The Knowledge of London is widely regarded as one of the most demanding memory tests in the world. To become a licensed London black cab driver, candidates must memorise every street, landmark, hotel, hospital, and place of interest within a 10-kilometre radius of Charing Cross, a database of over 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks. The process takes between two and four years of dedicated study, and the failure rate is high, with only around one in three candidates eventually passing the final examination. The result is a public transport service that is unrivalled in its expertise, with drivers who can navigate the capital’s complex road network without the aid of satellite navigation.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
In This Article
The Knowledge: How It Works
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
The Knowledge of London is not a test you can cram for. Candidates, known as knowledge boys or knowledge girls, begin by purchasing a set of maps published by the Public Carriage Office. They then spend months learning the 320 basic routes, or runs, that cover the main arterial roads of the city. Each run requires the candidate to memorise all the streets, buildings, and places of interest along the route. Progress is tested through regular appearances at the Knowledge of London Examination School, where examiners, known as the Commissioners, test the candidate’s recall of specific routes and points of interest. The Blue Book, the official guide to the Knowledge, contains 320 runs and over 400 points of interest that must be memorised with instant recall. The process is mentally gruelling, requiring hours of daily study, often on a scooter or bicycle, to physically ride the routes and fix them in memory.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
The Science Behind the Memory
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
Scientific research has shown that the process of acquiring the Knowledge physically changes the structure of the brain. Studies by Dr Eleanor Maguire at University College London demonstrated that the posterior hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with spatial memory, actually grows in volume as knowledge cabbies progress through their training. This neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganise itself, is one of the clearest examples of how intensive learning can physically reshape our neural architecture. The research also showed that retired black cab drivers eventually lose some of this hippocampal volume, suggesting that the brain adapts to the demands placed on it throughout life. These studies have been cited in neuroscience textbooks around the world and have made the London black cab driver a subject of international scientific interest.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
The Benefits of Taking a Black Cab
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
When you hail a London black cab, you are not just getting a ride. You are accessing a level of local knowledge that no satnav can match. Black cab drivers know the shortcuts, the traffic patterns, the one-way systems, and the roads that flood when it rains. They know which hotels have the best porters, which theatres have the best disabled access, and which restaurants the locals actually eat at. The famous Turning Circle, the ability of a black cab to turn in a tight circle of just 7.6 metres, makes them uniquely manoeuvrable in the city’s narrow streets. Licensed black cabs are also regulated by Transport for London, with fixed fares calculated by meter, regular vehicle safety inspections, and mandatory disability access. The green cab, the electric TX model introduced in 2018, is now a common sight on London’s streets, offering zero-emission travel in the city centre.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
Have you ever taken a London black cab and quizzed the driver on The Knowledge? What is the most surprising piece of London trivia a cabbie has shared with you?
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
A London Black Taxi Cab is one of the icons of the city of London, they can generally be found all across London and they drivers are some of the most interesting people you will ever come across. The taxi cabs are often black but now in a bid to increase revenue, many are sponsored by companies to have their logo’s and colours splashed upon them so many Black Taxi’s are now longer very black at all. You should always ensure you get into a conversation with your Black Taxi Cab Driver as they will often have some great stories to share with you and often can provide small tours while on their way to your destination.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nLondon Black Taxi / Photo by Jimmy Barrett
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
So what does it take to become a Black Cab Taxi Driver?
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
With over 24,000 black taxi’s in London you can feel safe in the knowledge that wherever you are in London chances are a taxi isn’t far from you. Not anyone can become a taxi driver with this company in London, you have to undergo a very rigorous training process, often referred to as “The Knowledge”. Many taxi drivers spend up to 4 years training to become a London Black Taxi Driver as they have to learn where almost everything is in London and the best possible way to get there, including in the event of diversions!
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
One of the reasons it can take a lot of time, effort and money to become a London Black Taxi Driver is because it means that only “Suitable People” can make the grade and as such an iconic part of London they do not want people to feel worried stepping into a London taxi.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
Other London Taxi Services
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
There are London Minicab drivers often also seen around London, but you need to be wary taking these. They are often un-trained, unlicensed and we would never recommend taking one of these alone. A lot of minicab drivers do not know London very well and you can also find that they do not have meters, if this is the case then ensure you agree the price before you start your journey. You should also remember that many of these drivers often state their first price at approx 25% higher than the fare they are willing to accept so be sure to haggle with them to get the right price. Finally, always let someone know when you are getting a minicab and even text them the number plate just to be safe.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
For more information on seeing London visit they offer guided tours across London and across the UK click here for more details on their UK tours.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n
