Is this the end of The Knowledge?
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- TfL are having a review of The Taxi Knowledge due to low take-up, and are possibly "dumbing it down" to attract candidates!
In this video I share important factors that must remain, and potential fixes for the whole system.
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WHO AM I:
I’m Tom, a London Taxi driver of 5 years. I also have a keen passion for all things London whether that’s; history, geography or a good spot for coffee!
WHY DO I MAKE VIDEOS?:
To PROMOTE and PROTECT The Knowledge of London
And to PRESERVE the high standards of London Taxi Drivers
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - 1. Misconceptions about The Knowledge
08:14 - 2. What progress have we seen so far?
09:07 - 3. Why does The Knowledge take so long?
12:36 - 4. Why are applicants at an all time low?
14:15 - 5. How can TfL make the job more attractive?
25:03 - 6. How can TfL improve The Knowledge?
28:18 - The key point to remember! - Розваги
I think TfL should manage an 'official' black cab booking app like the one Tom uses to get jobs in the suburbs hopefully back into central London after dropping off a job from there. I'm sure that potential customers including foreign tourists would find that arrangement more convenient and trustworthy. Whatever, TfL need to do more to support cabbies and reduce the uncertainty involved in hunting for jobs.
TfL hate us mate they are more than useless
I recently visited London for the first time and I support this 100%. I had no choice but to book Uber's multiple times because I couldn't figure out what app I could trust to book a black cab. It cost more and took longer than a black cab I can almost guarantee. I didn't want to catch Uber because I have so much respect for London taxi drivers but I just couldn't figure out how to book, and due to my location and awkward times I couldn't just go out on the street and hail one. The TfL have amazing apps for their other services, I am so confused as to why they don't for the cabbies.
Actually, as a foreign tourist Travelling to 2 or 3 countries every 2 months, I don’t want an App for London, Tel Aviv, Las Vegas nor Sydney. This is where Uber has the advantage of being useable in many of the cities around the world, no cash, vetted drivers and so on with the scoring system. Jumping out of the airport in a far flung destination, can be a pretty overwhelming experience when it comes to getting a trusty local taxi.
TFL wouldn't give the taxi trade/customers any help.
Could've helped many times.
Yea TFL would be great at building an app 🤣
Got a job in a one way part of Victoria the other night American couple to a hotel in Mayfair. No time to use sat nav with traffic behind me even if i wanted to. Straight away saw the line and got them there in safety and comfort while navigating traffic and making conversation. Meter went 12.40. The couple were amazed at my knowledge and the fair price and told me Uber had quoted them alot more. Just one example of the knowledge over any nav app.!
My lovely neighbour had to sell his black cab in 2020, because of lockdown. Inevitably the end of his taxi career. That must also be a big factor.
The knowledge shines in situations where things like waze have difficulty. Standard routes to the airport for example is not where the difference is made. But a central London route is where the knowledge is key.
exactly, especially when tourists give a super vague idea of where they want to go which only a person with the knowledge would understand, not waze or google maps.
What a brilliantly objective and authoritative set of responses Tom. I hope TFL are listening.
Fab video Tom, very well explained and some good points.
As someone who was a passenger yesterday while her friend drove through Central London: I applaud anyone who has done the Knowledge and got their badge - satnav just doesn't cut it, and it was the most stressful journey I've ever had as a passenger! The Knowledge is the reason I joked with my friend that "we should just hail a cab and ask to follow them to our destination because they WILL know where they're going!"
The chances of you being able to keep up with the taxi are zero! (Not to mention that the taxi driver's route will very likely take them down roads that you aren't allowed to drive down...)
@@stevieinselby oh I know! But it was a mental image that put a smile on the face of my very anxious friend who was driving, which was the main intention when I said it 😊
Great stuff, Tom. I had been wondering about this, and you delivered eloquently and succinctly. 🤜
Hi Tom good post, I watch all your vids.I did the knowledge in 1959 18mths was average. Very few one way streets, you could go anywhere as the crow flies. Sat navs could never have done a hell of a lot of the jobs I did, ie American tourists wanting to go to Harlington to look at the antique shops, obviously they wanted Islington, they were so pleased I got a flyer out of it. A young tourist again who had lost all her holiday papers while out shopping and didnt know the name of the hotel she was staying in or where it was , it was gone 11pm , I found it by deduction. Back then I could park anywhere not on a corner, used to park in Leicester sq and go to the pics, could park anywhere for toilets, eateries, I was mushing bug it was easy to get a cab on the meter, the owner got two thirds of the meter , driver 1 third plus the tips, the owners bought the fuel and paid the running costs. Life as a Taxi driver was good. I'm surprised now anyone wants the job, 70 grand vehicle, 20mph, fuel price, road closures etc, some of the routes you have to take blow my mind. No holiday pay. No sick pay. Anyone can buy a car for a pittance and potentially do the same job. Have TFL lost their minds? for goodness sake make some useful concessions to make the job more attractive and relieve some of the stresses. Be lucky and God bless you all.
