So you want to be a cabbie then?
You want to become a professional driver, driving one of the worlds' most iconic vehicles in arguably the most famous capital city of all capital cities.......London.
In order to be able to drive a London Taxi or Black Cab you will have to complete what is known as "The Knowledge"
You will need to know all of the streets;housing estates;parks and commons and open spaces;government buildings;town halls;registry offices;hospitals;places of worship;sports stadiums and leisure centres;stations;hotels;clubs;theatres;cinemas;museums;galleries;schools colleges and universities;associations and institutions;police stations;civil, criminal and coroners courts;prisons;tourist attractions; and places of interest that a taxi passenger might ask to be taken.
These places are known as points and you will need to show that you can travel between any two points in the shortest distance.
1st Steps
You will need to decide between the All London Badge ( the green badge) or the Suburban Badge ( the yellow badge).
To make this decision you will need to consider what you wish or need to earn and also where you would like to work.
An All London driver can work wherever he wishes and there is a larger volume of trade in Central London.A Suburban driver can only ply for hire in his or her chosen sector. There are 9 sectors on the boundaries of central London.The suburbs are generally quieter and therefore involve a lot of evening and weekend work.
You will need to make decisions about where and how you want to work and these should be influenced by how much you need or expect to earn. Some suburban sectors already have a lot of drivers so you would be wise to take this into account.
Driving a black cab is a great way of life but as in all things there are choices so think carefully carefully before making a decision.
Once you have chosen between All London or Suburb and which sector you wish to work in you must then apply to the taxi and private hire office( formerly known as the PCO or the carriage office). You will need to complete a medical and a Criminal Record Bureau check.
All of the information you require on applications and costs are available on the TFL website www.tfl.gov.uk
Similarly, there is information and contact details for Knowledge schools, which you may find useful.
Be lucky.