TfL have announced changes to the Knowledge of London that every prospective Taxi driver is required to undertake before gaining their license.
TfL state that these changes are being made as part of their “business as usual propcess” and are apparently outside of teh scope of the KoL review!
TfLTPH are currently reviewing the Knowledge of London with the intention of making more changes to the way in which Knowledge Boys & Girls are tested before becoming fully fledged Taxi Drivers and able to Ply their trade on the streets of London.
These changes are to be implemented immediatly.
Red Line update
The red line policy will be retained, however if a candidate accumulates 4 ‘D’ grades, they will revert back to the beginning of the same stage, as opposed to the start of the previous stage.
New time limits to be set for each stage:
- Stage 3 – 3 years
- Stage 4 – 2 years
- Stage 5 – 1 Year
At the end of the time limit candidates will be required to attend a meeting with the Knowledge of London manager to discuss their progress.
Changes to restriction runs asked on appearances
- ‘No traffic light runs’ – are to be scrapped and no longer asked on appearances.
- Obstacle runs (Multiple drops / road closures / LOL (leave on left) or LOR only) – to be limited to Stage 5 (21’s) only and can only be asked on a maximum of 1 run in each appearance.
Re-test update
Minor changes are being made to make the process fairer and more transparent.
A previously licensed taxi driver has to undertake a re-test if they have two years or more of not being licensed.
Currently, they are sent guidelines in the post and have a pass or fail re-test. If they pass they are licensed; if they fail they go back to appearances.
This means someone can have a ‘bad day’ and will have to go back onto appearances.
The new process will involve the guidelines being sent, but the person then invited to attend a talk with a KoL examiner to discuss the re-test process and what standard of topographical knowledge will be expected from them.
The person will have a re-test and if they fail – they can come back for a second re-test.
KoL examiners will use a list of agreed ‘set standard’ questions to ensure consistency and the questions are overseen by the KoL Manager.