I think for me the most significant change would be to introduce a student loan.
Somebody raised a point on here with regards to drivers who were able to study at their parents house who were lucky enough to be close enough or even from London and this is not the case for many many people.
For this process not to work out for the hopeful knowledge student for any reason, (although many who have become cab drivers would say is an excuse), I can really see how somebody would weigh up their options and go, you know what, this is too much pressure to try and juggle part time i want to go all in and smash out the knowledge full time.
This for me would be an incredibly significant and useful change that would attract many more people who have thought this through and have simply decided that trying to rent, live, study and work in London on the knowledge with out a loan to support them in the process as a risk of time and money that perhaps they feel is too great.
As an aside, I did the knowledge on a Honda c90 I purchased from Bill Bunn’s motorcycles in South Ealing. I clocked up 28,000 miles on the bike in 38 months doing the knowledge. I purchased the Honda for 490 pounds then sold it back to Bill Bunn’s for the same amount. The worlds best selling Four stroke moped!
1.4 - absolutely right. Someone once said, “Martial arts is not about fighting; it's about building character”, and there’s the idea that years of dedication and training means a ‘Bruce Lee’ could kill someone with their hands in a fraction of a second, but the years of patience in learning their craft means they have control of it. They have a high regard for their training, they have respect of their abilities.
London cabbies have also done their rite of passage. They’ve proven their abilities and their control of their knowledge.
Brilliantly articulated. Love the chef/cook book analogy
I was driving taxis and working as a dispatcher when two way radio was the system. We had to do a certain amount of hours sitting alongside a driver and pass a test similar to what TFL does to get a licence. Drivers then knew the area and took pride in it. Now we have a fleet manned by people whose knowledge is limited to what Mr Garmin can show them.
Great Video and love the thumbnail. Here is one of my new catchphrases "The more you learnt on the knowledge the longer you took to complete it!"
Great analysis and info as usual, Tom😊
When in London I always make a point of using a cab if I need a car ride (i.e. if bus or tube is going to be a hassle). However the one thing that would tip me over to Uber is the benefit of knowing the cost up front... particularly if I was having to penny pinch.
I would really REALLY hate to see The Knowledge become obsolete and cabbies replaced by Joe Bloggs and a SatNav. Really hope a feasible solution can be implemented where both punters and cabbies (new and old) win.
Personally I usually just drive my car anywhere, even in London (would rather pay the congestion charge and drive around tbh.) I cba with the tube and bus and don’t really like ubers. Black cabs are the best alternative but they are just too expensive. From Tom I can understand why they are, but feel a lot of this is the fault of tfl. I think they need to subsidise the cost of taxis to drivers, remove charges like the £7 thing at Heathrow, but decrease the cost on the meters. The set price thing is interesting, but idk how that could possibly work.
Fixed fares is a funny old thing. It’s a mental thing. People would rather pay a £25 fixed price,than risk a £17-£23 fare on the meter 🤣🤣🤣.
Fixed fares can be brutal in London traffic,the meter is in place to protect the passenger and make sure the driver can make a decent standard of living.
Unfortunately there will be no reality where black cabs are fixed price as standard, unless you are prepared to pay fixed prices above the meter and account for potential traffic.
Great video Tom. Enjoyed it. You made some excellent points. For me, the biggest problems we face day to day are the cost and efficiency of the vehicle. That’s number one. Secondly the attitude of TFL and the boroughs towards the trade. LTN’s, speed limits and points restrictions. The knowledge has never been the problem. The knowledge process has only become a problem to applicants when weighed off against the depleted rewards on its completion. “Why study for 3 years when the net gain is marginal in comparison to a hard working, efficient private hire driver?” This is the sad reality unfortunately mate.
