The great taxi quiz

Roll up, roll up, it’s time to test your knowledge about this great taxi industry of ours! From fun destination facts and taxi trivia to the legal rules of the road you really should know, we’ve compiled a list of quick-fire questions to give your brain a workout – hopefully it won’t be too taxing!

Take our test during your next break to give you some time away from the wheel. You could even test your fellow cabbies! How many do you think they would get right?

Our little quiz may be a bit of fun but one thing’s for sure – working without taxi insurance is no joke. Taxi Insurer is a specialist when it comes to finding you the right cover for your business.

Taxi drivers face risks every day because you never know what’s going to happen when you’re out on the roads, working unsociable hours and picking up people who could be a little worse for wear.

We want to help protect both your vehicle and your drivers from those risks so you can get on with doing what you do best – transporting paying customers from A to B!

Now grab a pen and see if you can smash our great taxi quiz! Good luck!

 1. How many passengers can a traditional black cab legally carry?

A. 4

B. 5

C. 6

D. 8

 

2. Whereabouts in London is Harrods located?

A. Bond Street

B. Oxford Street

C. Knightsbridge

D. Hammersmith

 

3. Why are taxis yellow in New York?

A. Because it’s a legal requirement

B. Because it helps them to stand out

C. Because it’s the President’s favourite colour

D. Because they wanted to be different from London’s black cabs

 

4.Which of these London theatres is nearest to Victoria Station?

A. Apollo

B. Dominion

C. Lyceum

D. Palladium

 

5. Who played the lead role in the 1976 film Taxi Driver?

A. Kevin Costner

B. Al Pacino

C. Robert De Niro

D. Sean Penn

 

6. As a licensed taxi driver plying for hire, do you have to wear a seatbelt?

A. Yes, at all times

B. No

C. Only when you’re reversing

D. Only when you’re carrying passengers

 

7. Are you allowed to carry guide dogs in your taxi?

A. No, no animals are allowed in your taxi

B. Yes, all assistance dogs are allowed in a taxi

C. Yes, but only guide dogs

D. Only on weekends

 

8. Can taxis use a bus lane?

A. No, never

B. Yes but you should check with your local authority first

C. Only on weekends

D. Only when you are carrying passengers

 

9. Are you allowed to smoke in a taxi?

A. Yes with the windows open

B. No, it’s illegal

C. You can’t smoke but your passengers can

D. Yes you can smoke but only e-cigarettes or vapes

 

10. Is it against the law for someone to shout ‘taxi’ when they’re hailing a cab?

A. No, of course you can!

B. Only if you’re drunk

C. Yes it’s illegal as you might distract the driver

D. Yes you can, but only in an emergency

 

11. A black cab must be tall enough to accommodate what?

A. Someone wearing a bowler hat

B. Someone who is 5ft 8inches

C. Someone who is bending their knees

D. A pile of five suitcases on top of one another

 

12. When was The Knowledge for London taxi drivers first introduced?

A. 1900

B.1865

C.1980

D. 1965

 

13. How many routes are there to learn in The Knowledge’s Blue Book?

A. 120

B. 220

C. 320

D. 420

 

14. How many black cabs are there working in London?

A. Around 20,000

B. Around 10,000

C. Around 50,000

D. Around 100,000

 

15. Can you refuse a fare that’s less than 1 mile in distance?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Yes, but not if the passenger is elderly

D. Yes, but not if the passenger has children with them

 

16. What’s it called when someone leaves the taxi without paying?

A. Milking

B. Bilking

C. Slinking

D. Shrinking

 

17. What size is the turning circle of a black cab?

A. 30ft

B. 10ft

C. 25ft

D. 21ft

 

18. What percentage of taxi drivers in the UK today are women?

A. Around 20%

B. Around 10%

C. Around 2%

D. Around 30%

 

19. When should a taxi driver take a break from driving?

A. After 1 hour of driving

B. After 2 hours of driving

C. After 5 and a half hours of driving

D. After 10 hours of driving

 

20. What do London cabbies use the mnemonic Little Apples Grow Quickly Please (LAGQP) for?

A. The order of theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue

B. Let’s All Go to Queenie’s Place (Buckingham Palace)

C. Leave All Gents Quickly Please

D. Ladies And Gentlemen Quiet Please

 

21. What are the ‘Loo’, ‘Padders’ and ‘Bone’?

A. Train stations

B. Toilets, Paddington Bear and a telephone

C. Nicknames of famous London cabbies

D. The names of the first-ever black cabs

 

How did you do?

You’ll find all the answers below. How many did you get right this time?

1. The answer is B. A traditional black cab can legally carry five passengers with three sitting across the back seat and two people on the fold-down chairs. If a passenger has a lot of luggage, you could consider putting one of the bags up front with you, but for safety, never let a passenger sit in the front passenger seat next to you.

 

2. The answer is C. The world-famous department store can be found on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge. Founded in 1849, it offers over 5,000 brands all under one roof and even introduced a dress code for customers in the 1980s, which are referred to as ‘Visitor Guidelines’ today.

