SPEEDY TAXI STUDENTS: Knowledge of London completion times fall to their quickest level in a decade
- Perry Richardson
- Nov 17, 2025
- 2 min read
New Transport for London (TfL) figures show the time taken to complete the Knowledge of London has dropped sharply in 2025, marking the fastest average finish in ten years.
The data, covering candidates who completed the process between 2015 and September 2025, charts a long rise in completion times before a recent turnaround. In 2015, successful candidates took an average of 49 months. That figure moved steadily upwards, pushing beyond five years by 2020 and 2021. Completion, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic, sat at 63 months in 2020 and only marginally lower in 2021.
Times remained high until 2022, when the average settled at around five years. In 2023 and 2024, modest reductions brought the figure down to 58 and then 53 months. These slight improvements suggested the process was stabilising after years of strain.
The picture changes significantly in 2025. Candidates finishing this year completed in an average of 38 months, cutting well over a year from the 2024 figure. Such a drop marks the fastest average completion recorded since before 2015.
The reduction raises questions about what is driving the shift. A smaller pipeline of candidates in earlier years may have eased pressure on exam timetables. TfL has also made various administrative changes, including the introduction of a set list of 6,000 ‘points-of-interest’, to speed up the testing process.
The fact the 2025 cohort is moving through assessment stages far quicker than those immediately before them, will be seen as a positive for those working in the industry. If these times hold, the Knowledge may be entering a period of shorter and more predictable progression, which could make the pathway more accessible to new entrants considering the trade.
TfL’s wider data still shows fewer candidates reaching the finish line than in historic peak years, but the latest completion times point to a more efficient process for those who do.
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