Driving licences for taxis and private hire vehicles gov. In those days all the royal palaces and large mansions fronted the river thames with the tower of london, palace of westminster, lambeth palace, richmond palace, hampton court and windsor castle all. Whether youre in shropshire and need a taxi to the airport or youre looking for an asap shropshire cab, ubicabs is the online taxi booker you need. Whether youre in northampton and need a taxi to the airport or youre looking for an asap northampton cab, ubicabs is the online taxi booker you need. Nov 10, 2014 taxidriver candidates known as knowledge boys and, increasingly today, knowledge girls are issued a copy of the socalled blue book.
Becoming a london taxi driver have you got what it takes to become a london taxi driver and gain yourself the respect of being amongst the best taxi drivers in the world. Just call them up with your credit or debit card, or pop into the school and pick up a copy. You can also book a different kind of taxis, called minicabs in london. The knowledge is the test that drivers of london black cabs must pass to. These are issued by the public carriage office and in total there are 320 to learn. Consequently, the knowledge of london is the indepth study of a number of preset london street routes and all places of interest that taxicab drivers in that city must complete to obtain a licence to operate a black cab. London to enable you to qualify as an all london taxi driver. This is why taxi drivers have to learn and pass the worldfamous knowledge. Colloquially known as the tube, the london underground was the first rapid transit system in the world, having begun operations in 1863. And this is how the famous knowledge of london exam came about. It was initiated in 1865, and has changed little since. It takes the average person between 2 and 4 years to learn the knowledge, a lot however depends on how much time and effort they are willing to dedicate in learning it. The london taxi story the right to ply for hire was first given to the watermen of the river thames by royal charter during the twelfth century.
Some trace the tests creation to the great exhibition of 1851, when londons crystal palace. This is where the blue book is required, a handbook for budding taxi drivers which contains all of these routes and landmarks. Choose between classic taxis, minicabs, taxi vans, limousine services or a boro taxi. Nov 10, 2014 the origins of the knowledge are unclear lost in the murk of victorian municipal history. Once completed, you will be taken to a secure payment form to make a payment by. London s taxi driver test enshrines knowledge as to use the au courant term an artisanal commodity, a thing thats local and homespun, thriving ideally in the individual hippocampus. Blue book run 320 8 april, 2011 gibson square 4 comments there are over 24,000 licensed taxi drivers in london. As the brain remembers image more effectively than words we associate all of our points with pictures helping you to memorize points easier. London taxi knowledge a guide to blue book runs how2become. These include the bank of england, the tower of london, and buckingham palace, to name just a few.
Book taxi london provides airport taxi services from any airport in london area with authorized vehicles, endowed with a regular license issued by the competent local authority and regular permit and insurance for the transport of peoples as provided by law. A family run business established in 1985 the company has a heritage based on providing a friendly, reliable and trustworthy service. Blue book runs to learn for the knowledge of london. Black taxis have been serving the public for over 350 years and year after year get voted the worlds best taxi service. Book taxi london provide london airport transfers and premium chauffeur services from heathrow to london. Please complete this form to make a booking for a taxi driver assessment. To pass the knowledge learners are asked to remember an amazing 320 basic routes through london, 25,000 streets as well as 20,000 london landmarks and places of interest. To become a london taxi driver you need to send us an application. This guidebook contains a list of 320 runs, trips from point a to point b. What is the knowledge taxi test and why is the exam taken by.
Get your blue book runs in this a4 almost size book for yourself or as a great gift for someone you know. A copy of the guide to learning the knowledge of london the blue book. London taxi, london airport taxi, london airport to city. The knowledge, londons legendary taxidriver test, puts. Oct 16, 2015 the montcalm at the brewery london city is a stunning five star property is perfectly located for exploring central london, with a plethora of attractions just a short cab journey away. Black cabbies must study some 320 routes and 25,000 streets. Pay a visit to london and a black mini cab will probably be one the the first things you will see.
