Features
All black cabbie drivers have to pass 'the Knowledge' with flying colours. Find out more about the notoriously difficult test, and experience a day in the life of a London taxi driver.
‘The Knowledge’
London taxi drivers are legendary for their encyclopedic grasp of the country's capital city and ‘the Knowledge’ - the assessment all wannabe London cabbies have to pass with flying colours - is notorious for being a mind-bendingly difficult slog. It can take around three to four years of hard training to pass, and according to Malcolm Linskey, manager of London taxi school Knowledge Point, three-quarters of those who embark on the course drop out.
Life of a cab driver
London taxi drivers are among the most highly trained in the world. They are also some of the most cheerful, chirpy and colourful characters you are likely to ever meet. Of course, they have their off days like everybody else and occasionally their banter borders on the wrong side of fruity! But all black cab drivers are carefully screened for criminal offences and must be holders of whiter-than-white driving records, making a black cab one of the safest forms of travel in the world.
Keeping up appearances
Black cabs have an impressive ability to navigate myriad twisting, narrow streets with surprising agility and speed. According to the London Transport Museum, London taxis perform “approximately 50m U-turns each year”. The nifty vehicles also have a turning circle of only 7.6 metres (25 feet).
