Mind the Gap: Getting Around London Part 3 – the Black Cab

In the first two articles in this series, we shared about the Underground and the busses.  The final transport we want to cover is also an iconic classic—the legendary London Black Cab, although today not all of them are fully black.  Once known as a “Hackney Carriage,” the term “Hackney” comes from a part of London where horses were supplied to the city of London.  Hence a “hackney” was a horse-drawn carriage.  Curiously, the terms “hack” for a taxi-driver in NYC, or “hackstand” and “hack license” also used in NYC and Boston, are probably derived from Hackney.

In London, hackney-carriage drivers have to pass a test called “The Knowledge” to demonstrate an intimate knowledge of the geography of London streets, important buildings, etc. The Knowledge is the world’s most demanding training course for taxicab drivers and has been in place since 1865. There are 25,000 streets within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross that the would-be driver must know intimately, including all points of interest on those streets and within a half-mile of those streets. That detail would include the order of theaters on Shaftesbury Avenue, the heart of London’s West End Theater District. Drivers who pass The Knowledge are admitted to the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers.

Hackney carriages were first regulated in 1654 to improve the reliability of such transport in the city. Since then, the Taxi industry in London has been carefully regulated, even to the design of the vehicle itself.  All black cabs are metered, and will accept credit cards. The black cab has space for at least four people plus luggage.  As a note of trivia, part of the design of the vehicle was inspired by the particular design of the driveway in front of the Savoy Hotel. Without getting out of the cab, the driver would reach out of their window to open the door for the passenger (the handle was on the front of the door).  In order for a passenger to enter and depart the cab directly in front of the splendid doors of this exclusive hotel, the lane to the hotel entrance is right hand drive—the only such road in London—positioning that door closest to the hotel.

The driveway at the Savoy hotel defines the turning radius for the London black cab. ©EnglandForAllReasons.com, 2019

The hotel’s driveway has a 25-foot radius; therefore, all taxis must be capable of making the narrow turn. That nimbleness serves the driver well when the need arises to make a U-turn or maneuver a narrow lane.

Another advantage to the drivers’ possession of The Knowledge is that they really know their way around London and are required to take you to your destination by the shortest route available.  If they cannot do that for any reason, they are obliged to tell you and offer an alternative. One day, we entered a cab and requested a particular location, but the driver advised us that it was impossible as the Queen was to speak at the opening of Parliament and the roads were closed during her transit to and from the area.  We mentioned a possible alternative destination and he was happy to oblige. After we were done, we hailed another cab, and asked if he could get us to the other location; we were told he could get us close—which turned out to be just across the street.

As you travel in a Taxi, we would encourage you to talk to the driver. We have found them to be very well-informed about what is going on both in London and the world. Some of the topics we have discussed are:  the installation of bicycle lanes in central London, the impact of the London Olympics of 2012 on the traffic in the city, cricket and the then-sad state of English cricket, women as taxi drivers, The Knowledge, and many political figures both British and American. If you would prefer not to talk, they won’t disturb you but, if you engage, you may well find them to be both friendly and delightfully talkative.

So, of these three modes of travel, which is “best?” From our perspective, there is no clear winner. The Tube is excellent service and quick, but you may find there is a lot of walking: to a station, to the desired platform within the station, and from your destination station to your final destination. Buses are slower because they have to compete with the traffic in the city, but they can usually get you closer to your destination than the Tube. Taxis can get you directly from Point A to Point B, but they are the highest-cost transport. We have found, however, that the cost of a taxi for two people is only slightly higher than the cost of two Tube tickets to the same area, and the Taxi driver will get you much closer.

Any of them are excellent; pick the one you feel most comfortable with.  And remember, Mind the Gap!