A study conducted by the taxi-hailing app, Freenow, has delved into what must be one of the most annoying aspects of being a London cabbie.
The good news is that the UK has emerged as having the second most sociable taxi passengers in Europe, trailing only behind Ireland.
The research focused on the interaction between passengers and black cab drivers, part delved into the top five questions posed by passengers, be they: traffic, cyclists, speed limits, or the correct route:
1 Have you been busy today?
2 How’s the traffic?
3 What do you think about cyclists?
4 Why is the speed limit 20mph?
5 Is there a quicker route because I’m in a hurry?
My questions, driving at the beginning of the Millennium tended to be:
1 What do you do for a living?
2 What time are you on ’til?
3 Where do you live? or Live far?
4 How long have you been a cabbie?
5 Had anyone famous in your cab?
CabbieBlog 
I always had the same golden rule. I didn’t say anything to the cabbie unless he spoke to me or asked me a question. Lots of them used to ask me what football team I supported, and I never understood why they asked that. Some of them asked me why I was going to my destination. As that was very often south of the river, I understood their curiosity!
Cheers, Pete.
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On the other side of the partition I also wouldn’t speak unless spoke to, I reasoned my customers had the right to privacy whilst in the back.
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every year I come to London I have black cab questions. I do a poll for the year in every black cab I take. And I only take black cabs. Some of my favorites:
How long did it take you to pass the knowledge?
is anyone else in your family a black cab driver?
what are some of the rides you had to call that were difficult?
who were some of your most memorable examiners?
Do cabbies have their own slang?
Be Lucky
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Q1 Four years, 10 months and 13 days.
Q2 No
Q3 Mr Ormes once asked me to plot the route between The Royal Society of Arts to the Adelphi Building. After a little nervous thought, I told him that, in my view, they were both located in the same spot, on the not very long John Adam Street (I have since discovered they are directly opposite). Mr Ormes, without a hint of irony, replied: “That’s right. It’s raining. I’m pregnant. And I’ve got a wooden leg”.
Q4 Mr Ormes
Q5 I would refer you to a rather good page on CabbieBlog: https://cabbieblog.com/in-the-back-of-my-cab/cabbie-lingo/
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One of the things I found was that almost every cabbie could tell me in exactly how many years, months, and days it took them to pass the knowledge. No generalizations like ‘a couple of years’. All could tell me almost to the day.
I was surprised at the number of cabbies who had family in the business. About a third of the drivers with whom I spoke. I always make it a point to look at the badge #. I met a fairly young guy (in his 40s-50s?) with a 3 digit #. I asked about it. It was his fathers badge and the story of his mom asking the authority to trade the sons badge in for the fathers was wonderful.
The examiner stories ranged from brutally to hysterical. I wish I had written many of them down.
Thank you for the link!
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Thanks for the link! I found about a third had family in the business. The general average on the knowledge to badge was around 4 years. One of the things I found was that every cabbie could tell me down to the number of years, months, and days how long it took to pass the knowledge. The stories of the examiners ranged from brutal to hysterical. The ride calls left me in awe of the cabbies. And I always look at the badge number. Had a ride with a fairly young cabbie (40-50). He had a 3 digit number. He was a young cabbie and his dad was a cabbie and dying of cancer. His mom got the authority to trade his father’s badge for his. It was quite the story. I love your blog. I come to London again this May and am looking forward to riding with the most knowledgeable people in London.
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