 

3.The answer is B. Research from the Chicago University showed that yellow cars were involved in fewer accidents as they stood out more in a crowded street.

 

4. The answer is A. The Apollo theatre is nearest to Victoria station.

 

5. The answer is C. Robert De Niro played the anti-hero Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s movie about a loner cab driver who experiences the darker side of New York City.

 

6. The answer is B. Taxi drivers who are carrying passengers or driving around looking for fares do not have to wear seatbelts.

 

7. The answer is B. All taxi drivers have a duty to carry all assistance dogs, including guide dogs, hearing dogs or any other type of assistance dog trained to support people with disabilities.

 

8. The answer is B. Usually licensed taxis and licensed private hire vehicles are allowed to travel in bus lanes to help ease congestion but it’s best to check with your local authority first as rules can vary from region to region.

 

9. The answer is B. It’s illegal to smoke in a taxi, whether you’re smoking real cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes or electronic vapes. Both taxi drivers and passengers could face a fixed penalty fine of £50 if they’re caught smoking in a licensed taxi or private hire vehicle. This could increase to £200 if they are prosecuted and convicted.

 

10. The answer is C. It might seem silly but it is actually illegal to shout ‘taxi’ as you could distract the driver’s attention away from the road and cause an accident.

 

11. The answer is A. Someone wearing a bowler hat!

 

12. The answer is B. The Knowledge test was first brought in as a requirement for taxi drivers in the capital in 1865.

 

13. The answer is C. There are 320 routes or runs to learn in the famous Blue Book, all of which lie within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross.

 

14. The answer is A. There are around 20,000 cabs running every day across the capital with more electric versions on the horizon.

 

15. The answer is B. No you cannot refuse to take a fare even if it’s for a short distance. You must have a ‘reasonable excuse’ for refusing a fare and a short distance does not constitute a reasonable excuse.

 

16. The answer is B. Bilking is the term used when someone leaves a taxi without paying the fare. Failure to pay is considered an act of theft under Section 3 of the Theft Act 1978 – Making off without payment. If a passenger gets into your taxi knowing they don’t have enough money to pay for the fare, this is considered to be an offence under Section 11 of the Fraud Act 2006 – Obtaining services dishonestly. If someone does run off without paying, you should never put yourself at risk. Don’t attempt to chase them. It’s best to stay with your cab at all times and report them to the authorities as soon as you can. Read more about what bilking is over on our blog.

 

17. The answer is C. A London black cab has a super tight turning circle of 25ft, which allows it to turn around in a tight space and navigate around London’s narrow street system.

 

18. The answer is C. Only around 2.5% of taxi drivers in London are currently women according to figures from Transport for London in 2018. Travelling in a taxi can be dangerous for both men and women but safety measures like DBS checks and CCTV are helping to make the profession safer for both drivers and passengers alike.

 

19. The answer is C. Taxi drivers in the UK should take a break after driving for five and a half hours. These breaks should equal 30 minutes, or 45 minutes in any period of eight and a half hours. If you’re working for yourself it might be tempting to drive for longer hours to increase your earnings but it’s not worth it. Taxi insurance can help protect you from many things but falling asleep at the wheel is not one of them.

 

20. The answer is A. This is a handy way of remembering the orders of the theatres of Shaftesbury Avenue, namely the Lyric Theatre, The Apollo, The Gielgud, Queens and The Palace.

 

21. The answer is A. This is an easy one – these nicknames refer to Waterloo, Paddington and Marylebone stations. And if there’s ‘meat on the bone’ that means there are lots of passengers waiting to be picked up! Read on for more surprising nicknames that cabbies have for some of London’s most famous landmarks.

 

Did you know?

London cabbies have many nicknames for London’s famous landmarks that have evolved over the generations.

If you’re thinking about working in the capital and taking the Knowledge, you might want to get to know some of the phrases so you can navigate the city with ease.

Have you heard of all of these?

 

Den of Thieves – The London Stock Exchange

The Gas Works – Parliament

The Magic Circle – The area around the Piccadilly Circus

Kangaroo Valley – Earl’s Court

Tripe Factory – Broadcasting House

The Rathole – The taxi rank at Embankment Station

The Wedding Cake – The Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace

The Pipe – Blackwall Tunnel

The Scent Box – The taxi rank outside King’s Cross Station

The Natural History Museum – The Dead Zoo

Chiswick Roundabout – The Cherry Blossom

All Nations – The taxi rank in Kensington near the Embassies

If you want to learn about The Knowledge more in depth, read our blog on this.

The simple answer to taxi protection

There’s really only one answer when it comes to protecting your vehicles and drivers and that’s specialist taxi insurance.

Taxi Insurer can help you find you a fair deal on your taxi insurance with benefits including:

 

• Low deposits
• Monthly payment plans
• Public liability
• Employers’ liability
• Discounts for DSA taxi test with some insurers

 

Taxi Insurer understands that your cab is more than just a vehicle and that you need to protect it for the best price possible.

Taxis will always have higher insurance premiums due to the nature of the work and the increased miles they travel every year.

Whether you need cover as a business or an individual we can help find you the best solution for you.

Call our friendly UK-based team today to get a quote.