The ACTUAL Reason Why London Taxis are Black!
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- Опубліковано 4 тра 2024
- And other questions you've always wanted to know the answer to!
Article in question
www.lbc.co.uk/crime/cab-drive...
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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
00:11 - Why black?
00:41 - Sidelight?
01:09 - Do you need a seatbelt?
02:18 - What is the green thing in the window?
04:15 - What is the white plate for?
05:08 - How do I get paid?
07:46 - When did you get the Covid partition?
09:53 - Can I ride up front?
11:03 - What is the U turn for?
12:59 - Every London taxi has the same disabled access
14:07 - Where is the bale of hay?
14:49 - Why is The Knowledge a 6 mile radius?
15:52 - You can't refuse a job!
16:47 - Why turn down money?
18:16 - How much do advertisers pay?
20:50 - Do I have adverts on my taxi?
21:49 - Where in Hackney are taxis from?
22:30 - Is it illegal to hail a taxi?
24:37 - TAXI is a protected term
26:30 - Why does the meter start at £3.80? - Розваги
As a wheelchair user travelling to London within 12months. I LOVE the fact that all london taxis are accessible.
I’m a taxi driver in Canberra, Australia. I wish we had these vehicles here. For us, our wheelchair accessible taxis (WAT) are Toyota Hiace vans, and they are very expensive to buy and fit out with the wheelchair ramp, so we only have a handful of cabs that do wheelchair work.
I’m a taxi driver in Canberra, Australia. I wish we had these vehicles here. For us, our wheelchair accessible taxis (WAT) are Toyota Hiace vans, and they are very expensive to buy and fit out with the wheelchair ramp, so we only have a handful of cabs that do wheelchair work.
I use a wheelchair, but my daughter pushes it for me. I have not been in a black cab since _years_ before I became disabled, and have not visited London (other than by 'Hospital Transport' to get to appointments) so this video is helpful as I'd like to visit London without the trips to Hospital ...but as we live in Bellingham, S E London, I'd worry we'd be stranded, if a 'cabbie' wouldn't want to travel out that far (...& my agoraphobia means I cannot face trains or buses, especially with my w.chair). 🤔❤️🖖
Limited mobility is something I've had to deal with for my partner and London Taxis make moving around town as easy as if there were no problems walking. The drivers are also unfailingly helpful.
Nottinghamshire black cabs refused to take our electric wheelchairs, they claimed that it ‘damaged the floor.’ We had to buy our own adapted vehicle when we both became chair bound.
“Why would a driver refuse a fair?” Sadly as a wheelchair user I can add another reason to that list Tom. Far too often drivers get selective blind spots when passing a wheelchair user with their arm out, and if they DO make eye contact and have to “explain” they’ll drop the “my ramp isn’t working luv” or “I’ve got a bad back luv” clangers as their reasons, when it’s clear they just don’t want the hassle.
So yeah, it’s cool that all black cabs are equipped to be accessible but not all black cab drivers are willing to utilise those features when requested to.
Sorry to bash on your fellow drivers but I’ve had it happen to me far too many times 😢
There must be an avenue to report such bad behaviour??
@@e-curb yes, in London taxi drivers can be reported directly to TfL. Around the country you can report driver behaviour or discrimination to their local licensing body.
My country (Singapore)'s taxi drivers have also been reported to be more reluctant to transport wheelchair-bound passengers with their cars not specially designed for wheelchairs. So the drivers 1st have to help the passenger out of their wheelchair & into the car's seat, then fold the wheelchair & stow it in the boot, which is added work for the driver, some of whom are also older
Recently had my longest cab ride ever, anywhere. And that was in London. Originally I was supposed to be picked up by someone at London City Airport and driven to a hotel in Hammersmith (W6). So basically it is on the other side of the city. Normally I would have just taken the bus and the tube. But I had some small but pretty heavy equipment cases with me so that was not an option. In all, that was a pleasant one hour and 20 minute ride - give or take - through quite some dense traffic. Less stressful and noisy than the tube, but also about 85 quid. Unbeknownst to me there had been a breakdown in communication among the people who were supposed to organise my pickup.
