Taxis of the United Kingdom

"The Knowledge" redirects here. For other uses, see The Knowledge (disambiguation).

Main article: Taxicabs around the world

Taxicabs are regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous both with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: "Little however is known about the regulation by anyone outside the trade. The Public Carriage Office, who regulate and license taxis and private hire (commonly known as minicabs) was transferred from the Metropolitan Police to become part of Transport for London in 2000."

London Black Cab

Types of taxicabs

• Hackney carriages ('Black cabs') can be flagged-down in the street or hired from a taxicab rank.

• Private hire ('Minicabs') are passenger vehicles which are either saloons that carry up to four passengers or MPVs that are licensed for up to six or seven passengers. These cannot be hailed in the street and must be pre-booked.

• Chauffeur cars are a sub-set of private hire; generally a higher value of car such as a Mercedes or Jaguar where the passenger pays a premium but in return receives a higher level of comfort and courtesy from the driver who may at times wear a uniform.

Hackney carriages ('Black cabs')

Only black cabs can pick up passengers on the street, and both black cabs and minicabs are also radio- or computer-dispatched. Black cabs, also known as hackney carriages or hackney cabs, are particularly famous on account of the specially constructed vehicles and the extensive training course (The Knowledge) required for fully licensed drivers; unlike many other cities, the number of taxicab drivers in London is not limited. London's cab drivers are even well-known for having developed an especially big hippocampus, a region of the brain where, among other things, information about locations is stored.

Private hire ('Minicabs')

UK minicab with company name and telephone number on each side

In the UK, the term minicab is used to refer to a private hire car; that is a car with a driver available for hire only on a pre-booked basis. A minicab may be pre-booked, for example, by telephone, internet, or fax; or in person at the registered minicab office. You can book at the time that you need the minicab but only with the company registered to accept bookings and not directly with the driver.

Since 2001 minicabs have been regulated in London and most other local authorities. London minicabs are now licensed by the Public Carriage Office, the same body that regulates London black taxicabs. All vehicles available for hire by London minicab drivers must also hold a Public Carriage Office licence showing that they are fit for purpose. This is updated twice a year after an inspection at a licensed garage.

Glasgow and Edinburgh

Taxicab rank outside Liverpool Lime Street railway station

In Glasgow and Edinburgh there are numerous specially decorated taxicabs that are often covered with advertisements. One of the most abundant advertisements is for the Scottish soft drink, Irn-Bru. The taxicabs are usually in the style of the regular black cab type, but are decorated in different colours and patterns.

Leeds

In Leeds hackney carriage taxicabs, but not private hire, are painted in white with black bumpers, a black bonnet and a black boot/hatch.

Luton

Luton is reported to have the highest number of taxicabs per head of population in the United Kingdom.

London

History

Horse-drawn hackney carriages began providing taxicab service in the early 17th century. In 1636, the number of carriages was set at 50 - an early example of taxicab regulation. In the same year, the owner of four hackney carriages established the first taxicab stand in The Strand. In the early 19th century, cabriolets (cabs for short) replaced the heavier and more cumbersome hackney carriages. Battery-operated taxis appeared briefly at the end of the 19th century, but the modern taxicab service took off with the appearance of petrol-powered, taxis in 1903. In 1907 meters were first introduced to calculate the fare and were set at 8d for the first mile. Today, taxicab service in London is provided by the famous black cabs (the distinctive FX4 depicted in the photo above) and by minicabs.

The Knowledge

The taxicab driver is required to be able to decide routes immediately in response to a passenger's request or traffic conditions, rather than stopping to look at a map or ask a controller by radio. Consequently, The Knowledge is the in-depth study of London street routes and places of interest that taxicab-drivers in that city must complete to obtain a licence to operate a black cab. It was initiated in 1865, and has changed little since.

It is the world's most demanding training course for taxicab-drivers; and applicants will usually need at least 12 'Appearances' (attempts at the final test), after preparation averaging 34 months, to pass the examination.

Course details

The 320 main (standard) routes, or 'runs', through central London of The Knowledge are contained within the 'Blue Book' (officially known as the 'Guide to Learning the Knowledge of London'), produced by the Public Carriage Office which regulates licensed taxis in London. In all some 25,000 streets within a six mile radius of Charing Cross are covered along with the major arterial routes through the rest of London.

A taxicab-driver must learn these, as well as the 'points of interest' along those routes including streets, squares, clubs, hospitals, hotels, theatres, government and public buildings, railway stations, police stations, courts, diplomatic buildings, important places of worship, cemeteries, crematoria, parks and open spaces, sports and leisure centres, places of learning, restaurants and historic buildings.

The Knowledge includes such details as the order of theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue, or the names and order of the side streets and traffic signals passed on a route.

There are separate shorter courses, for suburban London, with 30 to 50 'runs' depending on the sector.

"Knowledge boys"

During training would-be cabbies usually follow these routes around London on a moped, and can be identified by the map holder fixed to the front of the bike, which earns them the name knowledge boys (or girls). In order to pass The Knowledge applicants must have a clean driving licence and no criminal record, then first pass a written test; which qualifies them to make an 'appearance'. At appearances, knowledge boys must, without looking at a map, identify the quickest and most sensible route between any two points in metropolitan London that their examiner chooses. For each route the applicants must recite the names of the roads used, when they cross junctions, use roundabouts, make turns, and what is 'alongside' them at each point.

