Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Trolley bus driver to taxi driver

A trolley bus driver already meets 51% of what the taxi driver role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From trolley bus driver
51 % overlap
Partial match
To taxi driver
13 You already bring
10 Still to learn
28 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

51.5/ 100

1 How much of what a taxi driver is expected to do is already part of a trolley bus driver’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the taxi driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A taxi driver role treats 12 of its required skills as things a trolley bus driver already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • assist passengers
  • communicate with customers
  • drive in urban areas
  • ensure vehicle operability
  • handle petty cash
  • lift heavy weights

What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A taxi driver role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a trolley bus driver background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held tolerate sitting for long periods management skills
  • already held transport topography services
  • already held handle petty cash management skills
  • already held ensure vehicle operability working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held assist passengers assisting and caring
  • already held drive in urban areas working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 13 carried skills, including the 12 the taxi driver role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 15 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn operate radio dispatch systems for taxis required
  • still to learn park vehicles required
  • still to learn use communication devices required
  • optional, not held provide high-end driving services optional
  • optional, not held provide private transport services optional
  • optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
02 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn provide customers with price information required
  • still to learn apply knowledge of human behaviour required
  • still to learn follow verbal instructions required
  • optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
03 constructing 1 required
  • still to learn maintain vehicle appearance required
04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required
  • still to learn mechanical components of vehicles required
05 management skills 1 required
  • still to learn organise vehicle breakdown support required
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn geographic areas required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a taxi driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 13 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held assist passengers skill
  • already held communicate with customers skill
  • already held drive in urban areas skill
  • already held ensure vehicle operability skill
  • already held handle petty cash skill
  • already held lift heavy weights skill
  • already held operate GPS systems skill
  • already held read maps skill
  • already held tolerate sitting for long periods skill
  • already held tolerate stress skill
  • already held transport topography knowledge
  • already held use different communication channels skill
  • already held perform services in a flexible manner skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held maintain privacy of service users optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held provide high-end driving services optional
  • optional, not held provide private transport services optional
  • optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
  • optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
  • optional, not held maintain privacy of service users optional
22 held skills the taxi driver role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adhere to transportation work schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
  • not needed by the target role assist disable passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role clean road vehicles skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate clearly with passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role comply with policies for trolley bus driving skill
  • not needed by the target role electrical operation of trolley buses knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure vehicles are equipped with accessibility equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
  • not needed by the target role focus on passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role help to control passenger behaviour during emergency situations skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret traffic signals skill
  • not needed by the target role keep time accurately skill
  • not needed by the target role mechanics of trolley buses knowledge
  • not needed by the target role passenger transport regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform defensive driving skill
  • not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
  • not needed by the target role provide information to passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role road traffic laws knowledge
  • not needed by the target role stay alert skill
  • not needed by the target role use communication equipment skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn mechanical components of vehicles required
  • still to learn geographic areas required
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a trolley bus driver become a taxi driver?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A trolley bus driver already covers 51% of what a taxi driver is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 12 of which the taxi driver role treats as required.

What skills does a trolley bus driver need to become a taxi driver?

10 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is maintain vehicle appearance.

How hard is the move from trolley bus driver to taxi driver?

Its learning distance is 51.5 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.