I work as a private-hire driver and have just taken possession of a brand new BMW I7. It’s a spectacular car and even has a very large theatre screen for those on the rear seat!!! Like many cabs, it also comes with rear-wheel steering. Amazing.
p.s. I’ve seen plenty of black cabbies waiting on ranks near hotels who have refused jobs where the drivers cannot see any luggage. They’re after the airport jobs!!!!
Yep I've seen them refuse to take my blind relative a very short distance cause they'd be stuck at back of rank in 5 mins time and earn 4 quid 😂
A lot of private hire cabs I've been in the drivers tend not to like airport jobs, but I'm up in Manchester. It's a bit of a long round trip.
How does rear steering feel? Does it take long to get used to?
@@steveanton763 It’s not difficult. It’s really useful when reversing and trying not to hit the kerb!!!!
Meanwhile in Singapore some taxi drivers are willing to pick up people from the airport only after 1700h as that's when the airport surcharge increases from S$3 to S$5 (now there's even a roadside carpark just before some of the airport terminals with a public toilets whee I remember the drivers can wait before picking up passengers)
This is cracking content Tom. One of your best.
I'm really impressed at how accesssible the London Taxi is. It's one of very few examples I've ever seen where accessibility is built in to the design of the product. Love you to do a deeper diver on this subject.
I have just discovered your channel, and I like it. I was a green badge driver back in the 1970's, my number was 18939. I worked for 23 years at which point I'd had enough. So good luck to you and be lucky.
Still baffles me that how most taxis have that divide behind the driver, yet you are still exempt from wearing a seatbelt “so you can’t get strangled” when it’s virtually impossible because the divide is separating the passengers from the drivers anyway.
I thought that too
On the last partitioned taxis I rode, there was a hole for paying the driver. A long-armed passenger could probably reach through and grab the seatbelt.
I’m inclined to agree, but in many other cities, regular ‘cars’ such as Tom’s example of a Mondeo serves for ‘Hackney carriage’ work (picking up from the street) as well as private hire. Buses are also exempt, so long as there isn’t a belt fitted.
Meanwhile in Singapore taxis are exempted from requiring airbags supposedly for cost reasons, maybe as we assume that taxi drivers, like people who drive for a living, are more professional and thus less likely to get in an accident. However over time I think its also getting rarer anyway for car manufacturers to make airbag-free versions of their vehicles
I really like the wheelchair improvements that the TX E has, specifically that it’s a bigger area and the whole thing is just wider so it makes it easier when you spin the chair round to put the restraints on, not to mention the ramp also.
I say this is somebody who has CP and is chair bound
On the point of refusing jobs, I live in E1 and can guarantee that I will be refused 1,2,3 times before a driver will actually take me from west end area to home. Just because there’s a rule doesn’t mean it’s followed unfortunately
So strange because most drivers live out Essex way.
To this day other cabbies still baffle me, you could give them the ideal scenario on a plate and they’d refuse it
@@TomtheTaxiDriver Yeah, maybe I’ve just been unlucky but I always get ‘I’m not going that way’
They often don't bother stopping when seeing my wheelchair. I hide around the corner, and get an able bodied person to flag them down, and the first one stops. Had this multiple times.
The black cab as we know only dates back to 1948, before which taxis were produced in all different colours.
The then new brand of choice , the Austin FX3, was produced in black as standard, with buyers having to pay extra for any different colours.
As owners tended to buy whole fleets at a time they decided it wasn't worth the expense and just left them black.
The Hackney Horse breed was developed in the 14th century in Norfolk when the King of England required powerful but attractive horses with an excellent trot, to be used for general purpose riding horses. Since roads were rudimentary in those times, Hackneys were a primary riding horse, riding being the common mode of equine transportation. The trotting horses were more suitable as war horses than amblers with their pacing gaits. As a result, in 1542 King Henry VIII required his wealthy subjects keep a specified number of trotting horse stallions for breeding use.
