'The knowledge' taxi driver test may be scrapped

A test which requires taxi drivers to know thousands of routes in a city is being scrapped.

Known as "the knowledge", it tests them on the quickest way to get Bristol passengers to their destination.

But city council figures show that only eight out of 133 people taking the test this year managed to pass.

The council says the test is becoming a "barrier" to people becoming taxi drivers, and the increasing use of sat-navs means it is no longer as important.

The changes will not affect "the knowledge" for drivers of hackney carriage taxis, which can be flagged down on the street, the Local Democracy Service reports.

A report to Bristol City Council's public safety and protection committee said the current requirement to know the location of certain premises or roads is "outdated".

The 90-minute test for private hire applicants involves 100 questions chosen randomly by a computer.

Drivers must not only achieve minimum pass marks in all 10 categories – four or five out of 10 questions in each – but also answer at least 75 questions correctly overall.

The committee report said Department for Transport (DfT) guidance was updated in November 2023 to say topographical knowledge is not required.

It said: "Given the availability, reliability and ease of use of sat-nav systems, licensing authorities should not require any topographical knowledge or navigational tests for private hire vehicle drivers."

This would mean applicants no longer needing to know exact locations and routes to clubs, pubs, restaurants, hotels, places of interest or the district of a particular road.

Sections remaining in the test would be safety, including child sexual exploitation, general road safety and how to calculate change, policy & legislation, and equality.

The report said the test should also be strengthened with a wider range of questions and topics which protect public safety, such as disability awareness, planning routes using navigation devices, conflict avoidance, and what to do if racially abused or being subjected to other abusive comments or hate speech.

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