Knowing London inside out

Knowing London inside out

London taxi drivers know the capital like the back of their hands. Just jump into one of the city's 22,000 distinctively shaped cars and tell the driver your destination. No matter how small and difficult to find the street is, the driver will be able to get you there without any trouble.

The reason London taxi drivers are so professional is that they have all gone through a very difficult training period known as "the knowledge " to get the special licence needed to drive taxis. During this period, which can take from two to four years, the would-be taxi driver has to learn the most direct route to every single road and to every important building In London. To achieve this, most learners go around the city on small motorbikes, practicing how to move to and from different points of the city. Going around London on a small motorbike can have Its problems, especially during the winter. Colin Sinclair, 40, who has been a taxi driver for fifteen years, described his training period as a time of extreme physical discomfort. There was thick snow everywhere and I had to wear my mother's tights because it was so cold,” he said.

Learner drivers are not allowed to work, and earn money as drivers. Therefore, many of them keep their previous Job until they get their taxi-driving licence. The training period can cost quite a lot, because learners have to pay for their own expenses (getting around London using private transport), the tests they take and a medical exam. Once a new taxi driver has a licence, the next thing he or she has to cope with is the public. Drivers agree that most passengers are very pleasant, although occasionally they can be nasty. But, as Brian Turner, 53, a taxi driver for thirty years, explains: "Your job is to take them where they want to go In a polite and pleasant manner, whatever they are like. After all, if you are unpleasant to your passenger, you don’t get a tip”.

But sometimes it is not only the tip that is at risk; a taxi driver’s job can also be dangerous Colin Sinclair was once attacked by a passenger who didn't want to pay the fare: "He grabbed my hand and said, Tm going to beat you up’, and then he started pushing me towards the window. Luckily, I managed to reach the emergency radio and within five minutes twenty drivers had come to my aid.''

To avoid situations like this, more and more drivers are Joining radio taxi companies, which only deal with customers who have telephoned for a taxi and who often have an account with them. The big advantage of this system Is that drivers then know the name and the destination of their passengers in advance, which Is very useful If something nasty happens.

However, not all unexpected meetings are nasty ones. Celebrities and politicians often use taxis and this can add a bit of excitement to the lives of the drivers. Brian Turner once carried two princesses in his taxi - without even realizing it!. He recalled: "They stopped me in front of the gates of Kensington Palace. I knew I had seen them In the photographs but it was only after they left that I realized who they were!" Talking and driving at the same time 1$ not easy. But this is the art that London taxi drivers have brought to perfection. They and their taxis are a landmark of the capital and are recognized throughout the world, along with the Queen and Big Ben, as a great British tradition.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04