Do black cab drivers know all of London?

There are thousands of streets and landmarks within a six mile radius of Charing Cross. Anyone who wants to drive an iconic London cab must memorize them all: the Knowledge of London. The Knowledge was introduced as a requirement for taxi drivers in 1865.



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To be a London black cab driver, is one expected to know over 25,000 roads and 50,000 points of interest and pass a test called The Knowledge? Black refers to the color of the vehicle. No, that is not correct. You do have to pass “The Knowledge” but your figures are way off.

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“Take me from Park Lane to Earl's Court,” a customer might say. And a cab driver in London is required to know the quickest way off by heart. That is because they know the center of the British capital; they'll have committed 320 runs across 25,000 streets, encompassing at least 20,000 landmarks, to memory.

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How do taxi drivers learn the streets in their area? Many of them grew up in the area or have lived there for awhile so they know the streets simply from being a part of the community. Others, who have to learn on the job, simply pick it up from the many hours of driving the streets each week!

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Tipping taxi drivers It is polite to tip 10 to 15% of the taxi fare for black cabs and licensed minicabs in London. However, most people simply round up the fare to the nearest £1 and tell the driver to keep the change.

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I might have some more luck with Bolt but I'd say it's all hit and miss. Look I took my fare share of Ubers and black cabs I can say black cab is not slightly more expensive it's 30-50% more than Uber. I didn't say it's cheaper. I said, from my experience, it's slightly more expensive than Uber.

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It turns out that to become a Black Cab driver in London applicants need to study for two to four years and during that time memorize an incredible 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks within a 25-mile radius of Charing Cross in London.

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For all that, you can thank the Knowledge, a 153-year-old system for memorizing every street and landmark in a six square-mile area of central London. The Knowledge requires all cabbies to navigate between any two points in the city entirely from memory.

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Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as "mushers" and those who have just passed the "knowledge" are known as "butter boys". There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.

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Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as mushers and those who have just passed the knowledge are known as butter boys. There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.

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The rule derives its name from the tradition by which a hackney carriage driver at the head of a queue of taxicabs is obliged to take the first passenger requesting a ride.

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The services of black cabs in commuting are one of the pioneers in transportation. Whether it is day or in the middle of the night, you'll always find these black cabs on the streets. Their services are widely recognised and reliable because of the safe and comfortable ride.

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If you see that the light is on (you'll know if it is, it's a bright yellow light), then to hail the cab simply stand on the side of the pavement and extend your arm outward. There's no need to shout “taxi” and indeed, it's actually illegal to shout “taxi” whilst trying to hail a cab.

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A taxi driver is obliged to accept passengers which fall within the taxi authorized area and are within 6 miles of the origination of the fare. A taxi driver can refuse a fare if the passenger looks drunk, sick or aggressive.

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The Knowledge of London test is renowned around the world for being one of, if not the, hardest taxi knowledge test in existence. Often referred to as simply, 'The Knowledge' aspiring London cabbies can expect to spend around 3-4 years of study before being able to pass the test.

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In other words, taxi drivers had plumper memory centers than their peers. It seemed that the longer someone had been driving a taxi, the larger his hippocampus, as though the brain expanded to accommodate the cognitive demands of navigating London's streets.

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London Black cab prices are affordable, and they offer a good value for money. They are usually metered and have a minimum charge of around 3 to 4 pounds. We think these rates are great for the amazing services and classy cars the cab companies offer.

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UBER | Ubers are a cheap taxi into Central London from Heathrow. Most rides cost around £35-40, but you have to call for a driver once you're outside of arrivals and then wait for 10-15 minutes as they enter the airport and come up through into a parking garage.

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