Great video Tom. See you on the road. Be lucky
Great video again Tom I’m a black cab driver in Edinburgh and like yourselves we need to do the Knowledge granted isn’t as long to learn as yours takes us about 8-9 months but once you learn it it’s such a great feeling of accomplishment. We have 2 major black cab companies in Edinburgh and we both have to wear uniforms and as you mentioned it just feels, looks smarter than a PH or Uber driver turning up with a tracksuit,trainers and baseball cap on to greet your customer keep up the good work and videos
Thank you! Thank you for this elusive reflection on the knowledge and the trade in general.
Thanks Tom for another great informative video 👏👏
No intentions to ever drive a black cab, infact I couldn’t think of anything worse with the bikes traffic etc but I’ve watched this channel religiously for months & months, keep it up mate, you’ll smash it
Trust me mate its a amazing job. Work when you want, earn what you want, no boss and go on holiday when you want. I cant think of many other jobs like this.
2k for a 4 day week. Can't beat work life balance. Although driving in a busy city isn't for everyone
Absolutely superb video as always Tom.
This video gives a much greater insight & analysis, than I have come across before. On a Mylar comparison, I think that metaphorically, you have drawn a comparison which reflects the overview between Microeconomic& macroeconomic studies. It’s strange hearing a similar story of your educational past and mine. I went straight from ‘School’ to University - graduation in 1973 with an MA(Cantab), majoring in English and History. The only careers for which I was qualified, were academic or teaching posts. I wound up selling books to schools, libraries & bookshops. I later did join the Civil Service - another exam! This was fast becoming one of the few employers which guaranteed a permanent job with as many opportunities for promotion and advancement as you were capable of achieving. Plus a final salary pension. I retired 15 years ago!
Hi Tom. I don’t live in London and I seldom visit, but I have to say that your videos promote both your city and your industry in such a compelling way. Your presentation is always informative, interesting and educational, so please keep up the good work, and thank you.
The problem is that for Private Hire licenses, you can get them in any jurisdiction and use them anywhere else.
For instance, all across the Midlands the Private Hire vehicles are registered in Wolverhampton because they have a VERY easy process.
If TfL limited the PH licences they issued, people would most likely get them elsewhere.
Not sure that I'd call the academic system a con, I just don't know how studies may have changed throughout the decades. The idea that you HAVE TO go to uni to be succesful/happy is definitely a con/lie.
I feel like the stuff we learn at my uni, TU Delft, is definitely useful. And any technical degree will almost always result in a decent job. What a uni degree mostly proves it that you know how to learn, how to find information and use it. Because you never stop learning.
I found that comment of his a little askew as well, by far and large, people with academic degrees earn more than people without one. They lead longer and happier lives and kids of people with degrees are more likely to be successful as well.
Taxi driving is one of those jobs that will never die but will continue to be a stressful, partially unrewarding career. Combine that with the fact you have to invest a significant amount of personal funds before you can start earning. You can see how the service industry is neglected by a nation that wholly relies on it.
Correlation not causation. Also, you go to a good uni. He's probably talking about the people who go to a non-prestigious university to study a non-stem degree and get a 2:2, just for the sake of going to university and therefore can't find any jobs, so they end up doing unskilled jobs that they could have done without wasting 3 years of their life and getting into debt.
Tom, do you think that the fact that there are less working class children growing up in London contributes to this too? Was the knowledge easier for people applying in the 70s because many of them grew up in central areas which are now unaffordable for families like theirs today? Great video👍
I think yes in terms of applicants, but no in terms of knowledge.
The Knowledge is for you to demonstrate the map to the examiner, it is an examination where the oral ability is as important as the mental ability.
You could have a photographic memory of London, if you can’t communicate it or turn into a bag of nerves, doesn’t matter if you grew up in the area, or started out of London (which I would argue is more of a benefit).
@@TomtheTaxiDriver Thanks for the reply, that makes sense.
I’ll admit I had a quick chuckle at the comparison of the knowledge to training to be a Navy SEAL… but I see what you mean
I had the same reaction. LOL
And I had for some obscure reason a link to Apocalypse now:
Tom : Smell that? You smell that?
Customer : What?
Tom : London, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of London in the morning. You know, one time we had terrible traffic, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I drove on. We didn't find one traffic jam not one stinkin' traffic jam. The smell, you know that gasoline smell? The town. Smelled like... victory.
Great video Tom, thank you 👍
Such a great video - hope tfl see this
Very well thought out video with many good point and suggestions that benefit everyone not just cabbies. I hope the powers that be take some of it on board. 👍🏻❤
Very good and honest review with many good points.