We always used taxis when we were crossing London, and I really liked the old open luggage racks, and of course the screens stopped the wind and rain blowing in on the driver and the passengers. Every time I'm in London I always see people learning The Knowledge, and it still amazes me that so many people can learn to navigate in London so well. I've worked there in the past, so I know some parts very well, but not necessarily how to get from one area to another, and certainly not all the street names.
Great video Tom so much interesting info, knew some but so much I didn’t, miss the daily shift videos but these new style ones are great too , always look forward to them , cheers buddy, keep safe and well
Great informative video 👌🏻
This was absolutely fascinating. I learnt so much - Thank you Tom!!
Thanks for this Tom
This is such an informative video . . . Great job, thank you.
Absolutely love watching your Content. Inspired me to start the knowledge myself. Keep up the good work 👍🏼
Everyone apart from the police seem to realise we're exempt from wearing seat belts these days.
Great content Tom..
Fascinating--great answers to things I've often wondered about.
That was a really interesting vlog, thank you Tom😊👏
Really interesting and well presented thank you 👍
Genuinely really interesting video!
Great Video again Tom well done 👍
Great video. Very informative and easy to follow. Not really interested in English Cabs, but you made it interesting. Well done thank you.
Mate, these videos are as always really informative and fun to watch. I learned a few new things today, thanks Tom!
Fantastic insight Tom, I'm really enjoying this.
Great video!!! I used to be a driver but I’ve learned some new things watching this 👍
This is such an eye opener thankyou
Very informative video Tom.
Loving the content.
Informative AND entertaining. Thanks.
Airports in the UK use the word Taxi, as in Taxis this way sign, which sends you directly to a massive Private hire company, we in Bristol have pointed this out to the police and council, guess there not interested, and let them carry on
Everyone in the UK calls private hire cars "taxis" to the point where I'm sure most people would be confused if they changed the sign. Besides, most towns don't even have real taxis, only private hire, and they're quite happy that way. The only difference to me is that you're not supposed to hail a private hire car. Accessibility doesn't seem to be a problem as the private hire companies have some accessible cars and you just tell them when you book. Why do we even have a separation between private hire and taxis in this country?
@@eekee6034 It's probably a licensing and insurance thing. Money is often the reason we do (or don't do) most things in this world lol.
@@TalesOfWar There's definitely licensing costs involved. I don't know about insurance but you could very well be right.
@@TalesOfWar Are either background checked? One might suppose a public hire would be checked for priors whereas a private hire might not.
Love the vids so informative and enjoyable thank you Tom if I’m ever in London I’m looking out for you 👍👍
Well said Tom and very interesting thank you 👍
Wow. Very interesting information. Thanks. 👍
Excellent video!! Can you read my brain because I've wanted to know the answers to all those questions for years. Superb stuff
I'm over 60 years old, but I remember very clearly asking why there were so many black cabs when I was a boy and the cabbys said that the Hackney Carriages changed to black for the death of Queen Victoria and continued with the colour because it became cheaper to have just black cabs and because they were far easier to identify from the private vehicles. I also remember seeing new colours starting to appear in the 1960s onwards and this was mainly due to advertising contracts so the cabbies could earn extra.
I also recall the cabs with open front seat areas for luggage strapped in by the driver and the meters with flags. There were cabs with doors that opened in the direction of travel and the opposite way which is conventional today. Back then, every cabbie taking The Knowledge would be seen buzzing around London on scooters with the maps on clipboards attached to the handlebars and if they were nearing the end of their Knowledge, you'd see them in the suburbs and they had to learn them all, not just one area, but all suburbs.
Another thing that made everyone sit up and take notice was when some cabbies showed their prodigious memory by winning Mastermind and other contests. Some of these cabbies became celebrities and others would give you a patter about who they had in the back last week. Not forgetting the famous and the Royalty who also purchased a cab so they could ride across the city incognito, such as the old Duke of Edinburgh or more modern ones like Stephen Fry.
