Taxis of the United Kingdom

Taxicab rank with "black cabs" outsideLiverpool Lime Street railway station

Taxicabsare regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: "Little however is known about the regulation by anyone outside the trade. ThePublic Carriage Office(PCO), which regulates and licenses taxis and private hire (commonly known as minicabs) was transferred from theMetropolitan Policeto become part ofTransport for Londonin 2000. "In 2015, there were around 298,000 licensed drivers in England, of which 164,000 were private hire licences, 62,000 were taxi licences and 72,000 were dual licences.

Types of cab

• Hackney carriages(taxis) can be flagged down on the street or hired from a taxi rank.
• Private hire vehicles ('minicabs') are passenger vehicles which can be either a 4-doorsaloon/5-doorhatchback/estate car,carrying up to four passengers, orMPVswhich are licensed to carry between 5 and 8 passengers. These cannot be hailed on the street.
  • Chauffeur cars are a sub-set of private hire; generally a higher-value car such as a Mercedes-Benz or a Jaguar where the passenger pays a premium fare, but in return receives a higher level of comfort and courtesy from the driver, some of whom wear a uniform.

Hackney carriages

Main article:Hackney carriage

Only licensed hackney carriages can pick up passengers on the street and without pre-booking. London's traditionalblack cabs(so-called, despite now being of various colours and advertising designs) are specially constructed vehicles designed to conform to the standards set out in theConditions of Fitness.London taxi drivers are licensed and must have passed an extensive training course (the Knowledge). Unlike many other cities, the number of taxicab drivers in London is not limited. For many years purpose-designed vehicles were used, but from about 2008 specially adapted "people carrier"vehicles have also been used.

There have been many models over the years.The space beside the driver's seat can be used for luggage, although there is much luggage room in the passenger compartment. For improved manoeuvrability, theturning circleis smaller than other vehicles of similar size (a black cab is said to be able to "turn on a sixpence" ). The cab seats three people on the back seat, and two more in backwards-facing "jump seats". There is good headroom, to facilitate entry to and exit from the vehicle. A ramp for access by disabled people is fitted.

Private hire (minicabs)

"Minicab" redirects here. For the Kei truck, seeMitsubishi Minicab.

AFord MondeoUK private minicab with company name and telephone number on each side

In London the termminicabis used to refer to a private hire car and "private hire" is used in the rest of the United Kingdom; that is a car with a driver available for hire only on a pre-booked basis. They began operating in the 1960s in competition with hackney carriages after a loophole in the law was spotted (although in some areas it is possible to hold a dual hackney/private hire licence). A minicab must be booked, for example, by telephone, internet, or fax, or in person at the registered minicab office. A minicab can be booked at the time it is required, but only at the office of a company registered to accept bookings rather than directly with a driver.

Since 2001 minicabs have been subject to regulation inLondonand most otherlocal authorities.London minicabs are now licensed by TFL (London Taxis and Private Hire), or TFLTPH, formerly known as the Public Carriage Office. This is the same body that now regulates London's licensed taxicabs, but minicab drivers do not have to complete The Knowledge, and although they must undergo a small "topographical test" in order to obtain a Private Hire Driver's Licence, they generally rely onsatnavsor local knowledge to take them to the pick up and destination. All vehicles available for pre-booking by London minicab drivers must hold a private hire vehicle (PHV) licence showing that the vehicles are fit for purpose; this is updated withMOT teststwice a year after an inspection at a licensed garage. In London, new applicants must send their Topographical Test Certificate along with their application to the PH Driver Licensing Section of the TFLTPH.

London

ALTI TX4black cab atHeathrow AirportTerminal 5

Greater London,a metropolitan area with a population of about 8 million, has nogrid planlaying out streets either parallel or at right angles to each other; thus the streets of London follow complex patterns.

History

Horse-drawnhackney carriagesbegan providing taxicab service in the early 17th century. In 1636 the number of carriages was set at 50, an early example of taxicab regulation. In the same year, the owner of four hackney carriages established the firsttaxicab standinThe Strand.After 1662 hackneys were regulated by theCommissioners of Scotland Yard.In the early 19th centurycabriolets(cabsfor short) replaced the heavier and more cumbersome hackney carriages. Battery-operated taxis appeared briefly at the end of the 19th century, but the modern taxicab service took off with the appearance of petrol-powered taxis in 1903. In 1907 meters were first introduced to calculate the fare and were set at 8d (8 pence) for the first mile.