The taxi trade is like any other trade its word of mouth that makes people get into it. If its a good trade with a good future people will train for it.
Back 2002 I drove a TX1 SE for Saint Dunstans Charity for the war blind. Although I wasn't required to do the knowledge, I was constantly asked by London cab drivers routes or road closures. It was only when they realised that I was driving a private taxi that I gained their respect. My role was to take staff to mainline stations or events. Then picking up members and bringing into the eye clinics in London. Helping other drivers with the ramps. Towards the end of my time I eventually got a sat nav.
The Knowledge seems to me to be all the more important today with all the reworking of London roads, taking away the "rat runs", creation of one-way road systems for reasons best understood by the planners, A well-trained Black Cab driver seems always to know the best way.
And always will do.
One alternative to learning to be a taxi driver is learning to be a bus driver. I don't know how the earnings compare, but if you are a bus driver, then the money is guaranteed to be the same every month + whatever overtime you get. Also, a quick search of job adverts suggests that they pay you £11.95 per hour (Stratford and Battersea Bus Garages) while you are doing the training rather than you having to pay the training costs.
A decent cab driver will earn at least double that of a bus driver
Such a well organised video
We have a watered down version of the knowledge in our town for hackney cab drivers. private hire drivers take a even more watered down version!! The Hackney test was difficult in the past and it really proved your worth as a taxi driver and your knowledge!!!
Sadly as with many other things it’s now not worth as much. The questions are now a multiple choice (one answer out of the three being stupid). So even then it’s a 50/50 success rate even if don’t know!!!
What’s frustrating about are “test” is there has been a cheat sheet going around for ever ( someone had snuck a camera in and photographed all the questions). So we literally have cabbies that couldn’t even tell you the time (literally) let alone where the town hall is, yet got 100% on there test🤔🤥
Ive experienced this myself when jumping in a Hackney cab to go to the one and only sports centre in the town and was asked for a postcode🤦. It pains me as I worked extremely hard on my knowledge and I feel for you if yours is watered down to a laughable test!!! ✌️❤️
Excellent, excellent video!
I used to think the knowledge was antiquated and could be replaced by satnav until I watched your vids and learnt its a lot more complex than that. Also if you make entry easier than a driver has less to lose and will be more likely to try and scam a customer or make unwanted advances
x- black cab driver 11 years I agree with your video good on you tom
All the proposed solutions seemed to be ones that would increase the cost to the customer and lower supply. So, even more surge pricing, not less.
Hi Tom, Great video. You make some excellent comments/suggestions. My husband and I lived in London for three years and visited on multiple occasions. We loved the London taxis. So professional, reliable and safe. We had fun with the drivers when we were going back to our flat as our little street was not well known. Only once did a driver know where D'Oyley Street was. We didn't care and always just told them the location. Just wonder...do you know this street off the top of your head? Thanks to all the taxi drivers who have provided such great service to us. All the best to you. Susan in North Carolina USA
Off Sloane terrace near Sloane Square
@@jonathanburn964 how right you are!
Awesome video!
I love your videos and I don't even live in the UK, but if I can make a suggestion I would love to see you doing a just driving video with a few comments here and there. I came across your channel because I visited the UK recently and wanted to see how it's like to drive around london.
I have been working on this, stay tuned!!
Just watched your Heathrow video.
Is it possible to pre-order a black cab from Heathrow to London. IE you pick up a customer at Heathrow hopefully with you getting an order to go there before?
I completely agree with you Tom
My issue would not be a bad memory, my issue would be zero sense of direction. I literally get lost in flat buildings, and when I am on a large roundabout with some art installation or hill in the middle omitting my view of the exits, and I need to take it three quarters around, I need to rely on the sat nav to see whether I'm at 1/3rd, 2/5th or 3/4th :D.
I'm afraid THAT would be an issue for me being a taxi driver in London. I guess I'll just go for the Underground then.
Surely its not just the knowledge though. The costs of operating a black cab keeps going up. The vehicle price alone is enough to put most people off. The incidental costs are bearable but even so having to pay a meter calibration when you can only use one type of meter seems a bit highwayman of tfl.
