WEST PALM BEACH — The taxi is tired and torn, with squeaky, grayish seats randomly ripped like a pair of old, dingy jeans.

A cluster of air fresheners faded from the sun dangles from the rear-view mirror as Checker Cab driver Sauveur Atilus asks for a destination in the maze of Palm Beach County roads, roads where Atilus is learning that the job isn't what it used to be. Fewer clients. More competition. Longer hours.

Proposed changes for drivers include:

Raisingthe minimum age from 18 to 21.

Requiring a valid driverlicense in the United States for the past three years.

Requiring exams on localgeography and English comprehension.

Requiring the driver to provide his driving record. If he has lived in Florida less than five years, a driving record from each state where he lived duringthe five yearsbefore moving to Florida must be provided.

Requiring fingerprint analysis if needed.

Requiring that the driver have nofelony convictionswithin the past five years.
 
And now the county might make the job even tougher.

Commissioners want to tighten the rules for drivers, and options include testing their English skills and quizzing them on the county's geography. Similar tests are given in counties such as Miami-Dade, but they would be a first for Palm Beach County.

The Vehicle For Hire Task Force started revising an ordinance two years ago after members learned that some drivers had been convicted of rape, robbery or pedophilia in other states.

Criminal background checks for potential drivers are made only in Florida. Records in other states often come to light only after a driver is arrested here.

"Right now, the ordinance is set up so it's difficult to track criminal backgrounds in other states," says Edward Frederick, a task force member. "Any Tom, Dick and Harry can come in and get a license."

The group wants applicants to undergo a national background check through the FBI's computer system, Frederick says, but those checks can be done only by police.

The sheriff's Department could do that, says Frederick, a retired Philadelphia police officer.

The task force's discussion led to several other suggestions, such as proving the driver is in the United States legally and requiring that cabs be less than 7 years old.

When Atilus learns of the possible changes, he touts his keen sense of direction. He knows the county well and he learned it by studying a map. But still, he admits he doesn't know every road.

"If I say I know everything, I am lying," Atilus says. "People think a driver knows everything. A driver doesn't know everything."

But when it comes to the roadway, many argue that they should.

"It's a good idea for people to speak English and to know where they're going," Commissioner Bob Kanjian says of taxi drivers.

Driver Jack Goff, who has spent the past 10 years working for Yellow Cab, said he has had to take over for other drivers because they didn't know where they were going.

He recommends that all drivers buy navigation systems for their cabs.

"The way the county is growing now, even if you are from here, it's very difficult to get where you're going sometimes," Goff says.

There's been a language barrier between drivers and customers for years because many of the drivers are from another country and aren't fluent in English, he says.

"I think we've lost a lot of business because of that," he says. "But it's hard to find Americans who want to drive. They look at the hours and they want something steady."

Atilus started cruising the streets of New Jersey 18 years ago. He has never taken English tests for work except when he studied the language after leaving Haiti 27 years ago. He hasn't taken a geography test either and says he shouldn't have to.

Being able to speak Creole has helped him in his job, he says. According to the U.S. Census, 26 percent of Florida's population speaks a language other than English.

Isquil Emile of Liberty Cab in Lake Worth says an English requirement would prevent some from becoming cab drivers.

Emile has been driving a cab for only a few months and says the job has helped him improve his English.

"I take my time to understand them," he says. "When someone talks to you, you have to listen."

If Atilus doesn't know how to get to the destination or if the customer doesn't speak English or Creole, Atilus' native language, he says he won't accept the job.

"Nobody has ever complained to me," he says.

But riders have complained to the county.

The batch of complaints at the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council are from customers who say they were overcharged, one who said a driver seemed drunk and an 80-year-old woman upset that the driver refused to help her with her groceries.

None of the complaints made available to The Palm Beach Post focused on lack of English or geography skills. Bob Hitt, the county's consumer affairs manager, says he wants to attack the issues before they become serious problems.

Toughening the rules is a public safety matter, Hitt says. He says he has heard stories from customers about drivers with no sense of direction, and from others who have had medical emergencies but the driver didn't understand because he didn't speak English.

"We're not looking for someone to speak fluent English," Hitt says. But "if someone is in distress, we want to make certain some understanding of English is there."

An estimated 4,000 drivers are registered with Palm Beach County, and it is unclear whether those drivers would be exempt from the new rules, Hitt says. Frederick says the task force suggests that they be required to follow the new rules when they reapply for their licenses.

Commissioners plan to discuss the matter at their meeting Tuesday.

The requirements to receive a driver identification badge include having a valid driver license, passing a Florida criminal background check, being over the age of 18 and providing a driving record.

The revised version could include pushing the minimum age to 21, showing proof of a valid driver license in the United States the past three years and taking English and geography tests.

If you want to work for Yellow Cab, you might have to take an English test anyway, said Tony Patanella, senior vice president of the Palm Beach Transportation Group, which owns Yellow Cab.

The company requires training, which Patanella says includes a geography test. Soon an English test will be added. Yellow Cab recently moved its dispatch from Clearwater back to West Palm Beach to clear up geography problems.

"It wasn't working," Patanella says of dispatching from Florida's West Coast. "When somebody calls in, they want someone familiar with the area."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/05/11/0511taxidrivertest.html