; the proficient use of a taxi communications systems; and the skills to operate a taxi meter and handle payment transactions.

The move towards national minimum standards comes after The Courier-Mail exposed systemic problems in the industry through its Fare Go series.

Some passengers told of taxi horror stories, complaining of drivers not knowing basic directions and having poor communication skills.

The series led to Ms Nolan handing down a nine-point strategy to reform the industry.