Скачать или смотреть NY taxi drivers get a pass on the English test

(29 Aug 2016) People who hope to drive New York City's famous yellow cabs must pass tests on such details as driving rules and where they can pick up passengers.
But one test they no longer have to take? Whether they have a full grasp of English.
A new law that streamlines licensing requirements for different kind of drivers in New York has done away with the long-standing English proficiency test for taxi drivers.
Supporters say the law will eliminate a barrier to the profession for immigrants, who make up 96 percent of the 144,000 cabbies in the city.
It's also a recognition of how technology has transformed the business.
Many drivers now rely on computer navigation programs, rather than verbal directions, to reach a destination.
For-hire drivers for app-based services such as Uber, for example, never had to take an English test.
But critics, including some drivers, are sceptical that a good command of the English language is no longer considered a basic requirement for a job that involves communicating with passengers and reading street signs.
New York City's taxi and for-hire drivers are already international, hailing from 167 countries, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which currently offers its licensing tests in English, Spanish, Bengali and Urdu.


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