The Taxi Knowledge

There has probably never been a better time to apply for a London taxi drivers licence or take the tests required to become a London cab driver. Although it will take the average person in excess of two years to master the taxi knowledge there is no reason why you cannot get the first several months under your belt while holding down your current job. More and more people are taking to learning the London knowledge from the comfort of their own home and they are doing so by downloading the required material from the blue book of runs and learning the many routes that it lists in their spare time.

Using the online version of the book means you are able to obtain it at a heavily discounted price and with these large discounted prices on the full knowledge download pack you could be sitting with the entire list of runs, museums, theatres, statues, blue plaques, police stations, memorials, embassies, squares in fact everything you need in order to master the London Knowledge in just a click of the mouse.

This is by far the best value for money pack you are likely to come accross so why not save yourself some money and download a pack today at the special discounted price (which I am not allowed to print). Of course there is an option to download parts separately but statistics show that most people who purchase a couple of items always return for the rest of the downloads that make up the entire package.

Just a little tip to share with those wishing to acquaint themselves with the various London Runs; After you have grabbed yourself a set of Blue Book Runs (click here to download) pick out one of the runs listed and enter the starting point postcode into the Google Search engine. I have selected run #180 which starts at Church Road E10 - you should see something looking like this;

Position the mouse over the map and left click. You will see an enlarged map with a list of options to the left one of them reading “Get Directions” click this link and enter your finishing destination which is Dunloe Street. Google will show you a suggested route, it is IMPORTANT to ignore this as it will be wrong, you need to acquaint yourself with the route listed in the Blue Book NOT what Google maps suggests.

Position your mouse over the green arrow B (which is marking the location of  Church Street) and left click. When you have clicked on it a box will appear with a text link to a “street view” so lets click this street view link and take a look at what we get.

Now you have a street view as if you were the driver of a taxi. Using your mouse you can click and navigate your way around an eye level view of the entire route without the need to leave your home (for ease of use I suggest you print off a copy of the runs in question.

If someone asked me what is the most important one thing you need in order to successfully pass the London Knowledge exam I would have to say a set of Blue Book runs. I am not for one moment suggesting that this is all you will need in order to become a licensed taxi driver but you wouldn’t do yourself any harm in downloading yourself a full set of the route runs. Put it another way, you are never going to pass the Knowledge exam without getting yourself aquainted to the Blue Book.

Those that have found it easier to study and learn the taxi knowledge and those that have successfully passed have all done so by mastering the routes contained within the famous Blue Book. Many have reported it being easier to use the digital online verion over the harback copy due to the fact that they can print off various routes and pages at a time.

Many budding black cab drivers are also friends learning together and rather than each owning a copy of the book it is far easier and much less expensive printing off several routes at a time to learn from than it is each purchasing an expensive book.

Download The Complete Set Of Blue Book Runs Just By Clicking Here

Taxicab is actually an abbreviation of taximeter cabriolet (a car with a meter that measures distance). London black taxi cabs or Hackney Cabs as they are also known can be hailed down in the street, that is if the bright orange TAXI light is switched on above the windscreen, if it isn’t you will have to wait for the next one although the wait should be short, with over 23,000 Hackney cabs roaming the city you shouldn’t have long to wait.

Hackney cabs are great for getting you quickly from A to B or for travelling a few short miles through the city although you would not want to use them for any great distance as they can be expensive. There are privately owned taxi firms in and around London but these can only be booked over the phone to come and collect you from a specific address, even when they are returning from a fare they are not allowed to stop in the street and pick up a passenger, only the black Hackney cabs are permitted and licensed to do this.

There is some disagreement as to where the name ‘Hackney Cab’ originated from, some say it is from France and the name haquenée referring to the type of horses used in pulling the Hackney horse drawn carriages while others claim it derived from the London village of Hackney. The first actual Hackney carriage licence was issued back in 1662 and still today some of the orginal rules apply today for those wishing to obtain their black cab licence.

While researching and studying to become a London cab driver you might have heard the term “calling over” used more than once or twice. This term is used to describe a route from A to B, spoken out by the would be taxi driver, a walkthrough of the route as memorised by the person taking the knowledge test. One of the best ways to memorise the many routes contained in the blue book runs is to call them out, walk them through in your mind on a daily basis and for this you will probably need a call over partner.

A call over partner is someone who can sit there, listen and check that you are correct as you call out a blue book run, street by street and point of interest to point of interest. Many individuals discover that using their partner for this task will soon becomes a frustrating and wasted effort. Sure they will have the blue book of runs in front of them but it really is a very boring task of listening to someone calling out street name after street name. Unless they are also taking the London Knowledge would they really know if you were right or wrong, of course they wouldn’t? Many successful black cab drivers who have already passed the London Knowledge will tell you that part of their success was down to having an equally enthusiastic calling partner, most often than not another person studying the London Knowledge.