In research, film and literature

A humorous 1979 film about this learning experience, called The Knowledge, was written by Jack Rosenthal for ITV, and was in 2000 voted number 83 in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute.

Knowledge Boys/Girls and their online learning communities have recently been the subject of academic research, including a Ph.D. dissertation by Drew A. R. Ross at Oxford University.

There is evidence that training for The Knowledge can result in measurable physical changes in the brain of a trainee cab driver; as reported by BBC News and Scientific American Frontiers.

The Knowledge, its "Runs", and to a certain extent the role of the PCO, form the basis for a future religion in the author Will Self's "The Book Of Dave".

Public Carriage Office

The Public Carriage Office (PCO) is the body responsible for licensing taxicabs within Greater London. The PCO is part of Transport for London and is responsible for licensing the familiar London taxicab or "black cab" and also licenses private hire or minicab services. Since 30 March 2007 the actual processing of licences has been outsourced to a private company called SGS.

History

PCO licence plate, as seen on the back of all licenced hackney carriages (September 2006)

Since 1600 public carriages for hire have been a feature of London life. The discarded coaches of aristocratic families, complete with their coat of arms, were among the first hackney carriages to ply for hire. They were the forerunners of the French hackney carriage or cab (cabriolet) which first appeared in London around 1820.

The first horseless cab, the Bersey electric powered vehicle, appeared in 1897, followed by the first internal combustion engine cab in 1903. At that time London still had more than 11,000 horse drawn cabs. The last horse drawn cab was removed from service in 1947. There are now over 20,000 licensed vehicles on London's roads.

Regulation of the trade passed to the Metropolitan Police in 1850 and was undertaken by the Public Carriage Office, which was originally located in an annex to New Scotland Yard in Whitehall called "the Bungalow". It moved to 109 Lambeth Road in 1919, remaining there until 1966, when it moved to its present home, 15 Penton Street, Islington.

Present role

On the formation of Transport for London on 3 July 2000, the licensing authority changed, however the day to day licensing function remained with the Public Carriage Office.

With the introduction of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 the role of the PCO has extended to include the licensing of private hire operators, drivers and vehicles, bringing the capital in line with the rest of England and Wales. The purpose of regulation is to give passengers confidence, when they use a licensed private hire operator, that they are dealing with an honest, professional organisation with reliable drivers and safe vehicles.

Implementation of the legislation has been phased, with operator licensing near completion and driver licensing at the end of a consultation process. Over 2,000 operators have applied and It is estimated that there are about 40,000 drivers and a similar number of vehicles.

To cope with the additional volume a new integrated taxicab and private hire information technology system (TAPITS) has been developed. Alongside this, are plans to develop a computer-based Knowledge of London testing system that will interface with the proposed integrated system.

In November 2005, in the report Where to, Guv’?, the London Assembly's Transport Committee reported on a review of the Public Carriage Office and made some key recommendations.

Cabmen's Shelter Fund

London Cabmen's Shelter in Warwick Avenue

London Cabmen's Shelter in Russell Square

The Cabmen's Shelter Fund was established in London in 1875 to run shelters for the drivers of hansom cabs and later hackney carriages (taxicabs).

By law, cab drivers could not leave the cab stand while their cab was parked there. This made it very difficult for them to obtain hot meals and could be unpleasant in bad weather. If they drove to a pub to buy food then they would have to pay somebody to look after their cab while they were inside, otherwise it was likely to be stolen. The Earl of Shaftesbury and other worthies therefore took it upon themselves to set up a charity to construct and run shelters at major cab stands.

These shelters were small green huts, which were not allowed to be larger than a horse and cart, as they stood on the public highway. Between 1875 and 1914, 61 of these buildings were built around London. Most were staffed by an attendant who sold food and (non-alcoholic) drink to the cabbies and were provided with a kitchen in which the attendant could cook this food and also food provided by the cabbies themselves. The attendant was not generally paid, but was expected to make an income from these sales. The shelters were also provided with seats and tables and books and newspapers, most of them donated by the publishers or other benefactors. Most could accommodate ten to thirteen men. Gambling, drinking and swearing were strictly forbidden.

Thirteen of the shelters still exist and are still run by the Cabmen's Shelter Fund. All are now Grade II listed buildings. They are located at:

• Chelsea Embankment SW3 - close to junction with Albert Bridge
• Embankment Place WC2 - close to the Players Theatre
• Grosvenor Gardens SW1 - to the west side of the north gardens
• Hanover Square, London W1 - on the north side of the central gardens
• Kensington Park Road W11 - outside numbers 8-10
• Kensington Road W8 - close to the junction of Queens Gate SW7
• Pont Street SW1 - close to the junction of Sloane Avenue
• Russell Square WC1 - Western Corner (relocated to here from Leicester Square)
• St George's Square, Pimlico SW1 - on the north side
• Temple Place WC2 - opposite side of the road from the Swissötel Howard
• Thurloe Place, Kensington SW7 - in the middle of the road opposite the Victoria & Albert Museum
• Warwick Avenue W9 - centre of the road, by Warwick Avenue tube station
• Wellington Place NW8 - handy for Lords Cricket Ground

External links

• Transport for London's Public Carriage Office Website. The PCO section of this article is a modified version of their webpages and was made with their permission
• Department For Transport:London minicab regulation
• PCO Office Check
• London hackney coach regulations, 1819