7 ms·

Or having safety training for drivers of cabs. If only that were true. Taxi drivers are among the most reckless drivers in my city, and pretty well every other

by cubix 16y ago

Or having safety training for drivers of cabs. If only that were true. Taxi drivers are among the most reckless drivers in my city, and pretty well every other major city in North America that I've visited. If there is any training, it is not taken too seriously.

pierrefar 16y ago
every other major city in North America Why stop at North America? It's worldwide. BUT: The only good thing about taxis in London is that they need to pass a test called The Knowledge (refs below) which means they are able to figure out the best route to anywhere in London on the fly. And if you think this is easy, it's not: the structure of the brains of taxi drivers is actually bigger in the part responsible for spacial memory, the discovery of which led the researchers winning the Ig Nobel prize. Refs: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpartners/taxisandprivatehire/1412.aspx http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpartners/taxisandprivatehir... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#The_Knowledge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/677048.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/677048.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7613621.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7613621.stm http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2003 http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2003
- bravura 16y ago
  A more comical interpretation, arguing that this test leads these cabbies to have mutant brains: http://everything2.com/title/Mutant+brains+of+London+cabbies http://everything2.com/title/Mutant+brains+of+London+cabbies
- michael_dorfman 16y ago
  The only good thing about taxis in London is that they need to pass a test called The Knowledge (refs below) which means they are able to figure out the best route to anywhere in London on the fly. HNers who are into Sci-Fi ought to check out Will Self's "The Book of Dave", which is funny, brilliant, and (in large part) about a future post-apocalyptic society which makes a religion of "The Knowledge."
- Murkin 16y ago
  Can you elaborate on why this is a good thing ? Instead of using a 200$ GPS, they are required to spend a long time studying a body of knowledge superseded by technology. And this translates to higher costs for the casual cab-rider.
  - ramchip 16y ago
    I suppose there are cases where people want to go to certain places, eg. "the shopping center", without having specific enough information to look it up with a GPS. Also, the driver knows ways that may be faster than what a GPS will suggest, since he knows about traffic, construction, etc. Then there's the social aspect: by being more strict and maintaining an image of quality, you can attract better, nicer drivers.
    - Murkin 16y ago
      Obviously a driver shouldn't be someone who is in the city for the first time. They know all the major points (like shopping centers). The other points just shows that GPS have a bit to go yet, and they are going there. There are quite a lot of GPS solutions who get real-time traffic updates, construction, etc (look at waze.com) The second point is true, wonder if there is a better way to solve it tho
  - pierrefar 16y ago
    Remember this is from the days before GPS devices were so common. And frankly, given how rubbish a lot of those devices are, a human's intimate knowledge of the side roads is a very good thing; for example when you hit unexpected traffic and the device's service hasn't updated yet and you're in a hurry.
  - RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
    The driver's knowledge is not superseded by technology. Transit times in London are heavily affected by factors not taken into account by SatNav devices. Roadworks, time of day, congestion patterns due to current events, and accidents, all can change optimal route selection by factors of 5 or even 10, and all are taken into account by the London cabbie. I would trust a London Black Cab driver's route selection over SatNav every time, without fail.
stretchwithme 16y ago
I wonder if part of the reason for all the unsafe driving is that passengers have reduced incentive to complain about it. Clearly, it endangers passengers, but passengers WANT drivers to go faster so they can avoid paying too much. I'm not sure if per minute/mile pricing is necessary or just a creature of regulation. I certainly don't encounter it any other time I travel with someone else driving. It certainly ruins the cab experience for me. Can't they properly estimate time and distance now with the mapping and traffic apps we have today?

by cubix 16y ago

pierrefar 16y ago

every other major city in North America Why stop at North America? It's worldwide. BUT: The only good thing about taxis in London is that they need to pass a test called The Knowledge (refs below) which means they are able to figure out the best route to anywhere in London on the fly. And if you think this is easy, it's not: the structure of the brains of taxi drivers is actually bigger in the part responsible for spacial memory, the discovery of which led the researchers winning the Ig Nobel prize. Refs: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpartners/taxisandprivatehire/1412.aspx http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpartners/taxisandprivatehir... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#The_Knowledge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/677048.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/677048.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7613621.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7613621.stm http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2003 http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2003

bravura 16y ago
A more comical interpretation, arguing that this test leads these cabbies to have mutant brains: http://everything2.com/title/Mutant+brains+of+London+cabbies http://everything2.com/title/Mutant+brains+of+London+cabbies
michael_dorfman 16y ago
The only good thing about taxis in London is that they need to pass a test called The Knowledge (refs below) which means they are able to figure out the best route to anywhere in London on the fly. HNers who are into Sci-Fi ought to check out Will Self's "The Book of Dave", which is funny, brilliant, and (in large part) about a future post-apocalyptic society which makes a religion of "The Knowledge."
Murkin 16y ago
Can you elaborate on why this is a good thing ? Instead of using a 200$ GPS, they are required to spend a long time studying a body of knowledge superseded by technology. And this translates to higher costs for the casual cab-rider.
- ramchip 16y ago
  I suppose there are cases where people want to go to certain places, eg. "the shopping center", without having specific enough information to look it up with a GPS. Also, the driver knows ways that may be faster than what a GPS will suggest, since he knows about traffic, construction, etc. Then there's the social aspect: by being more strict and maintaining an image of quality, you can attract better, nicer drivers.
  - Murkin 16y ago
    Obviously a driver shouldn't be someone who is in the city for the first time. They know all the major points (like shopping centers). The other points just shows that GPS have a bit to go yet, and they are going there. There are quite a lot of GPS solutions who get real-time traffic updates, construction, etc (look at waze.com) The second point is true, wonder if there is a better way to solve it tho
- pierrefar 16y ago
  Remember this is from the days before GPS devices were so common. And frankly, given how rubbish a lot of those devices are, a human's intimate knowledge of the side roads is a very good thing; for example when you hit unexpected traffic and the device's service hasn't updated yet and you're in a hurry.
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
  The driver's knowledge is not superseded by technology. Transit times in London are heavily affected by factors not taken into account by SatNav devices. Roadworks, time of day, congestion patterns due to current events, and accidents, all can change optimal route selection by factors of 5 or even 10, and all are taken into account by the London cabbie. I would trust a London Black Cab driver's route selection over SatNav every time, without fail.

stretchwithme 16y ago

I wonder if part of the reason for all the unsafe driving is that passengers have reduced incentive to complain about it. Clearly, it endangers passengers, but passengers WANT drivers to go faster so they can avoid paying too much. I'm not sure if per minute/mile pricing is necessary or just a creature of regulation. I certainly don't encounter it any other time I travel with someone else driving. It certainly ruins the cab experience for me. Can't they properly estimate time and distance now with the mapping and traffic apps we have today?