When you feel you have mastered a few of the runs do yourself a big favour and scour places like the free ads in your local paper and online for a calling partner. If you can’t see one take out a free advert for yourself, there are 100′s like you wanting to take the London Knowledge and the upside is they will all be quite local. Of course, it is no use looking for a calling partner until you have at least mastered a few of the first runs published in the blue book but it is something to keep in mind as you progress.

The reason why we go to work is to earn money, which in turn provides us with a roof over our heads and puts food on the table. If we are lucky maybe it buys us a holiday each year and if we are really lucky there might be enough left to buy us the odd luxury or two. Unless you are very fortunate, very few will find a job which they totally enjoy. The number one complaint you hear from unhappy workers is poor pay, the second is that they do not get on with another employee or that they have a boss constantly breathing down their necks. If this sounds like something you can relate to and you are looking for a complete career move then have you thought about obtaining a London taxi driver license?

Imagine being your own boss, just you in the driving seat of a black London mini cab. In comes a call, you drive off and pick up a fair paying passenger, you drive them to a destination or point of interest in London and they hand over cash and quite possibly a nice tip. Firstly you have no impossible to please boss breathing down your neck and watching your every move. You have no annoying work colleague, even if you find your passenger a little annoying so what, you will be dropping them off in a few minutes. Then there is the variation, you just don’t know who you are going to be picking up next, a business man or woman, someone who has an interesting tail to tell, a celebrity or sports personality, you just never know who you are going to meet.

Finally and most important to many the pay, London Black Cab drivers are among the highest paid taxi drivers in the world. If you can find one open enough to share what they earn with you then you have been very fortunate. I have heard reports of six figure yearly sums, I have seen where some of these cab drivers live and I have seen the luxuries that many can afford. But why not, if I had the dedication and commitment required I would be doing it. So what is stopping you? You’re just one click away from taking the first steps required in obtaining your London taxi driver license.

Click Here And Take Your First Step To Becoming A London Taxi Driver

You do not need to pre-book a London taxi they can be hailed down in the street without prior notice. It is therefore important for the taxi driver to have a thorough understanding of London the streets and all the various routes possible in getting from location A to location B. A large part of the cab drivers business comes from tourists. The average tourist is not going to know the street postcode of where they wish to travel to, they probably don’t even know the street name, and it’s quite likely they will simply ask to visit one of the many attractions or points of interest around the capital.

It is a must for any London taxi driver to have knowledge of the city layout and it is why they have to learn the famous “knowledge”. One part of learning the Knowledge is familiarising yourself with the 30,000+ points of interest scattereted around the city. Learn where each point of interest is located and how to navigate between them over the shortest and quickest route and you will be a step nearer to becoming a qualified and licencensed black cab driver.

London taxis are familiar to people all over the world. The typical hackney carriage is a major showcase of London’s streets, featuring in many films as a symbol of British culture. Becoming a taxi-driver in one of these prestige units is a very honourable career choice – mostly for the reason that you are the driving force behind the world’s most diverse city.

Other than that, there are plenty other benefits to becoming a hack in the Big Smoke. Namely, you are your own boss for one. Most if not all hackney-drivers are self-employed, which means they can work whatever hours they wish, all year round. The only restriction to this benefit is that you would probably have to work weekend/nights to get the most out of your business (not to mention having to deal with the odd amount of drunks coming out of pubs). But this is a drawback that can be avoided. Plenty of hackneys earn their bread and butter by picking-up tourists, businessmen and commuters during regular office and daytime hours. Taxi Driving is also handy as a self-employing career because there is no need to set-up your own company. All you need to drive a taxi are a few simple things. Read further to find out.

First things first, you will definitely need a full driving licence (preferably without any points clocked up onto it) and be over the age of 21. Assuming you meet these requirements, the next step is getting a taxi-licence. First-off, you must send off for an application pack from Transport for London Office (which takes about 28 days to receive). This application pack is quite simply a form which registers your details, does a CRB background check to make sure you are fit to drive a taxi (i.e. criminal convictions), and informs you about the next step, which involves taking a test called “The Knowledge” – essentially a route-skill assessment. Once this is completed, you have to select which type of licence you want for which there are two types: All London or Suburban London. All London does exactly what it says on the tin (pick up anywhere) whereas the suburban licence allows you only to pick up passengers in your sector (there are nine suburban sectors). Both licence types cost the same amount of money – £200, but there is also an additional fee of £50 for the All London licence.

Subsequent to that, there are also fees depending on which time you want to drive (off-peak or office hours) and additional fees if you want a licence showing you can take care of disabled passengers. In addition, licences are for limited times only, so you will have to get it renewed when it expires (most last for three years). Of course, you will also need to purchase a hackney carriage. You can supplement any loss capital on your purchase by wrapping your vehicle in advertisements. Other features that are becoming more commonplace in taxis are plasma screens that show various advertisements – another way to supplement income for your taxi.

