OVER A CUP OF EVENING TEA: THE LONDON CABBIE & THE MYSORE 'RICKKIE'
16th October 2009
By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD
Last week a SOM reader had complained through a letter to the editor that quite a few autorickshaw drivers in Mysore do not know the location of many destinations in and around the city thus causing much hardship to passengers who happen to be strangers to city and who arrive by bus and train. He has even suggested that the RTO authorities and the Traffic Police should have special training programmes and licencing norms for auto drivers where their competence not only to ply or rather ‘fly’ their three wheeled spitfires but also their ability to reach their passengers safely to their correct destinations is certified.
After reading this letter, I could not help wondering how very different things are here from the rules that govern the licencing procedures in London for anyone who aspires to get into the driving seat of the famed London Black Cab. I used the word famed because the gleaming black London taxi which has a distinctive and almost menacing look is one of the most well- known and prestigious taxi services in the world today. Naturally, all those who are licenced to drive one of these cabs are considered to be members of a team of very highly trained and polished brigade envied by thousands who fail to get their badge.
Most outsiders do not know that to become a member of this elite club one must pass a very tough exam known as ‘The Knowledge’ which involves memorizing every street and the location of all public buildings within a six mile radius of Charing Cross railway station. On top of this, they must have a thorough knowledge of London, including the location of streets, squares, clubs, hospitals, hotels, theatres, railway stations, police stations, courts, embassies, important places of worship, cemeteries, parks and open spaces, places of learning, and historic buildings; in fact everything you need to know to be able to take passengers to their destinations by the most direct routes.
An interesting fact about the London Cabbies is that a medical research study has revealed that over the years they acquire a greater development of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is responsible for memorizing geographical locations and acquiring navigation skills. They have to know some 320 specified routes through the city that include all the points of interest within a quarter of a mile of the passenger’s destination.
Grueling test
Apart from being physically and mentally fit, every applicant is the subject of a criminal record check before being issued with a cab driver’s licence. If you have had any convictions you are advised to disclose on your application form all of them including the summonses outstanding against you. Most aspirants for this job in London usually take at least three years to pass this grueling test with an average of ten to twelve appearances, during which time our auto drivers would have already earned their gruel for six years by unlicenced driving!
If you see people on scooters with a clipboard and map attached to the handlebars driving around London, chances are they are doing ‘The Knowledge’ training. It has been found that the knowledge of any London cabbie is better than the virtual information that is embedded in the software of even the best satellite navigation systems. While our ‘auto-pilots’ will turn any one-way street the other way around in broad daylight if there is no Traffic Policeman in sight, you can never bribe a London cabbie into taking one wrong turn in the middle of the night let alone driving the wrong way. A London cabbie never speaks to you unless spoken to and once you get in and tell him where you have to go you will have to talk to him only when you get down.
The London cab is more expensive than the equally famed and well-known London bus or the tube but being a personalised form of transport and thanks to the knowledge of the London Cabbie, it is much quicker. Every cab has to go through a fitness test twice a year for passenger safety and comfort.
London has 24,000 black cabs with more than 40,000 licenced drivers. There, a driver cannot tout for business while here one can whistle and draw your attention and if you happen to be a little hard of hearing he can even pull you by your sleeve and push you into his jalopy if you happen to be going his way!
If it is beginning to seem a little sad that there is a yawning gulf of difference between the London cabbies and our own autorickshaw drivers we need not despair. Thankfully there is one similarity between them: they are usually never stopped by the traffic cops of their respective cities. But again the element of difference sadly creeps in here because the London cops think it is unnecessary and the Mysore cops think it is pointless!
Source; Star Of Mysore Online - starofmysore.com
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