But we can really thank the Great Exhibition of 1851 for giving us the world's premier taxi service, for it was going to this exhibition, at this fabulous exhibition inventions from all around the four corners of the Empire that the visitors were appalled, dismayed and vexed by the journey to this exhibition, because the cabbies of the day in the horse drawn carts were absolutely terrible, could not find a way to this exhibition.
And so, at great public outcry, the London authority set up Public Carriage Office, which is the organisation that still exists and you can take a short walk to Panton Street up the road and this Public Carriage Office took on the responsibility of licensing all major taxi drivers in London. All taxi drivers from 1851 onwards had to pass what is now known as the London knowledge, this phenomenal knowledge of London.
What is the London knowledge? it’s the ability to remember the 25000 streets had all interconnected and all main arterial roads in and out of London. Cabbies need to know all this plus a thousand points of specific interest cafes, bars, public offices. They need to know them all as part of their training.
The Great Exhibition of 1851 has exposed a dysfunctional cabbie system at the time because drivers couldn’t find the event. To combat public outcries, Public Carriage Office has been set up to license and curate the London knowledge exam. Therefore, all London taxi drive must pass the London knowledge from 1851 onwards, which test drivers’ ability to remember a large number of streets, roads as well as point of interests.
