I drove a cab in London from 1973 until 2012 . I started at 21 and finished on my 60 th birthday , good times , great fellow cab drivers . I believe it has now changed out of all recognition . Happy days .
@Ronnie the Cabbie Driving a cab in the 70s was another world . No bus or cycle lanes , few parking restrictions , no road closures , no mad one way systems , no cameras , it was a civilised way to earn a living . Then the planners moved in . Oh dear .
I was born a couple of years before that. One thing I don't miss about the London of that time, and you can see in many parts of the film, is how all the buildings were covered in black soot.
Have you seen the new Electric Black Cab? It's instantly recognisable as a typical black cab still, I love the way they have stayed faithful to the original design.
Here's a story for you. My dad is a London Taxi Driver and has been for over 40 years. A friend of his (another cabbie) came across this video and showed it to my dad. When he watched it for the first time something caught his eye but he wasn't totally sure about it. So he watched it again, and again and again. It turns out that the driver picking up from Victoria Station at 3:38 and 8:24 in the video is his Grandad Mick, so my Great Grandad. What are the chances of that eh??? I've since watched this video a thousand times. I just about remember my Great Grandad Mick as he died when I was very young, but what an amazing video and a story to go with it.
A few shots of London General at Kennington. I worked on the breakdown crew '66-68. Got my drivers license there, Good times. But reading through this I always heard "This games fucked" Lol, well over 50 years ago. It might well be so by now. An oil magnate, Nubar Kilbenkian owned a light grey FX4 with plush red leather interior. I shuttled half dozen two tone BRG and Black FX 3's down to Silvertown docks when the yanks bought the old London Bridge and bought up these old cabs to run back and forth over it once it was rebuilt in Havasu Arizona.
My Grandfather was a London Taxi driver during the forties and fifties. I tried to find more information on his driver number and vehicles he used. It seems the records from that era have all been destroyed. This is an interesting insight though.
Looking at Britain then you can see how wrecked it is today; the over crowding, litter, graffiti, crime, congestion, mass immigration and challenges of cultural diversity, let alone cost of living, and housing crisis.
I sacked it a few years back. Now work security at wharf. The reason you'd see us at heron quay in all weathers like idiots was because of the uber drivers wanting to go through no entry add that to dozens we get driving into Cabot carpark/loading bay thinking there above... I literally just laugh at the passengers now and say you get what pay for!
Man do I need my 1960 fix ! Can't be doing with this Covid 19 , not to mention everyone walking round with their earphones in, and their smart phones in their hands, and don't forget the other fashion accessory, a plastic bottle of water ! Strewth,, what have we become ?.
When i started in 1973 , it was not possible to lock the cab , either inside or outside . Some men used a cable lock to the door handles on both sides when stopping for a meal or finishing work for the night . Also , as a night driver in London , everybody drove on their side lights and very rarely did i see headlights being used and then after about 5 or 6 years headlights became the norm .
That´s called progress, which essentially means, we have to pay more for less. It´s about time we say goodbye to all this junk coming from the US and get back to our own traditions!
😂🤣😂 I don’t what London cabs or cabbies are like these days but some of the cabbies here in Australia are bloody shocking especially in Sydney where a lot were lucky to speak English let alone take you where you want to go without needing directions. As for the cabs themselves I’ve been in my fair share of death traps over the years
My uncle Sid had that Mary Poppins in the back of his cab once. She was going to Trafalgar Square. The fare was pidgeon feed back then. Gaw blimey it an arf changed.
@aloha everyone wasn’t white in the fifties. A simple correction. Gsmpro is in incorrect. Also his implication is that white is better. If he wants to blame blacks for the state of the world then he is pretty blinkered. If he’s a white working class Tory then his party have been shittng on him for a long time and lying about it.
And now weve got uber and the other shysters, bring back the old dudes brains in newer cars, where i live you cant get a white taxi driver, and they have the no knowledge test as they always ask me for directions
Yes, typical of the time. My father was a mechanic and still has his books from his apprenticeship, Many of the service intervals in them would shock a younger car owner. One I remember was re-greasing leaf springs every 600miles.
I drove a cab in London from 1973 until 2012 . I started at 21 and finished on my 60 th birthday , good times , great fellow cab drivers . I believe it has now changed out of all recognition . Happy days .