Learn the knowledge of london transport for london. How long it takes to become a licensed taxi driver depends on whether you want to be an alllondon driver or a suburban driver. Calling the runs can be done at home with a nice cup of tea. You cannot take the knowledge test on the day you submit your application, but you can book the date for your test. The extensive topographical knowledge test london taxi drivers must take before being granted. Document downloads taxis and minicabs east northamptonshire. If you are learning the taxi knowledge of london to become a licensed black cab driver you will need to complete the 320 blue book runs. This way, your trip will never cost you more than it should. Following satisfactory character and medical checks, you will be sent a knowledge of london introductory pack. These new transport for london approved runs have been professionally produced and offer the following features.
It is done entirely at the candidates own expense and when they have completed the knowledge for the 6 mile radius which is tested orally on onetoone appearances by pco examiners they are required to do a crash course and be tested on all of the main arterial routes in and out of london s sprawling suburbs. Where do i find a copy of the london taxi knowledge blue book. Many people have asked for us to provide this in a. Write out the runs im going to do in my car on a big a4 pad highlight the names and page numbers in az knowledge map book, go out and do them runs, next day i highlight the runs in knowledge az map book, highlight each run in lamifold map, this will refresh your memory on runs done night before then i commit each run to memory and. The origins of the knowledge are unclear lost in the murk of victorian municipal history. As taxis can be hailed in the street and asked to go anywhere, taxi drivers must have a thorough knowledge of london. The london taxi drivers are almost as famous as the black cabs in which they drive, this is mainly due to their indepth knowledge of london and ability in taking their occupants to their desired destination amid the congestion and the chaos that you often find when travelling through londons. Londons taxi service is the best in the world, in part because our cab drivers know the quickest routes.
My london taxi offers a professional london taxi service using fully licensed london black taxis at a competitive price. Taxidriver candidates known as knowledge boys and, increasingly today, knowledge girls are issued a copy of the socalled blue book. Many people have asked for us to provide this in a physical book rather than in digital format and we have listened and acted. In order to get behind the wheel, drivers must pass the knowledge, universally regarded as the worlds toughest taxi test. When you book a cab online, we compare taxi and minicab prices and find the best service for your taxi order in london. After a lot of practice, most students can call these routes very fast. It can take up to 4 years to pass the london knowledge exam, thats a year longer than a university degree. Exploring the blue book runs, points of interest, books, apps, software and anything else that. The council can provide you with maps to assist your studies of the local knowledge section. Channel 4s london cabbie documentary reveals the worlds toughest taxi test theres a rigorous fourstage examination process for hopeful black cab drivers. The fee you have paid covers two attempts at the knowledge test. Some have said and maybe hoped that the london knowledge will become easier because with so much technology around surely one day black cab drivers will be allowed to use.
Book your london airport transfers online with book taxi london. Nov 29, 2012 the knowledge all licensed london taxi drivers need to pass a special test before they can drive one of the capitals famous black cabs. The 320 main standard routes, or runs, through central london of the knowledge are contained within the blue book of. We are very excited to announce that our new style set blue book runs, containing 40 runs are now available to buy in store and online. The worlds toughest taxi test channel 4 from the cutting edge strand, filmmaker, hannah lowes covers exactly the same ground, but with a lot more repetition and rather less. Blue book runs are the basic training aid that sets out the foundation for learning the knowledge of london.
Most knowledge students recite at least 80 runs a day often more depending on the stage theyre at. Manor house station to gibson square, jubilee gardens to royal london hospital, dryburgh road to vicarage. The routes are simply a list of journeys and the following three are example runs. More than 3 million passengers travel on the underground every day, amounting to over 1 billion passenger journeys per year for the first time in 2006. Jan 25, 2018 for londons black cab drivers, thats all a part of the job. As part of the london taxi driver knowledge test you will be required to learn the blue book runs. Oct 17, 2017 the knowledge is a series of tests which must be passed by all black cab drivers before they can get a licence to work in the capital. Dec 30, 2015 the report acknowledges this, describing the knowledge as integral to why the london taxi trade is widely viewed as the best in the world, yet believes it deters younger drivers from. You must apply to your local council for a licence to drive a taxi or private hire vehicle phv.
London has had a regulated taxi service for hundreds of years. London s taxi service is the best in the world, in part because our cab drivers know the quickest routes. This book contains the complete set of blue book runs that you will need for the knowledge of london. Knowledgepics helps individuals to revise and learn the blue book to become an all london taxi driver. A look into whats involved in learning the knowledge of london.