Doing the Knowledge

Archive for the ‘The Knowledge’ Category

You may or may not already be familiar with the term doing the knowledge, but it is the basis of how all London cabbies operate. In order to become a professional licensed knowledge, you’ll have to prove that you know your stuff. While knowing all of the street names and routes in London will be a big part of your test, you will also be graded on areas that you can’t necessarily study for. First, to be a cabbie you’ll need to be at least 21 years of age.

Another reason that the minimum age requirement is a factor is because all applicants will need to have held a suitable DLVA for at least three years. Secondly, you must not have an extensive criminal record or any questionable associations as you will also be judged on character. A medical examination will be conducted to ensure that all approved licensees are able to operate their cabs without endangering their customers. Your overall driving abilities will be evaluated in the form of an on-site cab driving assessment. Lastly, you will be tested on your route finding abilities, which will hopefully have been perfected as you have studied the knowledge.

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So you want to become a London Taxi Driver?, well the most important tool you will need are the Blue Book Runs. What are blue book runs?, when you apply to the Public Carriage Office or P.C.O you will be invited along for a “talk” this is to let you know what is involved with doing the knowledge and also what you can expect from the PCO and what they expect from you. You will then be given a little blue book with a list of the runs. The runs are simply a list of points and you will have to go from point A to point B in the shortest route possible.
When you receive your blue book it will just list the points and not the actual runs for this you will need to buy the runs. So for example the blue book will have Manor House to Gibson Square, you are then expected to find the shortest route and then “run” that route. Now the idea is that you get a laminated map and then find the best route on the map but the problem is the route you pick on the map will not usually work in practice because of road changes, one way streets etc etc. This can be boring and very time consuming, so what to do?…simple you buy a set or blue book runs that are already set out and the way you should call the run. OK lets look at a run, we’ll use Manor House to Gibson Square as the example here:

L ON L    GREEN LANES
R    BROWNSWOOD ROAD
L    BLACKSTOCK ROAD
F    HIGHBURY PARK
F    HIGHBURY GROVE
R    ST PAULS ROAD
L    COMPTON ROAD
R    CANONBURY PLACE
F    CANONBURY SQUARE
F    CANONBURY LANE
F    ISLINGTON PARK STREET
L    COLLEGE CROSS
R    BARNSBURY STREET
L    MILNER SQUARE
F    MILNER PLACE

GIBSON SQUARE FACING

So that is how you would run it and also how you would call it over, as you can see it would take a long time to find the quickest route for the complete 320 blue book runs. When you buy the 320 runs they will also have points of interest at the beginning and end, these are buildings, statues, clubs, restaurants etc that you will also need to learn. The points on the runs are there so you can have a quick look for them when you start and finish the runs. Once you have completed the 320 blue book runs you will then spent most of your time “pointing” this is simply going out and learning as many points as you can.

A lot of places sell the runs for £60 and up and most will supply them on paper, this is OK but they will get ruined very quickly so the best solution is to get the runs in digital form. The beauty of this is you can print out runs as you need them, make any changes when you are out and then update them when you get home so you have a fresh run the next time you go out. You can get a full list of the complete 320 runs Here and they are ready for download instantly so no waiting for a CD or a book with the runs on, simply download and start learning.
You can get all the runs plus much more and save yourself 38% off the list price when you buy the Complete Pack. The complete pack contains all you need to get through the knowledge, there are the 320 runs plus a list of over 30,000 points as well as restaurants, blue plaques, embassies, theatres, police stations and memorials, statues, squares, museums and over 30 blank maps. You can get all this for less than you will pay for just the runs Click Here to get all of the above right now before the sale ends.

If you are planning on becoming a licensed London driver, you’ll have to first decide on which category of service you wish to provide. Basically, you will need to decide on whether you want to be a private hire driver or to operate a taxicab. Either way, doing the knowledge will be necessary to get familiar with the numerous routes you will be driving as well as to get approved for a license.

If you get overwhelmed at the sheer amount of area that needs to be covered, try first applying for a Suburban license. With a suburban license, you will be restricted to driving in one of the nine outer area boroughs, but you can test for more sectors one at a time. By contrast, an All-London license will allow you to drive all over London, but the test will be much more encompassing. Studying the knowledge, gaining familiarity with street names and borough will give you a greater chance of success.