FOLLOWING Tuesday's report in the Evening News about a bogus taxi driver attempting to kidnap a young woman in Worcester, the city's Taxi Drivers' Association clarifies the service it provides.

Today, secretary Lesley Borthwick explains what a person needs to undertake to qualify as a driver and explains the differences between the vehicles you should be hiring on the road.

I HAVE been a taxi driver in the City of Worcester for 10 years. Anybody can apply who is 21 years old and over with a full driving licence.

We have to have a medical, a written knowledge test, a driving test, and a disability awareness course which shows us how to handle a wheelchair and clamp it safely into a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. It also makes us more aware of other disabilities.

We then have an enhanced CRB check which shows any previous convictions.

Then Worcester City Council decides whether you can become a taxi driver.

Once all these tests have been completed Worcester City Council will then issue us with a badge. The badge includes our photo and a number, for example D2004. Each number is individual to the driver.

When we have received our badge we are then allowed to drive the general public and we have to decide on what vehicle we would like to drive.

There are two categories.

The first is a Hackney carriage. These vehicles are wheelchair accessible vehicles like the well-known Black Cab, Shorans etc and some are saloon cars.

All these vehicles have taxi signs on the tops of the vehicle and plates are on the back i.e. H685-- these again are individual to each vehicle.

Hackney Carriage vehicles are allowed to pick up at all allocated taxi ranks and you can flag down a Hackney carriage anywhere in the city boundary.

The second category is the Private Hire Vehicle. These vehicles are a mixture of saloon mini buses and tail lift vehicles and these vehicles have on the doors "Advanced Bookings Only" and usually a company's name and phone number.

They will also have a Worcester City plate on the rear of the vehicle, for example P809. These numbers are also individual to each vehicle.

No Private Hire Vehicles can pick up any passenger without pre-booking by phone.

They cannot be flagged down in the street and if you got into one without a prior booking the drivers insurance becomes invalid - therefore the driver is committing an offence.

I hope that the general public will find all this information useful and please make sure your safety comes first.

As a result of the attempted kidnap in Worcester on Saturday night police have issued the following advice for people out and about at night.

n Stay with your friends if possible.

n Try to ensure someone knows where you were going and what time you were due back.

n Mobile phones can be very useful for contacting friends or relatives if you find yourself stranded.

n Be cautious about anyone you don't know who tries to 'befriend' you or offers you a lift home.

n Don't get in to what you think is a taxi unless it's a Black cab or you have pre-booked a minicab. Go to a minicab office.

n Stick to well-lit, busy routes as far as possible.

n Be aware of what's around you, for example if you feel someone might be following you or watching you as you use a cashpoint.

n If you are a victim of crime or fear for your safety, call the police.

n If you have been to a pub or club and been drinking, be aware of the effects of alcohol on you and others - you may feel bolder than usual, while others may suddenly become aggressive.