Click Here And Take Your First Step To Becoming A London Taxi Driver

A quick tip for anyone who is considering a future job as a London black cab driver, ensure you are registered with a doctor if you are not already. When you apply to the PCO for acceptance on a knowledge course you will need to prove that you are fit and healthy. A medical certificate will be required to prove that you are in a healthy state and the quickest and easiest way for you to obtain one will be from your local GP. The PCO will issue you with a form that your doctor has to fill in, not just any old a doctor, it has to be one who knows you and who you have been under for at least 12 months.

The medical covers key areas such as; do you have any heart problems or conditions, if you are diabetic, problems with your eye site, epilepsy, psychiatric problems and also if you have any musculoskeletal or nervous problems. If you have any kind of history where blackouts have occurred, if you have had a heart attack or stroke and if you have had any previous alcoholic issues you will not be considered for a license.

Anyone who wishes to apply for a London cab drivers licence will at some stage have to attend an introductory talk organised by the P.C.O. Once you have sent off your application form you will receive an invite to a presentation carried out by one of the Knowledge of London examiners. This presentation lasts around an hour; its purpose is to provide you with a broad understanding of what you will need to do in order to become a licensed black cab driver.

You will be given a booklet commonly known as the blue book (don’t mistake this with blue book runs which that you can purchase or downloand online). This booklet suggests a course of action which you should follow to learn the knowledge. You will be advised on the difference between the suburban and All London knowledge areas. It will be made clear to you that not only do you need to learn the best route from A to B; you must also learn the points of interest along that route. You will need to show a clear understanding of roads and squares along the route, open places and parks along with tourist points of interest, sports stadiums and even hotels by name, schools, colleges and prisons.

The Blue Book which you will be given at your meeting contains 320 runs; it doesn’t tell you the best route that will be for you to work out yourself. This is why most people turn to downloading a copy of the blue book with the actual best routes possible already detailed. You will be told how you need to learn the routes in reverse in case a road scheme or one way system is in use and you will be told how you need to learn possible routes within a quarter of a mile of each starting point.

The examiner will then move on to the timescale aspect of the exam. You will be informed that you have 6 months to learn the first 80 routes then a further year and a half to learn the remaining 240 routes. When this stage has been completed you will then be able to move on to the written examination. The written examination should not pose a problem to anyone who has managed to familiarise themselves with the blue book.

The examiner will then go into detail of stage 3 to 5 which is an Oral Examination, you might hear this referred to as an ‘appearance’ exam; again this should not pose a problem to anyone who has grasped the blue book routes. Finally you will be given a basic list of do’s and don’ts, an example of one will be how you should not ring people’s doors to find out who the occupier is as it may cause a complaint.

A set of Blue Book Runs is essential for any budding taxi driver who is thinking of doing the London Taxi Knowledge. The blue book of runs contain 320 major runs (or routes) that you will have to learn before obtaining your green badge. The book basically shows you how to get from A to B in the quickest and shortest time and the correct route you should take to achieve this.

Where to get The Blue Book?
There are two types not to be mixed up with each other. The book the P.C.O supplies you with is just a list of the runs, start at A and get to B with no details of how you should achieve the route. They give this book out when you apply to learn the Knowledge, this is after you have made an appointment and had your initial talk with them. The talk is informal and it outlines what you should be expecting from each other should you proceed and apply to become a London taxi driver.

The second more popular blue book details how you should get from A to B in the shortest time, this book is available various outlets or a you could just download it here.

My personal tip for anyone learning the London Knowledge would be not to buy it in hardback copy but to download it instead. The printed format can be expensive and it is easily ruined. Downloading it means you can print a page off when you need it. If it gets damaged just print off another copy, you could even laminate them and keep them in a folder for future reference.

All accredited London taxi drivers will need to complete a special test prior to being able to drive one of London’s famous black taxis. This test is known as the Knowledge. Precisely just how long it will take you to become a fully licensed taxi cab driver depends on whether or not you wish to be classed as an All London taxi cab driver or just a Suburban driver. Prior to obtaining your license to be a London taxi driver you will be asked to demonstrate your capability to take a passenger to their requested destination by the shortest route possible as well as pass a series of examinations by the P.C.O (Public Carriage Office).

So what is the difference between All London and Suburban Taxi Drivers?
To become an All London taxi driver (also known as Green Badge drivers) you will need to have an in depth knowledge of London and this knowledge must be inside a 6 mile radius of Charing Cross. They must also learn 320 different routes (or runs) along with places of interest and landmarks scattered throughout these runs.

You will see ludicrous claims from some that you can learn the London Knowledge in under a year, the real truth is that it will take between two and four years for you to pass all the tests. It isn’t easy and it isn’t quick but then the rewards are there to be had for those that stick it out. Once you have passed the London Knowledge and have your licence you are free to become an All London taxi driver who can work anywhere in Greater London.

Suburban drivers (or Yellow Badge taxi drivers) may choose from any of London’s nine suburban areas. They have got to learn between 30 and 51 runs (or routes) in full detail. They must also know each and every landmark along the route together with all the places of interest. The time to learn this should be no longer than two years assuming you take it seriously, a qualified suburban taxi driver is only permitted to work in the sector in which they are for.