@Ronnie the Cabbie Driving a cab in the 70s was another world . No bus or cycle lanes , few parking restrictions , no road closures , no mad one way systems , no cameras , it was a civilised way to earn a living . Then the planners moved in . Oh dear .
@YAN LIMB i never met her as i was a night driver , but i heard her spoken of and i believe she drove a cab in the daytime .
that would make you 69 today ;^)
My late father Albert (Mick) Noyes was a London taxi driver around 1958-1961, in SXY239.
My father started in 1937 and finished in 1982 , their paths must have crossed many times .
So was my late father. He started in the 50s and retired in 1987. He passed The Knowledge first time.
really enjoyed that. wonderful old london. seeing what is was like just before i was born '64. and seeing what my mum and dad used to see.
Seeing what it was like before it was ruined.
I was born a couple of years before that. One thing I don't miss about the London of that time, and you can see in many parts of the film, is how all the buildings were covered in black soot.
@@MarkUKInsects yeah, I was born in Briston in 68 and thought all of London was black.
So nice to see old taxi driver and taxi cab .I have been taxi driver since 1990.still doing .west Yorkshire.
Have you seen the new Electric Black Cab? It's instantly recognisable as a typical black cab still, I love the way they have stayed faithful to the original design.
Here's a story for you. My dad is a London Taxi Driver and has been for over 40 years. A friend of his (another cabbie) came across this video and showed it to my dad. When he watched it for the first time something caught his eye but he wasn't totally sure about it. So he watched it again, and again and again. It turns out that the driver picking up from Victoria Station at 3:38 and 8:24 in the video is his Grandad Mick, so my Great Grandad. What are the chances of that eh??? I've since watched this video a thousand times. I just about remember my Great Grandad Mick as he died when I was very young, but what an amazing video and a story to go with it.
A few shots of London General at Kennington. I worked on the breakdown crew '66-68. Got my drivers license there, Good times. But reading through this I always heard "This games fucked" Lol, well over 50 years ago. It might well be so by now. An oil magnate, Nubar Kilbenkian owned a light grey FX4 with plush red leather interior. I shuttled half dozen two tone BRG and Black FX 3's down to Silvertown docks when the yanks bought the old London Bridge and bought up these old cabs to run back and forth over it once it was rebuilt in Havasu Arizona.
Geezer on the bicycle looks like the bloke on "the royle family"
My Grandfather was a London Taxi driver during the forties and fifties. I tried to find more information on his driver number and vehicles he used. It seems the records from that era have all been destroyed. This is an interesting insight though.
Looking at Britain then you can see how wrecked it is today; the over crowding, litter, graffiti, crime, congestion, mass immigration and challenges of cultural diversity, let alone cost of living, and housing crisis.
The Watchman you must be a taxi driver, you sound like all the other London cabbies I've used
Brilliant prog. Learnt a lot there. I googled the Austin FX3's, always wondered what came before. The FX4 never looks out of date.
God be with the days.
Gave my badge up last March due to c19 ,the game has had it, a part of london that will disappear
I sacked it a few years back.
Now work security at wharf.
The reason you'd see us at heron quay in all weathers like idiots was because of the uber drivers wanting to go through no entry add that to dozens we get driving into Cabot carpark/loading bay thinking there above...
I literally just laugh at the passengers now and say you get what pay for!
SatNavs and Uber .. progress apparently
Giving mine up in a few weeks Liverpool council ruining it for us
Taxi drivers training school with a professor teaching. Nice!
Music sounds like a carry on film...
I was waiting for Sid James .
@@samsum3738 Half of them look like him anyway, lol
ooh err missus
How i wish for great Britain to be great again.
I opened a barn door in nsw Australia and there was a 1950 black can....
Man do I need my 1960 fix ! Can't be doing with this Covid 19 , not to mention everyone walking round with their earphones in, and their smart phones in their hands, and don't forget the other fashion accessory, a plastic bottle of water ! Strewth,, what have we become ?.
Surprised the luggage didn’t fall out of that left side...and in that UK weather, must have been chilly for the driver...
That’s why they’ve all got thick coats, scarves an ats
Amazing! He didn't lock his bike up or get stabbed.