How about this for “The Knowledge” Tom? In the early 80s I was travelling home on leave from the RAF in Germany and was spending a night in London at the Union Jack Club hotel for military personnel next to Waterloo Station. I hit the West End early and ( I was much younger, single and stupid in those days ) got completely wrecked. The last thing I remember was downing several schnapps in the De Hems pub in Chinatown. The next morning I woke up in my room at the Union Jack Club with the hangover from hell and absolutely no memory of how I got back the night before. I asked the guy on reception what time I’d checked in the night before. After I told him which room I was in he started laughing. The night porter had told him that at 11.30 pm a cabbie had turned up at reception saying; “I think I’ve got one of yours in the back of the cab” After the night porter had checked my I.D. card and paid the fare I was carted off to bed. Apparently I’d hailed a cab on Shaftesbury Avenue, forgotten where I was staying for the night and said to the cabbie something like “Big soldiers’ hotel near the station please” and then promptly fell asleep. That was all the information he needed. Now that’s service for you. Be lucky!
Well done Tom . Well said . You’re a great advert for our trade . Please continue to work on your content and if you have plans to move into union side you’ll get my vote . Be lucky
John
Cabbie14 years
There's estimated about 80,000 private hire drivers licensed in London. That's £300 a pop, every year for TfL which equates to about 2.5 million pounds in revenue. There's a very good reason they don't cap Private Hire numbers right there.
It's every 3yrs, not every year.
106,000 and counting
TFL can’t cap it anyway it’s out of the Mayors scope of power
It's 106,000. Since last October 10,000 have signed up.
You make a good point with the TfL PH licence holders. I agree that there should be a cap on numbers and that would help encourage the better ones to do the knowledge.
However, I am also of the thought that as taxi drivers are subject to such restrictions on the vehicle specifications, the PH vehicles licensed by TfL must be subject to similar regulations. They should be disabled friendly for example in the same way that the public transport network is heading as seen with the bus and coach industry. They should be of a standard format such as setting minimum standards so for example a Mercedes Vito or similar. They should be also be branded as done in some other areas with TfL livery but also the clear sign “pre-book only”.
From a safety aspect there also needs to be a standardisation on the protective screens separating the driver and the passengers plus video cameras installed for the safety of both parties. This would be exceptionally useful in providing reassurance to vulnerable users whilst also providing a safer environment when you consider the increased risks we now face from violence.
I dipped into learning some of The Knowledge of London last winter inspired by Dean @WizAnn320 simply because I'm (a) fascinated by London and (b) as a professional training instructor I wanted to understand more about the systematic process by which prospective taxi drivers learn The Knowledge. I discovered a lot and it was fun. Even based outside of London and having no practical element, I found that the information sunk in quite quickly. Cherish The Knowledge! 👍🏻😀
Love the thumbnail 😂
I'm from an academic background and I'm really interested in the idea of The Knowledge as an intrinsic good: something that is good to learn and satisfying to know. There's so much about the concept that is actually similar to what compels people to read everything written on a particular topic and do a PhD...- he ability to know something so deeply that you can actually make new connections It seems it is often presented as a hurdle that has to be jumped through rather than positively as something that (as Tom demonstrates in his videos) gives you deep love of a city, its history, culture, people and rhythms.
Do it. I also finished uni with a first class honours and im doing the knowledge now. I look forward to a career of freedom and no boss.
They were planning this 20 years ago , it got ramped up when they closed Penton street
Easy way to limit the no of PHV drivers. 😂
1. Harder English language requirements.
2. Some kind of limits on total no of working hours. Similar to that of truck drivers based on Safety ground.
3. Centralised system that links drivers’ all earnings on multiple platforms to HMRC
4. No BENEFITS/ dole for PHV/Taxi drivers.
5. Advanced Driving Courses.
Good video., Tom
That must be a Demchuck thumbnail! :)
The lowering of standards is always a slippery slope to go down. Allowing Uber in was a major mistake and near impossible to regulate compared to the licensed taxi industry.
London taxi drivers are unquestionably the most knowledgeable in the world but have been let down so badly by the authorities who are entrusted to look after the industry, and more importantly, the safety of the travelling public.
> Allowing Uber in was a major mistake
I'd argue win for the consumer due to higher competition causing lower prices
@@jaromirlatal177 Personally I believe in paying someone their worth. Often Uber are more expensive than black cabs, sometimes vastly so with surge pricing, but offer nowhere near the same standard of professionalism or safety.
If black cabs become redundant, watch Uber prices explode, not to mention the tragedy for wheelchair users who rely on them for their independence and ability to have an inclusive existence.
@@calumanderson6738Gibberish.
