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The Knowledge: Taxi Driver Test in London

Last Updated on 19th September 2022 by Sophie Nadeau

If you’ve ever taken a black cab in London, then you’ll already know how knowledgeable taxi drivers in the city are. It’s as simple as hopping in the taxi and telling your driver where you want to go. Without a GPS or even a map, off you’ll go… This is all thanks to an extensive test known as the Knowledge‘, an exam almost as famous as the taxi drivers themselves that has existed since 1865!

No scene of London would be complete without one of those iconic ‘taxi cabs‘ in the background. Thousands of people ride in them every day. The traditional method for hailing a cab is to simply wave your arm in the air. Black cabs have become as synonymous with London life as red phone boxes or double decker buses. Please note that the taxis are officially known as the ‘Hackney Carriage’.

the knowledge taxi exam in london

A History of the London Taxi

A popular myth says that the hackney carriage is named after the London borough of Hackney. However, they are actually so called after the old French word ‘hacquenée;’ a type of horse which you could hire back in the days before motorised vehicles.

Taxis have been part of life in London since the very first days of motor cars in London. After all, the city has always been at the forefront of modern technology. As early as the 17th Century, passengers could ride in horse-drawn carriages to get around London.

These were then replaced by battery operated cars in the late 1800s before being replaced with petrol operated motor cars. Meters were installed in the cabs in 1907 so as to ensure fair pricing for all passengers riding through the UK capital city.

london taxi cab the knowledgeVintage London Taxi: Source

‘The Knowledge’: One of The Hardest Exams in the World

Nowadays, most of us have GPS maps inbuilt into our phones. However, this is only a recent development in the world of navigation. As recently as a decade ago, it was common to have a glovebox full of paper maps to help you reach your destination.

In order to secure a taxi license in London, you have to pass a thorough test, proving that you know the city like the back of your hand. The ‘knowledge’ of all 320 runs are contained in a blue book, all of which must be memorised if someone wants to gain their qualification.

This extensive guide to the city includes 25,000 streets, 60,000 points of interest, and around 20,000 monuments within a six mile radius between Charing Cross Station. If you want to earn the privilege of driving a London cab, you have to learn all 25000 streets off by heart, as well as the points of interest which include clubs, crematoriums, and hospitals among other sites!

The requirement to learn all of London back to front makes the Knowledge the hardest and most comprehensive test of its kind in the world. In fact, it takes between two and four years of full-time study to complete. The test comprises of a combination of written and oral exams. And it’s a tough few years at that…

You’ll often see people on scooters driving around the city with maps attached to their handlebars which have their day’s lesson attached to it. These are the people who are studying for the Knowledge and they are known as knowledge boys and girls.

At the end of the Knowledge training, Knowledge boys and girls are given a written test about the various runs and points of interest. After passing the written exam stage, the final test is known as appearances.

In this exam, you sit face to face with an interviewer where, not only are you tested on the details of the knowledge, but also on your manners. There are a number of appearances to past before retaking your UK driving test followed by one final test on the runs.

In the past few years, there have been numerous calls to scrap the exams. Critics say that there is little point in learning so much information ‘in a GPS age’. However, it is a point of pride to pass the knowledge (understandably) and it looks like the examination will continue for a fair few years yet…

the knowledge taxi in london

Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, travel, pizza, and history. A Francophile at heart, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming something sweet. She splits her time between Paris and London and travels as much as she can! Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.

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