Today, taxicab service in London is regulated byTransport for London's strictConditions of Fitness,mandating size, turning radius, age, and emissions, resulting in unique vehicles built primarily for the London market such as theLEVCand theMercedes Vitoseen today.

The Knowledge of London

"The Knowledge" redirects here. For other uses, seeThe Knowledge (disambiguation).

The London taxicab driver is required to be able to decide routes immediately in response to a passenger's request or traffic conditions, rather than stopping to look at a map, relying onsatellite navigationor asking a controller by radio. Consequently, the "Knowledge of London" is the in-depth study of a number of pre-setLondonstreet routes and all places of interest thattaxicabdrivers in that city must complete to obtain a licence to operate ablack cab.It was initiated in 1865, and has changed little since.

It is the world's most demanding training course for taxicab drivers, and applicants will usually need to pass at least twelve "appearances" (periodical one-on-one oral examinations undertaken throughout the qualification process), with the whole process averaging 34 months to pass.

Course details

Three hundred and twenty standard routes throughcentral London,or "runs", are defined in theGuide to Learning the Knowledge of London,which is produced by thePublic Carriage Office.In all, some 25,000 streets within a six-mileradius ofCharing Crossare covered, along with the major arterial routes through the rest of London.

A taxicab-driver must learn these routes, as well as the "points of interest"along and within1⁄2mile (0.80 km) of each end of those routes including streets, squares, clubs,hospitals,hotels,theatres,embassies, government and public buildings,railway stations,police stations, courts, diplomatic buildings, important places of worship, cemeteries, crematoria, parks and open spaces, sports and leisure centres, places of learning, restaurants and historic buildings.

The Knowledge includes details such as the order of theatres onShaftesbury Avenue,and the names and order of the side streets and traffic signals passed on a route.

There are a number of Knowledge Schools that provide books, maps and classroom tuition which help Knowledge students to learn the 320 runs and points of interest.There are separate, shorter courses for suburban London, with 30 to 50 runs, depending on the sector.

"Knowledge boys/girls"

"Knowledge boy" on aHonda Innova ANF125.

During training, would-be cabbies, known asKnowledge boysorKnowledge girls,usually follow these routes around London on amotor scooter,and can be identified by the clipboard fixed to the handlebars and showing details of the streets to be learned that day.

Taxi-driver applicants must be 'of good character', meeting strict requirements regarding anycriminal record,then first pass a written test which qualifies them to make an "appearance". At appearances, Knowledge boys and girls must, without looking at a map, identify the two points of interest in metropolitan London that their examiner chooses and then choose the shortest and most sensible route from one to the other. For each route, the applicants must recite the names of the roads used, when they cross junctions, use roundabouts, make turns, and what is 'alongside' them at each point.

Academic research

Knowledge boys/girls and their online learning communities have been the subject of academic research, including a PhD dissertation by Drew Ross atOxford University.

There is evidence that training for the Knowledge can measurably alter thehippocampusof trainee cab drivers. The hippocampus is the area of the brain used for spatial memory and navigation, and is generally larger in taxi drivers than in the general population.

Film and literature

A humorous 1979television filmabout this learning experience, calledThe Knowledge,was written byJack RosenthalforEuston Films,and was in 2000 voted number 83 in a list of the100 Greatest British Television Programmescompiled by theBritish Film Institute.

In theUp Seriesdocumentary films, Tony Walker is seen on his motor scooter learning "The Knowledge" before becoming a cab driver. Later, his wife Debbie joins him after qualifying herself.

In theChas—The Knowledgeminiseries, which was a spin-off from the comic bookHellblazer,Chas Chandler's job as a taxi driver is the basis for various plot elements of the series.

The Knowledge, its runs, and to a certain extent the role of the PCO, form the basis for a future religion inWill Self'sThe Book of Dave.

TfL Taxi and Private Hire office

Taxis and private hire driver licences in London from 2010 to 2022

The Taxi and Private Hire office is the body responsible forlicensingtaxicabswithinGreater London.Taxi and Private Hire is part ofTransport for Londonand is responsible for licensing the familiarLondon taxicabor "black cab" and also licenses private hire or minicab services. "Black cabs" were traditionally coloured black, but this is not a requirement and cabs are painted in other colours, sometimes bearing advertising; however they are traditionally called black cabs to distinguish them from minicabs.

History

Cabs gathered around the Public Carriage Office's home from 1850 to 1919 (right), located beside the originalScotland Yard(left, with clock).

