What is the knowledge in London taxi drivers?
What is the knowledge in London taxi drivers? The Knowledge is the test that drivers of London black cabs must pass to show that they know the name and location of every street and the shortest or quickest route to it.
Why do London taxi drivers memorize all the streets of London?
In 1851, following the Great Exhibition when people complained that cab drivers had no idea where they were going, ?the Knowledge? was created?requiring everyone who wanted to drive a taxi to pass a test on the streets of London.
What do London cabbies have to learn?
A taxicab-driver must learn these routes, as well as the points of interest along and within 1/2 mile (0.80 km) of each end of those routes including streets, squares, clubs, hospitals, hotels, theatres, embassies, government and public buildings, railway stations, police stations, courts, diplomatic buildings, ...
How hard is the London taxi exam?
The Knowledge of London test is renowned around the world for being one of, if not the, hardest taxi knowledge test in existence. Often referred to as simply, 'The Knowledge' aspiring London cabbies can expect to spend around 3-4 years of study before being able to pass the test.
Do London cab drivers own their cabs?
Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as mushers and those who have just passed the knowledge are known as butter boys. There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.
Do London taxi drivers know every street?
For all that, you can thank the Knowledge, a 153-year-old system for memorizing every street and landmark in a six square-mile area of central London. The Knowledge requires all cabbies to navigate between any two points in the city entirely from memory.
What does the study with London taxi drivers tell us about the hippocampus and plasticity?
The converging results from these two independent analysis techniques indicate that the professional dependence on navigational skills in licensed London taxi drivers is associated with a relative redistribution of gray matter in the hippocampus.
Is it hard to become a London cab driver?
Getting a Hackney cab licence requires passing a test known as the Knowledge. This has been in place since 1865 and takes 3 to 4 years to pass. Anyone who drives a London cab will have had to memorise 20,000 landmarks and 25,000 streets in the city. This makes becoming a London cab driver a daunting task.
How do black cab drivers learn the Knowledge?
It turns out that to become a Black Cab driver in London applicants need to study for two to four years and during that time memorize an incredible 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks within a 25-mile radius of Charing Cross in London.
What qualities make a good taxi driver?
- to be a confident driver who is able to drive well in any road and weather conditions.
- a helpful, trustworthy and patient manner.
- some number skills, as you'll be dealing with cash a lot.
- to be able to deal with all types of people including the occasional awkward or difficult customer.
How many streets do London taxi drivers memorize?
“Take me from Park Lane to Earl's Court,” a customer might say. And a cab driver in London is required to know the quickest way off by heart. That is because they know the center of the British capital; they'll have committed 320 runs across 25,000 streets, encompassing at least 20,000 landmarks, to memory.