TAXIS

London's first taxi rank was established in 1625 by the Church of St Mary-le-Strand.

Location: St Mary-le-Strand, Strand, WC2R 1BA (grey, turquoise)

Bumblee Bee Cabs

In 1897 the Great Horseless Carriage Company started operating a fleet of electric cabs that were powered by lead-acid batteries that could be replaced with a couple of minutes. The vehicles had been designed by Walter Bersey (1874-1950) of the London Electrical Cab Company. They had a top speed of 12 m.p.h.. One of the conditions that the Metropolitan Police required the vehicles to be able to meet was that they should be able to ascend Savoy Hill. This was because the incline was particularly steep. They had a yellow and black livery and were soon dubbed bumble bees. However, they proved to technologically troubled and only operated for a couple of years.

The Science Museum possesses one.

Location: Savoy Hill, WC2R 0DA (red, yellow)

Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD (red, turquoise)

Website: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/the-surprisingly-old-story-of-londons-first-ever-electric-taxi

Cabmen's Shelters

The Landed Gentry's Cabmen's Shelter Fund s shelters look like overgrown garden huts and are painted green. Their purpose was to provide somewhere, other than pubs, for cabmen to shelter in from the cold and the wet. The shelters came into being at the instigation of the social reformer the 7^th Earl of Shaftesbury (1801-1885). Thirteen are still in operation. They are run under the supervision of the Heritage of London Trust.

The shelters have nicknames. The one opposite Gloucester Road is called the All Nations, the one in Thurloe Place is known as The Bell and Orns, the one in Piccadilly opposite The Turf Club is dubbed The Junior Turf Club, and the one by Albert Bridge is referred to as The Kremlin.

Location: 32 Cheyne Mews, SW2 5TR (purple, white)

Embankment Place, WC2N 5AQ (purple, pink)

8 Grosvenor Gardens, SW1W 0DH (blue, orange)

Hanover Square, W1S 1HN (red, blue)

Kensington Park Road, W11 3BU (purple, purple)

Kensington Road, SW7 5DP (blue, pink)

10 Lupus Street, SW1V 3DZ (purple, pink)

15 Pont Street, SW1X 9EH (red, orange)

23 Russell Square, WC1H 0XG (purple, grey)

Temple Place, WC2R 2PH (purple, white)

Thurloe Place, SW7 2RZ (orange, yellow)

42a Warwick Avenue, W9 2PT

1 Wellington Place, NW8 7PE (orange, purple)

The Knowledge

Licensed taxi drivers are expected to be able to navigate London without needing to consult a book of maps; the ability to do this is The Knowledge. In order to acquire a license, candidates have to demonstrate that they know it. Usually, it takes nearly three years to memorise the information. This is done by walking or driving along 400 set routes. Knowledge Boys can be seen riding motor scooters that have clipboards fixed onto their handlebars. The board will have details of the run that s/he is trying to learn.

The Blue Books contains the runs that form The Knowledge.

Brain scans have revealed that learning The Knowledge leads to black cab drivers developing larger posterior hippocampuses than members of the general population have.

D.V.D.: The Knowledge Revelation Films (1979). A Jack Rosenthal (1931-2004)-written television play about a group of people who are doing The Knowledge. Mr Burgess, the character portrayed by the actor Nigel Hawthorne (1929-2001), was based upon Mr Findlay of The Carriage Office, who was a notorious examiner.

Location: The Knowledge College, 32 Penton Street, N1 9QA

Website: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/learn-the-knowledge-of-london

Minicabs

In 1961 minicabs appeared on London s roads. Minicabs cannot be hailed in the street and have to booked.

In 2003-4 a licensing regime for minicabs was introduced.

Historically, mini cabs were a cottage industry for the most part. In 2010 there were estimated to be almost 50,000 cabs operating in London.

Website: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs

Addison Lee

Addison Lee is one of London's principal minicab firms. The business was founded in Battersea by John Griffin in 1975. He had entered the trade because his father's business had collapsed and the job enabled him to have flexible hours. The firm had been run by a man whom he met in a pub. It had become chaotic. Mr Griffin sorted out the mess and discovered that the business was owed a 4000 tax rebate. This was split between Griffin and its former owner.

Website: www.addisonlee.com/services/standard-cars-2

Mnemonics

Cabdrivers mnemonic for learning the east-to-west order of Soho's north-south streets - Good for Dirty Women - Greek Frith Dean Wardour

The order of Soho theatres from Piccadilly Circus - Little apples grow quickly - Lyric, Apollo Garrick, Queens.

Moaning

Taxi drivers have a reputation for moaning about moaning.

The Public Carriage Office

The Public Carriage Office regulates the licensed taxis in London. In 1850 the Metropolitan Police were charged with supervising the trade. It established the Office.¹

In 2000 Transport for London was set up to oversee transport within London. Supervision of the Office was transferred from the Met to TfL.

Location: 197 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8NJ

Website: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire

¹. In taxi slang The Public Carriage Office was known as The Yard .

Taxi Slang

Recently qualified taxi drivers are sometimes referred to as butterboys by their more experience colleagues.

The Box of Tricks - Euston Station before 1960s front added

The Gasworks - House of Commons

The Hole in the Wall - the side entry to Victoria Railway Station

The Iron Lung - a French-style pissoir in Victoria

The Kipper Season - flat and having to pick the bones out of it. Used to be January. 2006 August.

The Stage Door - The Cut entrance to Waterloo Railway Station

The Wedding Cake - The Victoria Memorial

Uber

In 2017 Transport for London stripped Uber of its London licence. The body stated that the company had displayed insufficiently corporate responsibility with regard to serious criminal offences and that it had failed to obtain medical certificates and driver background checks.

In 2021 the Supreme Court ruled Uber drivers were entitled to workers rights.

Location: 1 Aldgate Tower, 2 Leman Street, E1 8FA

Website: https://headoffice.center/uber www.headofficecontactnumber.co.uk/uber

An Uncredited Credit

During the 1970s Robin Askwith was one of the highest-profile movie actors in Britain. His Mini Cooper broke down while he was passing the Odeon Shepherds Bush cinema, where the sex-comedy Confessions of A Window Cleaner was playing. He secured the vehicle and flagged down a passing taxi and asked to be taken to his home in Richmond. He stated that he did not have any cash on him but that he would be able to pay once they got there. The driver proved to be open to the proposal but asked for some i.d.. The actor did not but pointed to the cinema where his name was over the marquee and stated Funnily enough, that's me. The driver looked at him dismissively and declared In your ****ing dreams! and then drove off without him.

Location: 58 Shepherds Bush Green, W12 8QE

See Also: MOVIES Confessions of

Website: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6r6u_Z-CKyU

David Backhouse 2024