How do black cab drivers navigate London's streets without relying on GPS? Rather than a one-off exam, The Knowledge is a series of tests called appearances where you are grilled on your ability to navigate the streets from memory.
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London taxi drivers are licensed and must have passed an extensive training course (the Knowledge). Unlike many other cities, the number of taxicab drivers in London is not limited.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While taxi drivers' work is varied and flexible, when they have a booking coming up, they can plan the route in Waze, which will plot the journey and notify the driver when it's time to set off to ensure they arrive on time.
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.
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.
All recordings are normally kept for about 28 days. Cameras in black cabs and minicabs can usually be turned off when vehicles are being used for the driver's personal use. All vehicles with a camera must have a sign telling passengers they are being recorded.