Taxi Driver Online

Black cabs could vanish from London, report warns

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj67pw19yjzo

The black cab will vanish from the capital's streets by 2045 if something is not done to reverse decline in the trade, according to a report.

The study, by think tank Centre for London, said measures including simplifying the Knowledge , external- the memorisation of the roads in the city - would "reflect the reality of modern taxi operations".

TfL said it would soon be publishing a new Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan "to ensure black cabs continue to play a vital role in the capital's transport system".

Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) said the report was a "worst case scenario prediction", and said he hoped it was preventable by TfL.

Centre for London suggests Transport for London (TfL) should make the exam less complex, simpler to study and easier to complete.

"The course duration should reduce as a result of removing outdated and unnecessary aspects of the Knowledge," the report said.

Mr McNamara of the LTDA said: "The knowledge is needed to keep a gold standard, we still need to be the best in the world, but the testing itself needs to be modernised."

He suggested the exam became digitised, and broken down into modules, to make it more manageable.

He added: "It's still relevant and important to know where you're going. There's no comparison with a sat nav."

But Mr McNamara said the process had not been updated since the second World War, and "in that time the world has changed massively".

The Centre for London report also suggests a number of financial benefits to the trade be introduced, including interest-free loans to help new drivers buy cabs.

Mr McNamara said taxis currently cost £75,000, but this increases to £100,000 when bought on finance. He agreed with the report and called for a system similar to Scotland, where taxis can be purchased through interest-free loans.

The report also recommends establishing a 10-year strategy to recruit and retain drivers, as well as finding better ways to share information and data.

It notes that "London's Black Cab trade has declined dramatically over the past decade", with the Covid 19 pandemic "accelerating the rate of decline".

Figures show that more than a quarter of all black cabs on the roads before the pandemic are no longer in operation.

The report says the taxi trade should be "supported to thrive and continue the key public service it provides".

A TfL spokesperson said: "We recognise that black cabs play a vital role in the capital's transport system.

"We will soon be publishing a new Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan to ensure they continue to play a role in ensuring Londoners can move around the capital safely, sustainably and efficiently.

They added: "TfL has already provided more than £50m in funding to the taxi trade across a range of initiatives to encourage taxi vehicle owners to retire their older, more polluting vehicles and encourage the uptake of clearer, greener vehicles.

"As a result, we are very proud that more than 60 per cent of the taxi fleet is now zero-emission capable and the fleet will be part of our transport system for the foreseeable future."

Iconic

Mr McNamara said: "What we're hoping with this report is that the Mayor recognises this is where we'll be without action, and we're hoping he'll take action before any of this happens."

He called on the Mayor to recognise black cabs as part of London's public transport system, and asked for more freedom to travel around London.

"If we can't access the roads – then it's not cost affective for our journeys," he said.

He pointed to the exclusion of black cabs from certain roads in London, and the problems caused by Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs).

"This report says we are iconic in London, it's true," he added.

"The phone boxes are gone, the police officers are gone, it's just us and the buses left. But the Mayor needs to recognise us as more than just an icon.

"Driving a cab around London is still a great career – people can earn a lot of money.

"Let's confine this report to the annals of history."

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IDFIMH

Khans priorities would have to shift a loooooooooong way for that to happen !

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

The answer will be to make it easier to pass the knowledge.

Of course that will go down like a lead balloon with the existing trade, but in 2025 how many people want to spend two years plus doing a memory test?

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IDFIMH

Not much here other than that the Knowledge is to be made easier.

But Steve McNamara is probably bang on about the 'platitudes' and meaningless buzzwords, but I doubt if any of us on here can really understand the nitty gritty from afar


'The Knowledge' to be made easier in bid to safeguard London's beleaguered black taxi trade

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/the ... r-AA1BLbYs

Changes are to be made to the “Knowledge” test taken by London black cab drivers in a bid to preserve the long-term future of the taxi trade.

This is one of a series of 14 pledges in a new action plan from Transport for London that sets out how it will support the taxi and minicab industry over the next five years.

It comes after the Centre for London thinktank warned that black taxis could become extinct in within 20 years if cabbies continue to leave the trade at the current rates.

There is also concern at the continued rise in black cab fares, which many believe will simply encourage Londoners to travel by Uber or other smartphone minicab apps. Fares will rise by an average of almost 7.5 per cent from April.

The “Knowledge” is part of the application process to become a licensed taxi driver and requires applicants to memorise thousands of roads and routes within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross, including key destinations such as hospitals, theatres and nightclubs.

It can take up to three years to learn.

Under the plan, drivers will be offered improved training, including online courses that include safety advice, conflict management and customer skills.

But the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, the main organisation for London cabbies, branded the action plan a “missed opportunity”.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the LTDA, said: “It’s filled with platitudes about the importance of licensed taxis and recognises the serious challenges we face, yet it sets out no real plans to actually address those challenges.

“Despite the problems the industry is facing being repeatedly reiterated to TfL and the Mayor, instead of actions, what we see are the same hollow promises to ‘work with us’, ‘consult’, ‘encourage’ and ‘lobby’ for things the government has already made up its mind on, with no concrete action to support hard working taxi drivers.

“It’s very clear to us that London’s licensed taxi drivers are in this alone and it’s being left down to us to ensure the longevity of London’s iconic black cabs and the vital service they provide.”

TfL now publishes a list of 6,000 “points of interest” that may come up in the Knowledge exam.

In addition it “continues to discuss options” with taxi trade representatives about the use of technology and for further changes to modernise the assessment process.

Asked about the changes to the Knowledge, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said last month: “Examiners will only ever ask points that are on this list.

“This is a part of TfL’s ongoing efforts to make sure that the Knowledge process remains fair and transparent whilst ensuring it maintains the Gold Standard.

“TfL is also in the process of updating the Guide to Learning the Knowledge of London for candidates (also known as the ‘Blue Book’) to reflect these changes, and will continue to work with Knowledge schools to provide support to prospective taxi drivers.”

Since TfL’s first action plan was published in 2016, the number of taxis and licensed taxi drivers has fallen dramatically, while the number of mincab drivers has soared to about 108,000.

There are currently 14,470 licensed taxis in London – down more than a third on the 22,810 in 2013/14 - while the number of drivers has fallen below 17,000.

The action plan also proposes allowing taxis to use bus lanes “wherever possible”, including on borough roads.

The location of taxi ranks will be reviewed and Government will be asked to continue the plug-in taxi grant, which subsidises the cost of an electric taxi.

Christina Calderato, TfL's director of strategy, said: “London’s taxi trade and private hire industry are crucial to the success of the capital’s transport network.

“The actions set out in this new plan will enable us to attract taxi drivers from all backgrounds, ensure passengers’ and drivers’ safety, ensure consistently high standards and continue to reduce the environmental impact of taxis and private hire vehicles.

“We’ll continue to work closely with the taxi trade and private hire industry and our partners to ensure that London has safe, accessible and green taxi and private hire services, recognised across the world.”