The Knowledge in London from WhyGo London

London’s black cab drivers have a reputation for knowing their stuff when it comes to getting their customers to the correct location by the shortest route. This is no bluff, to become a London taxi driver you have to pass a test known as The Knowledge and it normally takes between 2.5-3.5 years for people to complete the course.

Pretty much anyone can be a minicab driver, driving an ordinary car with a taxi sign on top but to drive one of the famous black cabs you have to put a lot of time and effort in at your own expense to earn the required badge.

Applicants first have to be 21 and apply to the Public Carriage Office (PCO) to see if they are eligible. If you want to be licenced to drive in all of London you study for a Green Badge, if you only want to cover the outer suburbs you go for a Yellow Badge.

Candidates then start learning a blue book of 320 different routes through London. If you’re visiting London, at some point you’ll see guys on motorscooters with a clipboard and paper attached to the handle bars cruising around streets and checking everything out, these are potential cabbies trying to learn the streets. Once they’ve learned the first 80 they have a written test at the PCO, then learn the other 240, which are tested by way of interview with an examiner, and locations of hotels, stations, offices and any significant places.

When they’ve got through the 320 central London routes they start learning the suburban ones and after that take a taxi driving test in London. Finally they take another written and map test.

Black cab drivers in London make pretty good money but it requires some dedication and a lot of hours to qualify.

http://www.londonlogue.com/public-transport/the-knowledge-in-london.html

All 'The Knowledge' of London

It is a universally acknowledged truth that London’s black cabs offer the best taxi service in the world and no-one is prouder of this than Alf Townsend. An enthusiastic chronicler of the trade, he has played no small part in its history.

Since gaining 'The Knowledge' (memorising 25,000 different routes within a 6-mile radius of Charing Cross) at the age of 29, Alf has been ferrying passengers around the capital and continues to do so today at the age of 72. Along the way, he has flirted with minor fame appearing on TV shows in the UK and the US, helped to found the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association and become a published author.

'Most Highly-Trained Drivers in the World'
First and foremost though, he is a passionate advocate of the traditions and professionalism of the London taxi driver. In the flat that he shares with his wife, he explained to BBC London why licensed taxi drivers - those who have taken 'The Knowledge' - are streets ahead of their minicab or private hire rivals.

"The knowledge is like a jigsaw in the brain," says Alf. "I went out on my bike and learnt all the routes. That is how you start. It took me nine months to learn it all. You pass the driving test and then you're on your way."

"When you get in a licensed London cab it is fully taxed and fully insured. It's got passenger liability. There is a skilful driver who wears a badge – we are the mostly highly trained taxi drivers in the world. Unfortunately, you do not know what you will get in a private hire car. Some of them are right scallywags."