Diversity is our strength.
When i started in 1973 , it was not possible to lock the cab , either inside or outside . Some men used a cable lock to the door handles on both sides when stopping for a meal or finishing work for the night . Also , as a night driver in London , everybody drove on their side lights and very rarely did i see headlights being used and then after about 5 or 6 years headlights became the norm .
When the world was normal 👌
He left the bicycle without billions of chains on it.....such a madness 😁
Many continental cities have horse-drawn carriage rides for the tourists. Wouldn't it be a money-spinner for London to bring back a few Hansoms?
No to thick in this country, what with the doo gooders, probably have animal rights on his back 😂
Brilliant idea but I guess the logistics of it would make it too expensive to operate.
Sadly will soon be a part of Londons past. Thank Uber and Khan for that.
That´s called progress, which essentially means, we have to pay more for less. It´s about time we say goodbye to all this junk coming from the US and get back to our own traditions!
Cab drivers in London are being squeezed out of business by the corrupt TFL. Will be a sad day when the iconic black cab disappears of our streets.
All be out of a job anyway within the next 20 years as the autonomous “Johnnycabs” take over…
3:19. 121 Long Lane Smithfield...I wonder if anyone watching this lives at this place today...corner of Kipling and Long Lane...
😂🤣😂 I don’t what London cabs or cabbies are like these days but some of the cabbies here in Australia are bloody shocking especially in Sydney where a lot were lucky to speak English let alone take you where you want to go without needing directions. As for the cabs themselves I’ve been in my fair share of death traps over the years
magic. time travel
My God that’s Why I deal with classic cars because it’s the best thing to deal with
You'd have to be crazy to do the knowledge and invest in a cab these days.
My uncle Sid had that Mary Poppins in the back of his cab once. She was going to Trafalgar Square. The fare was pidgeon feed back then. Gaw blimey it an arf changed.
South of the river this time of night? Sorry mate no.
2:18 G..Granville, go and f..fetch your cloth
always led to believe they were black due to war cheapest paint and also grey and green was bought by military and other colours where expensive
Ok guv......on your bike
hahahaha. that kickstand looked like an accident waiting to happen!
WOW all the inspections process to become a cab driver. When people gave a shit.
Come in pint pot
Whaddya think I got, a blooming helicopter?
Taxi🚕🚖🚕🚖.
Why is the music so annoyingly irrelevant? It does nothing to enhance the story and appears to be randomly sprinkled throughout.
Because it's the way it was back then...Syd James and Carry On films. If you don't understand it then you are watch the wrong thing.
Ah and now all you need is a Satnav and a very basic command of the English language...
Progress?
Everybody was white that time.
No they weren’t.
Everybody was white in the taxi industry in London during these times.
My grandad was a London cabby. A Jew from Russia ,came over here 1915, nicking your jobs. But he was white, so that’s ok.
@aloha everyone wasn’t white in the fifties. A simple correction. Gsmpro is in incorrect. Also his implication is that white is better. If he wants to blame blacks for the state of the world then he is pretty blinkered. If he’s a white working class Tory then his party have been shittng on him for a long time and lying about it.
Memorising road's name are called knowledge! 🤣 no need horse knowledge in these days🙊
6
And now weve got uber and the other shysters, bring back the old dudes brains in newer cars, where i live you cant get a white taxi driver, and they have the no knowledge test as they always ask me for directions
Load of rough looking taxi drivers.
@Jesse Link 3 STFU - whining prick.
Guaranteed his plates of meat still get a soaking!!
Engine overhaul a year.... what a shit engine
Not many car engines had oil filters in those days either, so the oil would have needed changing every 1000 miles...
Yes, typical of the time. My father was a mechanic and still has his books from his apprenticeship, Many of the service intervals in them would shock a younger car owner. One I remember was re-greasing leaf springs every 600miles.
All the old stuff would run forever. Basic simple relatively inefficient stuff But like steam engines, it takes a fuck of a lot of labour to do so.
Poster of girl with her chebs out at 5:21 Suprised the censor didn't notice that one.
probably because it's artwork and that brit tv isnt as prudish as the yanks are with nudity.
Those were the days ..
And now they're all dead and the Taxes have been longman scrapped