From now on, taxi drivers in Copenhagen and Aarhus will be required to pass a Danish language test in order to get a licence to drive a cab, Metroxpress reports.

The new conditions are being imposed by the taxi regulatory body Taxinævnet in the capital and Aarhus following an influx of complaints from customers about drivers’ inability to communicate in Danish. This was not assessed under the previous testing regime.

“There are too many who slip through the test who can’t express themselves in Danish, and that leads to many misunderstandings and complaints,” Taxinævnet said in its justification of the new rules.

Have to talk to customers
At the moment candidates are just required to be able to decipher street names from a Krak road map. Ib Terp, the deputy chair of the taxi regulatory board, considers the new requirement fair.

“It’s reasonable to require drivers to be able to talk to customers,” he said.

Jens Laursen, the chairman of the transport arm of the trade union 3F, which represents 5,000 drivers, is also in favour of the change.

“It’s an excellent idea with a Danish test. It’s also a matter of the customer and the driver’s safety that the driver can understand the customer,” he said.

“It’s good that Aarhus and Copenhagen sets the precedent – then the rest of the country’s municipalities will probably follow suit.”