With Uber, as a customer I know the name of the driver and their registration plate. And as a driver, I know the name of my customer; have a means of identifying them and don’t have to worry about run-offs.
With a black cab? It’s the Wild West pal. I have no idea who’s driving and the driver has no idea who they’ve just picked up. So let’s cut out the nonsense claims about “safety” which do not stack up at all.
@@imconfused1237 And still there’s not many that would choose to send their daughter or wife home unaccompanied in a mini cab over a black cab.
TfL already owns the 'Borismaster' buses and, in effect, rent them to operator's, do you think it would work if they owned a fleet of LEVC cabs and did the same to those who pass The Knowledge?
Can you do the knowledge with out actually physically going out and doing the blue book runs? Do they check in any way? Just a theoretical question, assuming somebody could memorize all the streets etc.
Up to a point Yes , it took me 2ys 3m . I went out for a year did it in a Mercedes at night , I’d have died on the moped . Then early one morning in the snow i couldn’t see where the road and pavement began road names were covered . I thought what the fuck am i doing ?? I drove home to Walton on Thames , from then on it was the maps . You must go to a knowledge school and work at it . This was back about 89-90 . 🫠
What they should do is look at getting ex black cab drivers back in the game, those that for what ever reason decided to leave the trade and do something else. At the moment they would have to do the knowledge all over again and no one is going to do that, but maybe if it was just a couple of months refresher course they might get some interest.
Hi Tom, iv been a PHdriver in London for 9 years, i fear my knowledge of London will make learning the knowledge harder as it will interfere. What are your thoughts. I wish i could start from 0 like your gym example
No way Mam, all your knowledge is good knowledge when it familiarises you with the streets and points of interest in london. I wish you the best of luck if you choose to follow the well trodden path along the knowledge trail, but please, before you commit your time and effort, look hard at the costs of being a taxi driver in london. The costs and efficiencies of the vehicle against the return. The hours and the shift pattern you will need to follow against your current lifestyle.
If you do all that and it seems acceptable to you, I wish you the best of luck. Your grounding and experience should stand you in excellent stead. All the very best. Kev
Thats a great thumbnail 🤣
I’m fully engaged with the whole upmarket professional aspect of being a black cabbie.
I’d love to see you all in ties to push the point. Just been to Tokyo and they’ve now adopted a uniform black cab (smaller version but very appealing).
Would it not help beat Uber if you were able to offer a fixed rate as a choice?
If all taxi drivers were like you Tom I wouldn’t care either way 😊
Fixed fares are a race to the bottom and punish you in traffic, encourage speeding dangers etc.
Black cabs beat Uber by providing a USP of a fully vetted professional who is trustworthy and competent to take you from point A to point be in the most efficient way possible.
I am not competing on fares with a muppet in a Prius who don’t know their arse from elbow / claiming a top up of state benefits to supplement their low income due to Uber saturating the market.
The knowledge creates a barrier to entry that keeps the quality of taxi drivers high. Remove that barrier then the trade becomes full of chancers who don’t take the job as seriously as you guys who have dedicated years of your life learning it.
As for cost control of the vehicles, TFL could issue a grant or subsidy to new drivers who just passed the knowledge towards an approved vehicle.
There would have to be a change of law for the LTN point. It would be like the ULEZ legal action but much much worse.
Do you have to pay for your appearances? How long would you say it takes to recoup the cost of training (scooter hire and/or purchase, petrol, appearances, suit purchase, even time studying)
I estimated my total costs to be over £10,000 in the video below. Most of this was petrol due to how far away from London I lived.
ua-cam.com/video/uF4v0ZHc2fE/v-deo.html
Just applying and paying for appearances is close to £600
@@TomtheTaxiDriver I thought you’d done a video on it, so thanks for linking it. I’ll give it another watch!
Abdul with a satnav will fill the spots of the traditional cabbie.
I’ve tried to book a Black cab for timed trips to the rail station in Croydon twice now the taxi did not arrive at the time booked on asking why , I’ve been told we don’t take timed bookings, so now I book private hire as they do.
Makes you laugh doesn’t it. As I said on another comment - it is obvious that black cabbies do NOT understand their customer; they think people don’t have any plans, it’s all spontaneous.
I make you right fella. If your money isn’t good enough for the black cab, good on you for spending it with a private hire who values YOUR time more. Don’t allow any black cab to think they’re doing you a favour.
