BEST OF BRITAIN


‘The Knowledge’


The Knowledge is a process that turns ambitious individuals who want to serve and transport Londoners, visitors and sightseers around the city’s complex system of thoroughfares, into professional and safe drivers with a knowledge base second to none. I think it’s fair to say that it’s recognised globally as the gold standard in taxi driving.


In today’s fast-evolving world of digital and visual technology, the use of a satnav is a very useful tool, as long as the signal and reception are good, which is not always the case in busy, built up cities. So all the training Knowledge students undergo and the accolade of wearing the coveted Green Badge, which is worn at all times by a London licensed taxi driver, is a testament to their hard work and dedication. After a thorough application to the au-


thorities, including criminal checks fol- lowed by an interview to confirm the applicant is a fit and proper person to drive the public, students drive around London on a moped familiarising themselves with London’s 25,000 streets, roads and alley- ways – that’s the easy part! Next is knowing what’s on those streets, anything that a pas- senger may require: hotel, churches, restau- rants and hospitals – the list is endless. Students’ progress is assessed by examin-


ers who ask them to take them from point A to point B by describing the streets and turns to get to the destination. Tese as- sessments are called Appearances and are a form of monitoring to chart the progress of the student. Tey can be quite terrifying


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for the student sitting in an office, fully suited and booted, trying to impress the examiner. Generally, the examiners take no prison-


ers and will let students know, in no uncer- tain terms, if they have made any mistakes. When the examiners feel that the student has attained the required level of compe- tence, all that’s left to do is to pass a special driving test.


A trainee London taxi driver takes a break from learning The Knowledge.


The history of the iconic London black taxi


Te London taxi has been a familiar sight on London’s streets since as long as Old Father Tames. It represents a symbol of trust, honesty and reliability, from the men and women who drive professionally for a living to transport the public. Tese 21,000 taxi drivers devote at least three- and-a-half years of their lives to study the Knowledge to ensure they can attain the gold standard in taxi driving, which is recognised worldwide. Around the 17th century, taxis were re-


ferred to as ‘Hackneys’. Tis term does not relate to the area of London but to a French word ‘Hacquenee,’ which is a com- pact small breed of horse with a wide step- ping trot. When harnessed, they were ideal to pull coaches to transport people or goods. Most of the carriages were owned by the aristocracy and the merchants in the city. To replace them would be expen- sive when they became old, so to offset the cost of replacement the owner would hire them out to the stablemen and footmen in their employment who would go and ply


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