I hate to think what will happen to cabbies when the EVs start to dominate. They won't be able to pick up a fare at Leicester Square and take them to Liverpool as they might have in the past. EVs will be the death of cabbies as we know them. The Government wants to force the public to use public transport and will eventually have fleets of driverless cars wandering the cities as AI controlled Ubers. It would be a crying shame if that happened as a trade that has been around since before the industrial age will die.
You wrote all this just to hide your EV FUD?
Here's another one for you: Don't buy an EV; their battery only lasts 100 yards, then they explode in a big fireball, killing everyone in the same town and you have to buy a new battery that costs 2 million pounds!!!
And, BTW, a typical EV has a range of around 300 to 400 miles, which is more than enough for that 220-mile route.
I've always thought that the tight turning circle of black cabs was to do with being able to turn around quickly to pick up a fare. I remember when you could hail a taxi on the street and there were loads around in central london, so competition between them was pretty high to get fares flagging them on the street. These days of course good luck getting a black cab to stop, they are all pre booked hire these days and it's essentially impossible to hail one on the street now. So maybe it's time to get rid of the tight turning circle requirement.
I hailed one recently. as the orange light was on. If the light is off they are going to a pre determined job.
Wow. I absolutely loved this video. I love interesting facts. The seatbelt info was particularly fascinating and so obvious when you think about it. Thank you, loving your work.
Love this Tom!
That partition is also the saviour of introverted passengers or drivers faced with an extroverted chatty person!
Great video i believe that the turning circle requirements for the london cab were to do with the Savoy hotel and their small roundabout
Thanks for showing the accessibility features, when I go to London I use taxis because it’s easiest way to get round using a wheelchair.
By the way you forgot to mention the hearing loop another access feature
This is a really interesting and informative video! Thank you for showing all of the features of your modern London cab, Tom!
Nice video! Flagfall in Melbourne, Australia is $AUD4.85 Day, $6.85 Overnight and $7.20 Peak.
Thanks, Tom, for another cracking in-depth video. In South Ayrshire, where I work, we have side access taxis, mostly Transits, Vivaros, or Experts, no TXE as they don't have the luggage capability we require for golfers or airport runs. Most have front seats, too. +50% for 6, 7 or 8 though.
We start at 3.80 for 3/4 mile, then 2.70 for full mile (1-5 pax)). There is no knowledge test either, unfortunately (we have a lot of out of area drivers)
Any colour (black until 2001)
Taxi vs PH? I say if it has an orange Taxi sign above the windscreen, it's a taxi if it doesn't? It isn't.
Stay safe out there.!
I love this video! Brilliant! Very interesting. :)
Great video. Learned things I didn't even know that I didn't know. Traditional cabs are something of a hidden national treasure.
Taximeters... As a Cabbie in Yeovil during the 90's I bought my own meter but it had to be calibrated and checked by the local authority.
To do that a council inspector would be in the cab and you had to start from a point on a main road, continue along without going over 50 mph to the end of the road, round the roundabout and do the same back on Rate 2.
Had to be observant when setting off! One of the main roads into Yeovil so could be busy.
There were marker posts for the distances when tariff changed.
This was really interesting. Thank you.
Another great video Tom how ironic there were five Uber adds throughout this video....
Another great vlog
A brilliant video. Thank you.
We love toms vids!
Love this video!
Nice one Tom
Brilliant video 🎉
how very interesting, well explained, many thanks, Paul, Johannesburg
Cool. Really interesting social history, Tom. You know a lot. I can't imagine why passengers wouldn't want to speak with you on a trip!
Interesting stuff.
Did you get approached by yes theory on that massive journey video? Cheers
From Paris very interesting on your side.Many rogue "taxis" at the airports here in Paris Terre d'Envols (Takeoff zone) borough (Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget).