Croydon use Yellow badge drivers, so you are not getting a green Badge London black Cab 9/10 times which will affect the availability.
I tell you what makes us laugh,
you think we are gonna be at a named location at a particular time and take you across London for peanuts.
You are free to use whatever method of transport you desire that’s the beauty of capitalism.
It’s never been busier in the cab.
Relying on a satnav in London is next to pointless.....if you want to get somewhere.
The PCO examiners, as they were under the Met, were retired Police Officers. I’d suggest as they didn’t rely of taxi incomes they were more objective to the candidates performance and not the fact the three days they’d been out in the cab were blinding / crap, as is the case of late as most seem to be part time examiners and cabbies on their days ‘off’.
Just my thoughts, I know I would. Lack of cabs out and taking great money, pass more out, ranking for 35 mins in January at KX, no one’s getting passed out that week.
Mr Orm, night mare, took me 3 years in 1985….
Interesting perspective, I think it is useful for taxi drivers to do the knowledge as it ensures that the customer gets to places reliably and hopefully efficiently
He should allow all PHV to use the bus lanes also. PHV should be allowed all parking spots which a hackney can use but PHV not allowed to use them. And have no congestion charge for PHV
the dumbed it down in sunderland to the point that you have to show you can use a sat nav, driver uptake didn't improve. its not the knowledge test thats the problem.
i dont know 5,000 words, let alone 25,000 street names!!! im a train driver, im meant to know every inch of track between holyhead and birmingham! i just dont, things change all the time, from rules to scenery and weather. i know what i need to know and i add extra bits to make my job easier.
The price of the cab must put people off £400 a week rent my first cab was £80 a week.
It should be easier to rent part-time flexible hours and garages with 24/7 access.
The Knowledge makes the cabby look at the watering down of the Police, Bus driving, Post Office keep the standards high.
Whenever i see a Knowledge boy/girl i encourage them keep it up i tell them how much i earn i do well long hrs gives you a good living ..
They ain’t £400 mate mine is 325 still expensive mind
Sherbert £400 a week to buy with interest balloon payment £101k
@@michaelfrancis8692would you advise a youngster to do it and put 64k cash savings into a cab and be freehold for a 15 stretch?
TfL
Should have there own app for booking minicabs/black cabs. TFL can make money from this.
No turning circle in a black cab. Therefore opening up the market and making vehicles cheaper. An old law that needs removing.
Time of knowledge needs reducing I could of driven after 2 years easily. I done an extra 7 months for no reason other then to add time.
Remove suburbs.
Remove driving taxi test (if it still exists).
Allow taxis to take any credit card payment.
Unions should do group insurance making it cheaper for drivers.
Better facilities at Heathrow canteen/gym/chill out area/pool table/table tennis/badminton etc..
I have a question : how did a typical day or week look like when you were learning the knowledge ?
Work 5 days a week in retail. Full time hours (9-6).
I would drive/ride into London 3 times a week (2x would be after work, 6pm-midnight, 1x would be Sunday morning 3am - 9am)
Every day call 80 blue book runs. At work, at home, before work etc.
All other times were calling over or map work. I stripped back social life, didn’t watch TV (still don’t watch much now), threw away most my possessions and just became a knowledge geek!
@@TomtheTaxiDriverthat's a big commitment. Are there scholarships available? Or just a grant. That would attract applicants surely.
Uber has its pluses. I’ve literally never had a bellend in the back since 2014. Nice people, business people, visitors, hassle free. Kebab chavs banished to PH app. Happy days. ❤
🤣🤣🤣🤣👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽
Uber is sooooo jeiwsh.....
Short one word answer to everything youve said: MONEY
It all about Monnnnaayyyyyyy
Good video
Do you get paid whiles learning the knowledge or is it something you pay to get yourself through and work a part time side job?
No but when you become a black cab driver you earn very very well. And you work for yourself not someone else.
No but you can make it work around a part time/full time job depending on your life circumstances
⭐️
I can tell you how much you can make as Uber/ bolt driver. Before expenses is about £20/hour in a good day and 15-20/hour in a bad day/school holiday period.
January to March was quite brutal it was about 15/hour tops.
For a 50-60 hour week I can get about £1000/ week. Minus petrol £100, car rental £160-£200, H&R insurance £70, car washes and income tax a driver takes home about £500.
Become a black taxi driver mate.
@@user-lf6ls9vb5y I am trying to be one. I’m on 56s now 2-2.
