Knowledge of London ‘active’ taxi student review set for completion this month

A Knowledge of London review into the number of students currently actively studying is set for completion this month. The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, comfirmed the review as an opportunity to identify and suspend those applicants that are no longer active.

Transport for London (TfL) has identified that as of 2 September, there were 4,043 candidates studying the Knowledge of London. Of those, 1,770 candidates were actively on the oral testing stages known as ‘Appearances’. TfL identified 2,273 Knowledge applicants on the stages before pre-appearances. The aim of the review is to determine how many of those are inactive. There remains 1,140 files left to review and should be completed by October 2019. At the start of the year (January 2019), the number of pre-appearance candidates was 3,088. London's taxi drivers are commonly seen as the best in the world due to their knowledge of the quickest routes through London's complex road network. Each cabbie must first learn thousands of streets and landmarks within a six mile radius of Charing Cross during a testing period known as the ‘Knowledge of London’. The Knowledge usually takes students three to four years and attracts a diverse section of the community. 

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