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Where on earth have I said that I am an expert on black cab and mini-cab regulation?

The only thing that I am an expert on in terms of this debate is that people who celebrate de-regulation each and every time they see it are generlly thick, rightwing arseholes who detest every single thing about the state until such time as they want a road or a hospital or a school for their kid, at which point they moan and moan that what is provided is not the best in the world.

I have repeatedly said that I am no fan of black cabs, but I am even less of a fan of the constant quest for de-regulation because very often the benefits are zero or negative.

Yeah, they sound totally like the people who'd want to use a neat little service like Uber. They're probably closet Nazis and child molesters too.

To be sure that you aren’t wasting your time you need to check before you start that you meet the eligibility criteria to apply for a PCO licence in the first place. The following are the points you need to meet.

• Be a minimum of 21 years of age.
  
• Have the right to live and work in the UK.
  
• Be the holder of a UK or other EEA driving licence for at least the last 3 years.
  
• Able to meet the medical requirements covered in the DVAL Group 2 standards. This will be confirmed in a medical assessment which you need to get done by a GP before sending your PCO application pack back to be processed. Anyone with health problems or disabilities should look at our pages on this subject for further information.
  
• Be able to read a map and work out routes. This is an essential part of the skills needed to be a private hire driver and you can show that you possess these skills when you undertake the topographical test which is part of the licensing process. If you aren’t confident about passing this test then you can get training done before the test.
  
• Be of good character. This might seem the most difficult point of all to prove but it simply involves getting a CRB check done. This is a criminal records checks and our page on the subject will show you the types of conviction which are going to cause you a problem in getting your licence sorted out.
  
  

http://www.pcolicenceguide.com/ Sounds tough.