London cabbies take 3 years to qualify
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The black cab drivers' famed Knowledge test has been endorsed by the UK's leading vocational examination board.
It has received official accreditation by City & Guilds, which said the exam met "recognised quality standards".
Chris Humphries, City & Guilds director general, said the Knowledge was "a sound training and examining system".
The Knowledge, introduced in 1865, involves remembering every street within six miles of Charing Cross and takes up to three years to attain.
Independent assessment
To achieve the accreditation, the Public Carriage Office's in-house examination system was inspected by vocational training experts.
Mr Humphries said the seal of approval will give passengers peace of mind to know the system has been independently assessed.
"It is also a great way of professionalising one of the country's oldest occupations," he said.
Bob Oddy, Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association general secretary, said he was always confident the Knowledge would stand up to scrutiny.
"Black cab drivers study for up to three years to attain the Knowledge, so we know how rigorous it is," he said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6173930.stm
Time to impose more stringent standards on our cab drivers... -
I remember reading about how London cabbies qualify for their licences in Readers' Digest some years back. Seems rather hard.
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I love cabbies from London..