@@yonoots363good man be lucky mate.
You can go to university for free - zero upfront costs, effectively your student loans covers everything at university (course, rent, food) If you started with zero could you actually become a Taxi driver?
It doesn’t. You have tuition fees for the course, maintenance loans for cost of living. But all that needs to be paid back, with a nice interest on it too!
@@TomtheTaxiDriver Well you've sort of missed the point. I understand about the interest (as I've got a degree and about £50k of debt) but it cost me nothing at the time to get my degree. Surely, unless you have income from another source, taking 2-3 years (of unpaid time) to learn the routes, will incur costs.
My point being, learning to do the Knowledge has costs of its own. (Obviously you need to learn to drive, own a vehicle to run the routes, pay for insurance, road tax, MOT etc.) Meaning you can't become a Taxi driver with nothing to your name. Does TFL provide you with a loan/ grant to help you start the process?
I hate being pedantic but it's a "mortar"board not "mortice"board.
Sorry Tom, I only mention it as I've heard you mention the throwing of the hat many times now on your videos.
Cheers.
Aussie here, but with the rise in the number of app related self-employed people become Uber drivers and the like is it really surprising "The Knowledge" isn't as popular as it once was seeing as Uber and companies like it don't have such requirements for employment. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just an observation.
Just want to share an example of why self-employed black cabs are great. I arrive at LCY last week with heavy suitcases, jump in a cab and ask for Paddington. En route my driver asks where my final destination is (Wiltshire). He offers me an excellent price to take me all the way home and drives me there, with a toilet break thrown in for good measure. Tony from Southend: if you ever read this you are a legend and credit to the London cab trade. Hope you got a good fare from Heathrow on your way home.
Thanks! Have shared this so hopefully he sees 👍🏻
Too expensive to run a cab and live a healthy life at the same time.
The police at Penton street had done the knowledge
Fun fact: Taxi drivers make far more wrong turns than Underground drivers.
Transport is a balance. A balance you can influence. See the cycle lanes for example. There are FAR more people cycling now in London, same in Paris where they added a lot of infrastructure during Covid.
Allowing less PH drivers will make people that used it (partly) change to other modes of transport. Because while there are ofc people who can/want to only use a cab or bus, most people just want to get where they're going as fast and easy as possible. Very few people are 100% car drivers or 100% cyclists.
All this transport logistics is hard though, very hard. The hardest study at MIT is transport logistics according to a professor I once had, not stuff like rocket science or quantum mechanics. He maybe have been a bit biased though, I can't recall his sources.
👍👍👍
There’s less young people coming through into every type of job right now and that’s due to less births around 2000
Something else I would like to add. Having done the knowledge in 1959, it has been made easier.?? We used to have to get to the Public Carriage Office in Lambeth Rd at 5am ,they opened at 8am but they gave out the passes (bills) on a first come basis, they had a limit on how many they gave out each day.I was told by a P C Officer , if I wanted my bill I would need to get there earlier. We were given a date not a time. We had to stand in front of the examiner while being questioned and call him sir.They could be very rude and insulting, I was told it was to find out your temprement, a friend of mine lost his temper and never got through the knowledge they just blocked him.I was called a xxxxxxx idiot for not knowing a point, I just said sorry sir.Our Blue book had 450 runs not 320. What made it easier for us despite these things was, we could do the routes backwards and forwards using the same route, plus going as the crow flies, very few one way streets or no right and left turn signs.Thats when the knowledge got harder,when all the traffic diversions and closures came in, so perhaps London Streets could be made simpler, it flowed better in those days, less traffic also. Good luck.
I didn't say our knowledge was the hardest but it certainly was the most uncomfortable. The knowledge now is made hard by all the traffic controls, most of which haven't done much good.Imho.
Yes very true, it was difficult for other reasons. Must have been very unnerving not know where you stood with an examiner, or where you might have been on the road to get your badge.
Whereas now, the process is much fairer and progression is clearly laid out to the candidate.
Applied to do The Knowledge few years ago but the Application process was a nightmare so threw in the towel before even getting on the scooter Bloody tfl dinosaurs
Also the black taxi business is a racket ridiculous expensive same as the gondolas in Vienna
before Ken Livingstone hiked the rates, I used black cabs fairly regularly. i can't justify the higher cost compared with private hire.
Hi tom you are right this is a joke London taxi driver know all the routes all a round London 😢ali walsall west midlands england junction 10 m6 Walsall keep it up