Really interesting- lots of stuff I didn’t know 👍
I lived in London for 7 years and even had a friend whose dad was a taxi driver (yes, the real one), but I did not know most of the things in this video. Very informative and interesting video.
I love this country. It doesn’t matter how old we are there is always something new to learn with fascinating history which always makes sense as why things are the way they are! Thanks for all that information…I knew a small amount!!
Can you do a video on your hybrid cab. Interested in how you fuel it and what you've found best. And switching between electricity and liquid fuel.
In the US, laws are different on how and when you can hail a taxi, depending on the city. Some places won't allow you to hail on the street and you need to pick one up at a taxi stand. Since it is not standard, it is understandable for people to be confused, but really it is no excuse to not do your research before you travel somewhere.
Meanwhile in Singapore you're compelled to board & alight taxis only at taxi stands only when you're downtown (since 2008) so that taxis that've stopped to pick up/drop off passengers don't get in the way of public buses, though this law excludes roads without such buses, otherwise some addresses in more minor roads downtown are up to a 350m walk from the nearest taxi stand!
Tom thank you very much .I enjoyed the whole story of the black cabs.well done mate .loved the horse story .mint .
Hey there Pretty certain that the key seatbelt exemption was for HCs starting and stopping in very short order the safety issue is super important bit as per the Barbara Castle legislation - it was this I believe
Brilliant. Thank you.
Seat belt fact is really interesting
Loving the back to back with its brother, the XC90.
In New York, cab drivers are also exempt from the seatbelt law for the same reason.
So that’s why so many taxi drivers are strangled here in Switzerland. They wore safety belts while driving. 😢
14:08: No hay but Yfood is pretty much the same thing.
I first encountered the trope that it is illegal to shout "TAXI" in London watching Designated Survivor.
Love this video. I new about the seat belt and the law with that.
What’s your take on CCTV being fitted. I no TFL are only allowing approved CCTV installers but the cost of it. It’s just through the roof. What’s your take on it Tom do you think we should all have them fitted
Loved this video Tom. Very educational and interesting....I now know after all these years Hackney Carriage has no connection to the district of East London...
Only used a London cab once. Had to go to Harwich from Stratford because the trains did not run. Had to catch the overnight ferry home. Some motorways were closed too. So that became an interesting high speed race through the countryside. A nice but expensive experience.
The reason London taxis are black isn't because of the reasons stated.
The black cab as we know only dates back to 1948, before which taxis were produced in all different colours.
The then new brand of choice , the Austin FX3, was produced in black as standard, with buyers having to pay extra for different colours.
Owners tended to buy whole fleets at a time and decided it wasn't worth the expense to pay extra
Well presented, you should become a TV presenter, oh, I suppose you already are.
Well done.
Really interestong. I had no idea about the seat belt and taxi drivers😮
Yay - Saturday night viewing!
Even up here in Lincolnshire my Granddad got a whack on the back of the head and robbed driving a Black Cab. Also someone opened his back door when they was moving and fell out. I thought they had banned them doors? The wind rips them open if your moving.
After watching a video on The Knowledge and what it takes, I have great respect for cabbies. I discovered somewhere that taxi-drivers have an 'extended' brain... that part of the cortex that holds The Knowledge is larger than that in the rest of us. Who knew?
Having lived in the Middle East and Mexico, one thing I don't miss in the West is the seemingly endless sounding of horns as cabs approach behind me, touting for custom.
Incidentally, someone reckoned the smallest measurable amount of time is that time between the light turning green and the New York cabbie tooting at you to move.
Great informative and entertaining video, bud. Thanks.
ive never seen a black cab with a passenger door missing like that in my lifeee. and had no idea the vitos had rear wheel steer.
@14:38 according to wikipedia, requirement to carry a bale of hay in a cab was amended in 1976, something like 30 years after horse drawn cabs gave away to motor vehicles. Source: the interwebs. (And it isn't that long since 1980's)
(I've tried London Cab once, and it was somewhat an rush hour. Tight turning radius was obviously useful and the cabbie really did get me where I needed to be quickly and safely.)
