In London, I recently found out that to be a licensed taxi driver, the drivers need to pass a course called "The Knowledge". For my British Culture class we had to do an analytical-type journal and here is one of my entries on the knowledge:
Droppin’ Knowledge
As I sipped my tea in a café with a friend, an older, very tired, fed up looking man sat down at the open seat next to me. He was a taxi driver. The conversation started with the weather and ended with why he was an Arsenal fan. Typical. In between however, I learned all about a thing called The Knowledge. I had noticed that in the few taxi rides I have taken the drivers have a certain air about them and now I know why. They all had to complete a three-year certification course in order to safely get me back to Queensberry. The man explained the whole process to us including coveted study strategies. The entire process almost reminded me of students preparing for SAT's or ACT's to get into college.
My initial thought was how great it was that London Taxi drivers participate in The Knowledge. It helps ensure efficiency well as safety; after all, you’re putting your life in the hand of the driver. I began to think about taxi drivers in America. They don’t go through training as rigorous as the Knowledge. They gain an understanding of efficient driving through experience, and most everyone feels safe in their hands. Additionally being a taxi driver is a job, which is accessible to all citizens, including those with little schooling, little English, or whatever other factors which may make it difficult to get another type of job. Is the Knowledge another version of class conflict in Britain? Is it a way to ensure proper Taxi service, or a way to control what citizens interact and serve one another? Would the city government be too worried about the safety of taxi service if those that couldn’t pass such an intensive course were the drivers? Maybe they just want London to be the best it can be. I still am not sure of the correct answer and most likely never will be.
