A sweeping overhaul of hackney carriage and private hire licensing rules could see prospective cabbies tested on their English language skills for the first time.

The draft policy, backed by Maidstone Borough Council’s (MBC) licensing committee, also proposes to relax restrictions on the age and types of vehicles that can be used by private hire operators – meaning single passengers could find themselves being picked up by a Smart Car.

The idea for the new language or “suitability” test comes after a surge in the number of applicants for hackney carriage and private hire cars.

Scroll down to take our test

There are 283 licensed vehicles in the borough.

The test would include an oral, written and reading section, and could be included in a new computerised testing system for geography and licensing policy.

Wendy Hinder, chairman of MBC’s licensing committee, said the changes exemplified the council’s focus on making the safety of customers a priority.

She said: “We all know safety is the priority and I think it is very important we do ensure we have drivers who, to a certain degree, can understand English.

“It is something that has been approved by the trade.”

Forget English... what about our Kentish place names?

Thecounty's place names can be notoriously tricky to pronounce. How well do you know some of our villages and towns?

Try the list below... then check out the answers in the audio:

1. Shipbourne

2. Trottiscliffe

3. Wrotham

4. Bearsted

5. Ightham

6. Boughton Malherbe

7. Tovil

8. East Malling

9. Goudhurst

10. Horsmonden

Now hear how the good people of Kent fared when we went out on the streets:

Neil Cox, from Maidstone Taxi Proprietors Association, added: “We feel this is long overdue.

“I would say that the majority of cab drivers and new applicants in Maidstone now have English as an additional language. It seems curious to us that someone who can’t communicate in English can acquire a taxi badge and transport often vulnerable passengers from A to B.

“The taxi trade has developed a reputation nationally in recent years for employing drivers who struggle with the English language and don’t know their way around. Is it that licensing departments are afraid to fail applicants in case of an accusation of racism?”

Hackney cab drivers Ezattullah Qumi, 31, and Mohammed Haydari, 32, disagreed with the need for a language test. Neither are native English speakers, though both are multilingual, and say it would not be possible to pass the existing topography test without a fluency in English.

Mr Qumi said: “It would exclude some people.

“Some people cannot speak English properly but can still drive. But if you can’t write English you can’t pass .”

The licensing policy will be discussed by the community housing and environment committee on Tuesday .

It will go for final approval in December.