Talking about the bale of hay in the boot was the perfect chance to drop in a Y-food segue. “We don’t have hay any more, but we can still feed the operator with a delicious……..”
As somebody who lives over in the United States watching your video. This is some interesting facts about British taxis and really cool things. It's sad they don't integrate this idea into the US taxis. That way it will be really useful, especially with people with disabilities
The United States is decades behind when it comes to people with disabilities. They don't even have laws to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The biggest shock to me of all this is the Heathrow fee. It's a sodding fiver at Manchester Airport!
The smart for four is a small turning circle. Not just the iconic London taxi.
The French manufacturer thing must be an urban myth. Mann & Overton commissioned the FX-series of London Taxis based on Austin chassis and mechanicals with bodies built by coach builder Carbodies, the FX3 was the one mentioned in this video with no door on the baggage compartment. The FX4 ran from 1958 to 1997, but in the 1980s, Austin Rover as it was then known handed everything over to Carbodies, who then produced the entire taxi. They then switched from Land Rover engines to Nissan 2.7-litre power from the Terrano.
Carbodies was bought by Chinese firm Manganese Bronze, itself now part of Geely; but Carbodies is still in existence as LEVC.
Unic a French firm introduced taxis in London in 1906,they had a turning circle of 31 ft.
@24:42 it’s interesting that the word taxi is enshrined in law but a physician associate can call themselves a doctor and get away with it, despite not going to medical school or being an actual doctor
With doctors, the letters after the name may be protected and the practice of medicine definitely is. "Practicing medicine without a licence" is an offence which carries severe penalties.
Would be good to see you doing a shift in a classic cab! Don’t know if this is possible?
who tf would use the belt as a weapon? would need to be the lowest of the low
Who would rob a cab driver? Lowest of the low
Sorry Tom , but you are so wrong about the horses . In about 1729 a Norfolk Trotter stallion and an Arabian stallion contributed to the foundation stock for the modern Hackney Horse. The resulting Norfolk Roadster, as it was known, was a heavily built horse that was used as a work horse by farmers and others. It was also a fast horse with good stamina. In 1883, my ancestors formed the Hackney Horse Society in Norwich.
I didn’t think he said anything wrong. Just put simpler with emphasis on different facts
My understanding of the partition is that it was there for passenger privacy, but also to prevent the can drive catching any diseases that may be going around. Same reason why there is no front seat. I don't know how true this is.
Insightful as always mate! Great video!
When Henry Ford was making the model T he would state. Apparently you can have any colour so long as it is black. Apparently the reason for this with mass production black, was the colour that dried the quickest?
One day we're going to see him on videos at Heathrow telling you how to use London Taxis
Tom, where would I find information on your tours, and the prices.
I’m not offering tours at this time I’m afraid 😧
Hi Tom, Very interesting video. Can you tell me at what stage during the Knowledge drivers would decide they want to obtain a yellow badge and not a green one. Would they not have to learn all the runs in the Blue book.
You decide before, then apply to do the green or yellow badge. The green badge is the all London badge and allows you to ply for hire anywhere in greater London & at Heathrow airport. The yellow badge is suburban badge that allows you to ply for hire in whichever of the 9 outer sectors of greater London you choose to study. You choose first then study the area you will be working in.
@@Cabdrum1 Thanks for that - so all black cab drivers haven’t had to learn all of London that well, only if they want a green badge.
@@johnorchin8567 Yes that’s it. How and why you make that choice is obviously based on your own situation & preferences. But if you are deciding which badge to do based on where the most work and the highest income will be gained then it’s the green badge. That’s the badge you see plying for hire in the central areas of London like the West End, where typically the demand for black cabs is at its greatest.
@@Cabdrum1 Not wishing to take anything away from the suburban drivers, but I think in order to call yourself a true black cab driver, who has done the full knowledge you have to have the coveted green badge.