Learn the Knowledge of London - Transport for London

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Learn the Knowledge of London

As taxis can be hailed in the street and asked to go anywhere, taxi drivers must have a thorough knowledge of London. This is why taxi drivers have to learn and pass the world-famous Knowledge.

The Knowledge

London's taxi service is the best in the world, in part because our cab drivers know the quickest routes through London's complicated road network. There are thousands of streets and landmarks within a 6 mile radius of Charing Cross. Anyone who wants to drive an iconic London cab must memorize them all: the Knowledge of London.

The Knowledge was introduced as a requirement for taxi drivers in 1865.

Mastering the Knowledge typically takes students three to four years; it's a challenge, but plenty of help and support is available if you are determined.

As a taxi driver, you can choose when and where you work and how much you earn. Do you have the pride and passion it takes to become a London cabbie?

Our Knowledge of London prospectus tells you how you can become a London taxi driver.

How to become a London taxi driver - Knowledge of London prospectus

PDF 3.98MB

Watch on YouTube

See what it's like to study the Knowledge - the world's toughest taxi test

Learning the Knowledge

There are 2 different types of London taxi drivers:

All London (green badge) - Drivers can ply for hire anywhere in the Greater London Authority area

Suburban (yellow badge) - Drivers can ply for hire in one of the 9 sectors in the suburbs of the Greater London Authority area

Whichever licence you choose to apply for, you will have to accumulate an encyclopedic knowledge of the streets and places of interest in that area. This will prove you can navigate your way around the capital.

To become a London taxi driver you need to send us an application. Find out about applying for a taxi driver licence.

Following satisfactory character and medical checks, you will be sent a Knowledge of London introductory pack.

In this pack you will be given:

A copy of the guide to learning the Knowledge of London (the Blue Book)

A booklet of advice on how to learn the Knowledge and how you will be assessed

The Blue Book lists 320 routes (known as "runs") within the 6-mile radius of Charing Cross. You will need to learn these routes, plus all the roads and landmarks within a quarter mile radius of the start and end points of each route.

Knowledge of London Initial talk

You will be invited to attend an initial talk with other successful candidates. Here you will receive advice from a Knowledge of London examiner about the different stages of the Knowledge and the best way to approach your studies.

The Knowledge is done in 7 stages, which are outlined here.

Stage 1: Self assessment

To check you're on the right track, within 6 months of starting you can take the self-assessment, which is based on the first 80 runs in the Blue Book. Taking the self-assessment is compulsory and no record of the result is made.

Stage 2: Written examination

When you are ready, you will sit the written examination. You will be tested on your knowledge of the Blue Book runs (5 questions) and the major landmarks ("points") along the way (25 questions). This is a multiple choice test and the pass mark is 60%. This test must be undertaken within 2 years of being sent your introductory pack.

Stages 3-5: Appearances

You will then attend a series of one-to-one oral "appearances" with an examiner. Each appearance usually consists of 4 questions about the shortest route between any 2 points in London. An appearance takes about 20 minutes, and you'll get a score from A-D.

Depending on your score you will accumulate points; when you have enough you will progress to the next stage, when appearances will become more frequent. However, if you get too many Ds, you may be put back to a previous stage.

At Stage 3, appearances are about 56 days apart, at Stage 4 they are about 28 days apart, and at Stage 5 they are about 21 days apart. On average you will have to score on 4 appearances to accumulate enough points to progress to the next stage.

Please note: Knowledge of London verbal assessments (appearances) are being audio recorded on Microsoft Teams for monitoring, training and auditing purposes. We will also refer to recordings when investigating any appeals or complaints. We will retain audio recordings for 3 months. This period for which the audio recordings are retained is considered reasonable to enable us to undertake our statutory and regulatory licensing functions.

Further information on how we process your personal information, is on the Taxi & private hire licensing privacy & cookies page.

Stage 6: Suburban examination

You will need to demonstrate a good working knowledge of London's suburbs by learning an additional 25 routes.

Stage 7: Licence application and pre-licensing talk

Well done! You can make the final...