Taxi Driver Online

Not issued on demand, issued to folks that have done (on average) three years studying the streets.

Or are you happy with a trade that has more people in it over 80 years old than below 30 years old?

_________________
IDFIMH

Terry's not a London cabbie?

Three years studying?
The actual learning process is about one year (full time);the way candidates are tested takes three years.I did the Knowledge in 13 months and I was held back. Another PCO scam, holding back candidates.
I have no doubt some will say thet the longer the the amount of time the Knowledge takes,the better the candidate.
Maybe the PCO can spin testing out to 10 years..

More older than younger drivers.
Always has been the case.No one wants to grow up to be a taxi driver.Most drivers have had previous skills or jobs that have been made redundant and the taxi trade has never had an upper or lower age limit.
I believe the older the driver the more mature they are when dealing with the public.
There are exceptions with many on this forum...

The London Taxi Trade is unique,it is the only industry that recruits during a downturn in business (as we shall see),that's way it's a game not a business.

_________________
Charlton's lost past http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsFKWGlrze0
London's future? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rants.html

Well captain,
36 years ago myself, along with many other drivers done the knowledge in under a year, 11 month in my case.
It wasn't that we were better than they are now (in fact I think the standard has well improved) it was because the appointments were closer together. We got our first appointment one month after signing on.
We did 6-7 monthly's, four 3's and three 2's. Couple of weeks on the suburbs and a drive and that was it.
Its the system that got longer.
I signed on when I was 21 and Findlay said to me, " your too young for this job son its an old mans job".
Mind you we had a fellow at Sid's knowledge school in greyhound road who was 56 and the old git told him he was too old, it was a young mans job.
I really don't know how the knowledge boys do it today it must be painful.

I see youve read some of my other posts then!

Isn't that what you are asking, sort of, the PCO to do in the current climate?

_________________
IDFIMH

thomasthetaxi wrote:-
''Its the system that got longer.''
This is what I said in my post :-''Three years studying?
The actual learning process is about one year (full time);the way candidates are tested takes three years.I did the Knowledge in 13 months and I was held back. Another PCO scam, holding back candidates. ''

Sussex wrote:-
''Isn't that what you are asking, sort of, the PCO to do in the current climate?''
Yes.
Ask those who have high HP on a TX4 or even a TX11,''does London need more drivers?''.
At present the work is not there and the signs are demand will fall for the next 12 months.The trade must cut its' cloth accordingly just like any other industry.It's the simple economics of supply and demand.
The PCO should make candidates aware that a licence will only be issued when there is demand.
When I posted I was held back,it was due to 28 day appointments being available in 36 days and so on.
The Knowledge has become longer due to bad administration not increased studying.

_________________
Charlton's lost past http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsFKWGlrze0
London's future? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rants.html

The knowledge took me 3 years (94-97); 2 years part time and the final year full time.

I'm not so sure that the knowledge could be done in 11 months now, the number of 1 way streets, hotels, clubs as well as the development of areas such as docklands, surrey quays etc means that there is a lot more to learn now than there was perhaps in the 60's or 70's.

Ask many of the day drivers who regularly wait from the Hilton metropole to get into Paddington station if they want to see more drivers getting out and i'm pretty sure i know what the answer would be! The numbers need to be regulated, certainly in times like this where the volume of work is slowly dropping off.

acabbie wrote;-

''I'm not so sure that the knowledge could be done in 11 months now, the number of 1 way streets, hotels, clubs as well as the development of areas such as docklands, Surrey quays etc means that there is a lot more to learn now than there was perhaps in the 60's or 70's. ''

Today many streets have become pedestrianised and are no longer part of the Knowledge.
Another example is entering the City from Upper and Lower Thames Streets
Up to the 1980's every street (St Mary at Hill,Dowgate Hill, Bush Lane etc) was a route into the City and needed to be learned.This is no longer the case.
I agree that the developments in Docklands (that's the Isle of Dogs in old money) and Surrey Quays (Surrey Docks to you and me) have added to the Knowledge.
But how long would it take a person of average intelligence to learn these two areas? Two weeks,maybe a month.

Don't ask drivers on the Hilton Metropole if we need more drivers,ask the drivers on the Paddington rank....if you can find the end!

_________________
Charlton's lost past http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsFKWGlrze0
London's future? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rants.html

[quote-"acabbie"]who regularly wait from the Hilton metropole to get into Paddington station[/quote]

The drivers i'm referring to at the metropole as opposed to being "on" the metropole ARE the drivers waiting for paddington......i've driven past there a couple of times in the last few weeks and both times the queue was almost back to Edgware Road from Padders!! Being a night man i can't honestly see the day when i'll be going back onto days!

You make valid points about some of the roads being closed but that argument works both ways. Where once it was a straight route from point A to point B, now because of closures etc it's a lot more convoluted.

I'm not saying it should take a minimum of 3 years or anything like that but i do feel that to do the knowledge as London is now, in 12 months would not, in my opinion be enough time to learn the blue book, absorb the many points as well as the many number of roads not included in the blue book.

As an aside to the discussion, were candidates able to complete the knowledge in 12 months, then surely we would see an increase in the number of people applying to become Taxi drivers ? I'm sure a good number of PH drivers would give it a go as a great many of them are currently too lazy or too strapped to spend 3 years studying when they can be working and earning. If this was to happen, what do you think would be the result for our trade ? Less PH drivers, more business for us ? Not a chance! The PH companies would find replacement drivers, more cabbies on the roads or ranks and ultimately a big downturn in the volume of work.

The knowledge as well as the trade needs to be managed on a supply/demand basis, we need to know that if a thousand badges are removed from circulation then no more than 1000 badges are given out.......start to give out double that number and you soon find yourself in a situation nit disimilar to cities like Birmingham where the industry is saturated with drivers.........fine and dandy for the council official who no longer has to wait 10 minutes at 10.00pm on a Friday night but not so nice for the driver trying to catch a fare.

Another group of drivers to ask if we need more drivers are those who have HP on an unusable 56 TX4...

_________________
Charlton's lost past http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsFKWGlrze0
London's future? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rants.html

sorry, capt taxi,but there was (is?) a lower age limit to become a cab driver.you had to be 21 years and 9 months before you could apply to go on the knowledge.

What about that young lad who just turned 18 I think, who passed it, it was on the news not long ago

From the TFL website. Age
To be a licensed driver you must be at least 21 years of age. There is no upper age limit, provided you meet the other licensing requirements.



My last post was slightly wrong,sorry it should have been20 years and 9 month`s old.That is was the abstract of laws say`s.

You can 'sign onto' the process from 19, however you won't be licensed until the minimum age has been attained.

In London, that tends to be about 63.