The city council is merely trying to maintain standards as it expands the number of licences available.

Other areas of the test involve customer care skills and the use of an A to Z map to find their way around. All pretty basic stuff and certainly not anything to moan about.

Most taxi passengers would, we guess, wholeheartedly endorse any attempt to stamp some sort of standards upon those who provide such an essential public service.

There could even be additional financial benefits for the city cab drivers, too.

Passengers might be impressed enough by the new customer relations skills to add on a larger than normal tip, safe in the knowledge that the person driving would at least be able to work out the revised amount of change needed both quickly and correctly.

FIRST it was Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, now it's that iconic Star Wars character Darth Vader who finds himself being touted around as a potential subject for a statue in the middle of Bristol.

Knowle shopkeeper Matthew Savage believes a statue of Vader - played by Bristol actor Dave Prowse - would make a perfect addition to the street furniture in Broadmead.

His call comes hot on the heels of one to erect a statue commemorating the Trotters' famous Batman and Robin scenes filmed in Penn Street, which links Broadmead and Cabot.

Neither suggestion should be sneered at. Both have some merit. Both would be undoubted talking points and lots of cities here and overseas commemorate their showbiz links in similar fashion.