Doing the Knowledge

Posts Tagged ‘The Knowledge’

To become a London taxi driver you need to complete the “knowledge of London” or “The knowledge” as it’s known. The knowledge is designed to help you learn all the routes within a 6 mile radius of Charing Cross. You will need various aids to help you with this and one of the most important things are the blue book runs or “runs”.

There are 320 Runs in the blue book and you are expected to learn all of them. You will also need to learn as many points as possible and there over 30,000 points out there. You will learn all the points slowly as you progress through the knowledge and once you have completed the 320 blue book runs you can spend your time “pointing”.

If you get your set of runs from Here they will have points at the beginning and end of each run so you can spend a little while looking for these points. Once you are well into the runs you will start to see points naturally as you will be going over the same streets time and again.

A lot of people will find doing the knowledge very daunting but once you get into it you will find it gets easier and easier. Another way to help you is to get as many lists of points, buildings, clubs, theatres etc. as possible. The more information you have at hand the easier you will find doing the knowledge.

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Doing the knowledge can be doesn’t have to be complicated, that is, as long as you can work your way through all 320 runs. A run is simply a pre-charted route from one place to another. Say you picked up a customer at Upper Trollington Park. Depending on his or her destination, you’d use one of the runs you learned to get them there. Using a map, the knowledge is laid out and listed by number.

In order to become a licensed cab driver in London, you’ll need to know all 320 runs forwards and back. The beginning and end of each destination is referred to as a point. There are literally thousands of points and they can begin along any route. Start off by choosing a random point in London and then finding the corresponding route to any said destination. If you do this in conjunction with learning the runs, it will be easier for you to be able to pick from the assortment of possible ending points.

Taxi Knowledge Blue Book Runs

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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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.