Since 1600 public carriages for hire have been a feature ofLondonlife. The discardedcoachesof aristocratic families, complete with theircoat of arms,were among the first hackney carriages to ply for hire. They were the forerunners of theFrenchhackney carriageor cab (cabriolet) which first appeared in London around 1820.

The first horseless cab, the Bersey electric-powered vehicle, appeared in 1897, followed by the first internal combustion engine cab in 1903. At that time London still had more than 11,000 horse-drawn cabs.The last horse-drawn cab was removed from service in 1947.As of July 2019, there are over 21,000 licensed vehicles on London's roads.

Regulation of the trade passed to the Registrar of Metropolitan Public Carriages (better known as the Public Carriage Office), formed by theHackney Carriages, Metropolis Act 1838and transferred to theMetropolitan Policein 1850. It was originally based in a small building called "the Bungalow"near the original site ofScotland Yardat the north end ofWhitehall,remaining there even when the Yard moved to theNorman Shaw Buildingsin 1890. It moved to 109 Lambeth Road in 1919, remaining there until 1966, when it moved to 15 Penton Street, Islington. In 2010 it moved again to the Palestra Building at 197 Blackfriars Road, Southwark.

Present role

right~PCO licence plate, as seen on the back of all licensed hackney carriages(September 2006)

On the formation of Transport for London on 3 July 2000, the licensing authority changed; however, the day-to-day licensing function remained with the Public Carriage Office.

With the introduction of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 the role of the PCO has been expanded to include the licensing of private hire operators, drivers and vehicles, bringing the capital into line with the rest of England and Wales.

In November 2005, in the reportWhere to, Guv?,the London Assembly's Transport Committee reported on a review of the Public Carriage Office and made some key recommendations.

Pedicabs (London) Act 2024

The Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 was passed giving TfL the power to regulate pedicabs within guidance published by theSecretary of State for Transport.

Elsewhere

Hackney carriages in Leeds are white with black bumpers and bonnets

Outside London, taxis are licensed by the local authority,and in many places are required to be painted a certain colour.Most major cities predominantly use London taxis, again traditionally black but this is not always mandatory. Smaller towns and rural areas allow more varieties of passenger cars, which may require taxis to be painted in a particular livery as a licence condition. A distinctive livery helps improve identification, which in turn improves passenger safety and accessibility, as well as provide a more professional service and create and promote a local identity with taxis a common sight around town.Many towns use two-colour schemes, such as white vehicles with another specific colour on the bonnet and tailgate. The seaside city ofBrightonuses white with an aquamarine colour,Windsor,home to the King's residence atWindsor Castle,uses white with royal purple on the bonnet and tailgate,and in theEast Riding of Yorkshirewhite with green andYorkshire rosemarkings.Basildontaxis display white with orange bonnet and tailgate,Leedswhite with black,Cardiffblack with white,andWest SuffolkandMiddlesbroughblack with yellow.Bradfordare all white with a green diagonal stripe on the front side doors.St Albansare all white with a yellow stripe running the full length of the side,and inBournemouththey are pale yellow with a white stripe.Single colour schemes include blue inBristol,teal inGuildford,and silver inPortsmouth,whilst white is used widely including inSouthampton,SunderlandandScarborough.InHartlepoolandDerbytaxis are yellow, but both local authorities considered changing the livery in 2019 to reduce costs whilst still allowing taxis to be easily identified. Hartlepool proposed a two-colour scheme with a standard manufacturer colour such as white, silver or black as a base, and retain yellow only on the bonnet and boot, but abandoned plans after a consultation.Derby plans to change to black with a yellow diagonal stripe on each side.

Elsewhere there are two types of "taxi" —hackney carriages (licensed under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847), which may pick up fares on the street or be pre-booked and have a meter that charges a rate set by the local authority (alternatively the driver may negotiate a lower fare with the customer), and private hire vehicles (licensed under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976) which must be pre-booked and whose rates are set by the private hire operator. Hackney carriages may only pick up fares off the street in the area in which they are licensed—however, they and private hire vehicles may pick up anywhere in the UK as long as they are pre-booked, and the driver, vehicle and operator are all licensed in the same borough. Some authorities have entered into agreements with neighbouring authorities to deputise each other's enforcement officers so they have the power to apprehend "trespassing" taxis from outside their area.

The legal way for a driver to ply outside their area is to obtain multiple licences, one for each licence authority area.

Lutonis reported to have the highest number of taxicabs per head ofpopulationin the United Kingdom.

See also

• Cabmen's Shelter Fund
• London Cab Drivers Club
• Taxicabs by country
• The Knowledge(1979 film)