Recently Transport for London published a reply to the following Freedom of Information request:
How many people applied to take The Knowledge test each year, for as far back as you have data • How many of these applicants were successful • How many taxi driver licences have been issued each year, for as far back as you hold data?
If COVID-19 is taken out of the data the number applied to start The Knowledge has remained surprisingly consistent.
To establish whether the applicant has subsequently completed the KoL was estimated to exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information Regulations 2004.
The table below shows the annual number of applicants for the Knowledge of London and the number of new taxi driver licenses issued from 2016:
| Year | Applicants for the KoL | Number of new licences issued |
| 2016 | 444 | 1,010 |
| 2017 | 416 | 896 |
| 2018 | 361 | 549 |
| 2019 | 356 | 442 |
| 2020 | 178 | 233 |
| 2021 | 174 | 247 |
| 2022 | 440 | 264 |
| 2023 | 579 | 185 |
| 2024 | 108 | 26 |
CabbieBlog 
Since for most of the earlier years the licenses issued exceeded the applications, then there must have been many granted for applicants from years prior, showing it took a very long time to pass the KoL. The next surge of apps in recent years with fewer issued may show this too, or be due to the incentives to apply, economy up and down encouraging cab careers…or, it may all be due to too many variables so too hard to really know? Need interviews, more data..a great PhD project? But interesting, for sure.
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When I started my training in 1991, John Major’s administration could boast that the UK’s unemployment levels reached nearly 3.5 million. As a consequence the Carriage Office was flooded with hundreds of numpties, like me, trying to get their hands on their own droschky. Joining me that year were 3,141 other applicants, and during the 4 years, 10 months, and 13 days that it took to complete a total of just under 20,000 joined me on The Knowledge.
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Yikes, now those data, from 1991, clearly show a trend: decline, sad…. Thank you.
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I estimate that of all those only 900 qualified.
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Not to create more work for we fading old philosophers, but has anyone done a serious study of cabbie demographics, such as trends in why you became, how long they last, age gender race, education, other careers, all that. TfL data only shows a small part of a cultural story, and appears hard to pry loose. Your delightful book is one a few records. Over the years whilst on visits I have met, briefly on rides, many, and their/your stories vary so much, and are always interesting.
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Alf Townsend posed the question ‘How far do cabbies commute to work?’ Working out of Heathrow was ‘Welsh’ Bob, ‘Scotch’ John and ‘Manchester’ Ted. Some of these cabbies would work three days, sleeping in their cab overnight before going home. One of the more colourful characters was ‘Mr Pastry’ who would cook himself a full English breakfast on his primus in the back of his cab, until that is, a Carriage Officer caught him.
With just a little research Alf Townsend found London cabbies living in Israel, France, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Florida, Thailand and Australia.
The furthest Alf found was a commuter cabbie who spends his summers working as a London cabbie to return to New Zealand to drive a cab in Auckland during our winter.
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I may be delusional, but since cabs are part of the important history of London transportation, is there a file, a collection, or maybe dream on? someone at the London Transport Musuem or Museum of London who is the designated cab archivist or resource coordinator for those researchers who may wish to write more about cabs someday?
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Not to my knowledge, unfortunately.
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I think there is a common issue, as I see the same lack of capturing history as it passes, missed opportunities, specifically in my dealings with London woodcarvers, with many old artisans passing and their stories go unrecorded, and at the City Churches, where fascinating stories are protected from public access for various unclear reasons. On the other end are folk like the Gentle Author and you who talk to and record current and recent interesting character’s stories of life in London. Thank you!
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