THERE are many readers who may sneer at the thought of taxi drivers having to pass an NVQ to drive around our city.

What next? Lollipop ladies having to write a doctorate on transport philosophy?

Is it not excessive to have a qualification just so someone can drive from A to B? Surely, it's just another barmy idea from our Nanny state?

But this would be a view held by cynics. We think they are wrong.

Over the years The Sentinel has written about taxi drivers involved in violent assaults on passengers and even kidnapping them. We understand that only a minority of taxi drivers have been involved in these sort of incidents, but it makes you think that the idea of getting drivers to study for a qualification is not as barking mad as it first seems.

It would help to ensure the right kind of person becomes a driver and they would learn all about customer service, how to deal with disabled passengers and making sure safety is top of their priority list.

All of us should be making a determined effort to help improve our city in an attempt to improve its standing.

So, who are the first people visitors meet when they get off the train at Stoke station? Taxi drivers.

On that basis, it makes sense that a guest's first taste of life in the Potteries is from a well-mannered taxi driver who can provide a first class service.

This means a taxi as clean as a whistle and a courteous driver who can chat about the great wonders of the Potteries.

It also means that the driver is someone you can trust to get you to your destination without giving you a wallop with a baseball bat. Let's hope the scheme is made mandatory soon.

Cabbies' NVQ in public relations to cover customer care