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The London Taxi is maintained to the highest
standards in order to comply with the various Hackney Carriage Laws. It
is also important to remember that if the vehicle suffers a breakdown,
has been repaired by mechanics that are not correctly trained or do not
use genuine parts, the driver will be out of work. Not only will he not
be earning any money but if not correctly repaired first time, it will
also involve an unnecessary second repair bill.
Where do all the cabs go that finish working
in London? Because of the high reputation that the London cab-driver has
around the country, many of the vehicles go off to Provincial cities around
England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
However, some do go to private buyers.
Even though the cab has completed approx 35,000 miles per year (80,000
miles if it has had two shifts per day), the vehicle has been well maintained
throughout its' life. When buying a private car the first question you
ask is how many miles the vehicle has completed. With cabs you don't have
to ask the question as the answer is very many indeed, but it is not relevant.
Taxis are cheap to buy (prices start from
approx. £1,500), fun, economical, cheap to run, cheap to repair,
plenty of spares always available, a large network of garages in London
and throughout the UK, can seat up to 7 people, low insurance premiums
and they are novel and great fun.
As from lst. January 2000, all Taxis in
London must be able to take a wheelchair bound passenger. This is a UK
wide regulation so the old cabs cannot be sold on for a new life as a
Provincial Taxi. Hundreds of Taxis have been forced off the road for no
other reason than they cannot comply with the new wheelchair rule. As
a result, there is a large selection of second-hand Taxis available.
All cabs sold are either to London Regulation
(see Public Carriage Office) or with a valid MOT.
Should you require further information
or have any queries you may, of course
contact us at:
or telephone me direct.
m:
+ 44 (0) 7885 349 994
m: + 44
(0) 7930 357 151
t: + 44
(0) 20 8530 1578
The London Cab Order Act 1934 states that
"any cab driver finding property left in a cab or having such property
handed to him must deposit it in the state in which it was found or handed
to him at a Police station in the Metropolitan Police District or the
City of London within 24 hours and truly state particulars of such finding,
unless it is sooner, claimed by the owner to whom it shall be restored
forthwith on a satisfactory proof of ownership."
In other words, should you lose any item
in a London Taxi, the driver must by law, within 24 hours, hand it into
a Police station, who in turn will pass it onto the Metropolitan Police
lost property office. If you call approx. 48 hours after losing the item
with a description of the property lost and details of the journey during
which it was misplaced, it will probably be in the lost property office.
The same Act of Parliament states you must
pay a reward to the driver for his time. A scale of charges is approx.
15p in the £ for money, gold, silver, jewellery watch or clock not
exceeding £10; 12 ½p in the £ for other property not
exceeding £10 in value.
Items I have handed in over the years include,
umbrellas by the bucketful, cameras, mobile-phones, keys, coats, odd shoes,
a handbag containing of £1,500 in cash, wallets, a sock and a child's
tooth brace (retainer).
Over 1,000 items a month are handed into
the Public Carriage Office.
The driver may claim items not reclaimed
by their owner after 3 months. I didn't go back for the sock!
You may reclaim lost property from the
address below:-
The Public Carriage Office
Transport for London
Lost Property Office
Baker Street
London NW1
t: 020 7918 2000
A more serious matter is a driver who,
for whatever reason, gives the public cause to complain. There are many
laws rules and regulations dating back to 1831, some of which are still
valid today. Should you have reason to complain against a driver contact
the address below:-
The Public Carriage office
15 Penton Street
LONDON N1 9PU
Tel: 020 7230 1631
Further information is available
from the pages on their web site:
Should you require further information or have
any queries, you may of course contact
us at:
What makes the London Taxi and its driver respected
all around the world?
Every single Taxi driver who has plied for hire on the streets of London
since 1851 has completed a stringent test called the Knowledge Of London
(KOL).
To become a cabbie today you have to apply to the
Public Carriage Office (PCO), which until July 2000 was the civilian body
of the Metropolitan Police Service dedicated to dealing with London's
Hackney Carriage trade. In the Summer of 2000, authority was transferred
to the newly created Greater London Authority who will continue to uphold
the laws relating to London's cab trade, some dating back as far as 1831.
The PCO is now a department of the newly formed Greater London Authority's
(GLA) Transport for London (TfL).
The PCO will have decided if the candidate is 'a fit and proper person'.
That means he/she must have no criminal record and medically have no history
of heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, psychiatric illness, or poor vision.
Once the candidate has passed this stage the PCO will issue the Blue Book,
which consists of 400 different routes criss-crossing London's 800+ square
miles. The Blue Book will name two places (points), and the candidate
must then calculate the straightest route from one end of the run to the
other. When in London you may notice people on mopeds with clipboards
attached to the front of their bikes, wobbling around paying more attention
to the buildings than the traffic around them. Well, these people are
called Knowledge Boys (and Girls!!) and they are attempting to complete
the Blue Book.
Once the candidate feels confident that he has completed this stage, he
applies for a test during which time he verbally drives the examiner around
London to and from points of his choosing, ensuring that he complies with
all traffic signs, one-way systems, traffic islands, roundabouts, etc.
etc. The candidate must 'drive' along the cotton. In other words, if you
put a piece of cotton across a map between the two points chosen by the
examiner, the route must be as straight as the cotton, all from memory.
The candidate will then progress to the next rung of the ladder and will
be required to reappear, usually in 56 days time, for re-examination.
During this time he must study the points. What is a point? A point is
any street or building that one of London's 10 million residents and thousands
of daily visitors may wish to go to. Think about it; streets, alleyways,
historic buildings, government buildings, stations, places of worship,
Police stations, hospitals, cemeteries, crematoria, airports, parks, theatres,
cinemas, corporate headquarters, diplomatic embassies and consulates,
gentlemen's clubs, night-clubs. In fact, the list is endless. If it is
within 6 miles of Charing Cross Station (officially the centre of London)
we cab drivers are expected to know the point without thinking.
The appearance time will be reduced as the candidate's Knowledge improves
until eventually he will be asked to learn the suburbs of London and take
a driving test under the authority of the PCO, another medical and check
on his criminal record, and Bob's your uncle - he's a cabbie!
The driving test will include disability awareness, as all of London's
Taxis are fully wheelchair accessible.
In simple terms, all of London's 23,388 (as at April 2000) Taxi drivers
have a very intimate Knowledge of over 25,000 streets, and what is on
each of those streets.
The process at the moment would take about 3 ½ years, the same
time as it takes to become a doctor or an airline pilot!!!
Further information is available from from:
Should you have any questions or queries, you may
of course contact us at:
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