Green Badge Knowledge - Whats Involved | |
| To become a London Licensed Taxi Driver you have to learn the topography of London, or as it is more famously known “The Knowledge”. Before you embark on this it is important that you understand what is involved.We go into this in much more detail in our FREE Introduction to the Knowledge seminar held once a month in our school.
You will need to apply for an application pack to London Taxi & Private Hire Division of Transport for London (LTPH TfL) which is the taxi driver licensing authority this must be done online. You will only pass the application process and be accepted onto the Knowledge if you meet the following criteria: | |
 | Age - You must be 18 years of age or over to start the Knowledge; however to hold a Taxi Driver Licence you must be 21 years of age or over. There is no upper age limit, provided you meet the other licensing requirements. |
| Character - You must complete a criminal records check before being licensed to ensure that you have no serious criminal convictions. This check is carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which is part of the Home Office and the forms will be sent to you for completion along with the Application Pack. |
| Medical Fitness - You must pass a DVLA Group 2 Medical (unless you currently hold a PSV Licence) which examination must be carried out by your GP. Certain conditions could mean an application being refused. These include epilepsy, poor eyesight, insulin treated diabetes and serious heart problems. The forms will be sent to you with the Application Pack. |
| Driving Ability - You must hold a Full DVLA, Northern Ireland or European Economic Area (EEA) State driving licence. If you hold an EEA licence then you must also obtain a GB counterpart before you can apply. Taxis are purpose built vehicles with different driving characteristics from standard cars and special features to help disabled people. Therefore to be licensed as a taxi driver you will have to pass an additional driving test towards the end of your Knowledge training in a licensed taxi. NB - If you are a disabled person yourself you can still become a licensed taxi driver, but you may need to have your driving ability assessed independently. This may be in a suitably modified vehicle. |
| Once you have been accepted onto the Knowledge you will need to learn 320 routes and pass a series of tests before you can become one of London’s famous black taxi drivers. The list of routes will be posted out to you once your application has been processed and accepted. Along with these routes you will also need to learn all the landmarks and places of interest covered by the 320 routes. The Knowledge takes an average of 3.5 years to complete, but this is dependent upon how much time and effort you are able to give and learners must be prepared to finance themselves through the process. |  | |||
NB You will not acquire a sufficient Knowledge simply by either using a computer or a map, you will only gain the necessary Knowledge by actually travelling the 1/4 mile radius areas and runs. Expenses you need to take into consideration include a moped or car and it's running costs, training material i.e. blue book runs, maps and atlases, school fees, taxi driving tuition, LTPH application fees and test fees.The whole process of learning the Knowledge requires time, dedication, finance, good training and thus should not be undertaken lightly. | ||||
 | How We Can Help You - Taxi Trade Promotions’ training division is called Knowledge Point School and we have been helping learners through the Knowledge for over 35 years. In fact Knowledge Point is the oldest and most famous Knowledge School, with over 8,000 cab drivers on the road today being ex-school members. |
| Make Application - If after attending the FREE Introductory Session and you believe you meet the requirements and wish to proceed with the application process you should to go to the London Taxi & Private Hire Division of Transport for London (LTPH TfL) website and complete the online application. | |