Telford taxi drivers could gain historical knowledge for tourists

Private hire drivers in Telford could be sent to the classroom to learn about the history of the town and its attractions - as the secret weapon in a bid to woo big businesses and tourists, and attract more investment into the borough.

The idea is the brainchild of Telford Private Hire Drivers' Association chief Mohammed Zaman. He said drivers are often the first point of contact for business people visiting the borough.

He is looking for funding so drivers can take NVQ courses to make them more knowledgeable, claiming the drivers could then be used to boost Telford's reputation with tourists and potential investors.

Speaking today, Mr Zaman said: "We want Telford to be better and to stand out in the UK so people want to follow us - and we can do that by teaching our drivers more local knowledge.

"For example, if someone gets into a car and asks what there is to do in Ironbridge, we can tell them.

"We want to attract people like tourists and tell them we have lots of great things so it's all about improving our service to customers. We have got to tell people what's here and we want them to come into Telford and invest."

Further talks were held yesterday between association members in a bid to thrash out the next move in a dispute with council chiefs over a hike in licence fees which could rocket from £124 a year for a single operator to £365.

Mr Zaman indicated for the first time drivers would be prepared to accept an increase - provided it was phased in.

He said: "We have to make sure that every party is comfortable with any increase and we don't want one big increase where drivers will suffer. We want to look at something where we can increase things by a small percentage every year so the drivers don't feel completely stuck and the council don't have to put their hands in their pockets."

Mr Zaman said a further period of consultation with drivers would now take place with another meeting planned for August.

By Jason Lavan