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United Cabbies Group rejects claims it backs cutting the Knowledge of London to four-mile radius
United Cabbies Group (UCG) has rejected claims that it supports reducing the Knowledge of London to a four-mile radius around central London, saying the proposal has never been discussed or backed by the organisation.
In a statement released, UCG said it had “never discussed, proposed, or supported reducing the Knowledge of London radius to 4 miles”, adding: “This is absolutely not our policy.” The group said it would not support lowering the qualification’s standards and that its commitment to “protecting the integrity of the Knowledge of London remains absolute”.
The Knowledge is the qualification required to become a licensed London taxi driver. For the All London, or green badge, qualification, candidates study 320 routes in the Blue Book and learn streets and points of interest across the capital, within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. The points include locations such as theatres, hotels and restaurants, alongside roads and squares. Candidates are assessed in stages through written exams and oral examinations known as appearances.
The process requires candidates to learn the routes and locations well enough to describe journeys and navigate London’s street network. TfL publishes a points list and advises candidates to visit locations in person, noting suitable pick-up and drop-off places.
Cabbies may see reducing the Knowledge radius from six miles to four as lowering a standard that has taken them years to achieve. Candidates invest considerable time and money learning routes, streets and locations across London, and established drivers may feel that narrowing the area would diminish the value of that effort and the qualification.
Some may also worry that a smaller radius would make the process too easy, bringing too many new drivers into an already competitive trade. They could argue that a broader Knowledge helps ensure drivers can serve journeys across the capital and find alternative routes when roads are closed or traffic builds.
TfL recently published a new All London points list contains just over 6,000 points of interest. Since February 2025, candidates have only been asked points included on that list in assessments. The list is updated periodically, with candidates given time to learn newly added points before they can be assessed on them.
The points list change followed a prolonged decline in London’s licensed taxi workforce. TfL’s licensing figures show the total number of taxi drivers fell from 25,538 in 2013/14 to 16,676 in 2024/25, a reduction of about 35%.
Those measures seek to improve access and efficiency while retaining the core demands of the qualification. TfL says examiners will only ask points from the published list, which still contains just over 6,000 locations, and candidates continue to study the 320 Blue Book routes.
The UCG said it accepts that “certain efficiencies could improve the Knowledge”, but said any proposals would need to persuade the group and must not lower its standards
In the full statement a UCG spokesperson said: "To clear up any confusion and directly dispel malicious rumours currently circulating on social media: United Cabbies Group (UCG) has never discussed, proposed, or supported reducing the Knowledge of London radius to 4 miles.
“This is absolutely not our policy. Any claims suggesting otherwise are completely false and fabricated to mislead the trade. While UCG acknowledges that certain efficiencies could improve the Knowledge, we need to be persuaded by any proposals and will NEVER support dropping its world-class standards.
“Our commitment to protecting the integrity of the Knowledge of London remains absolute. We are making our position known publicly to put an end to this matter now, and we will not be making any further comment on this."
