Black cab badges show which drivers have The Knowledge
Passengers are being warned to watch out for black cab drivers who don't know their way around the heart of the city.
London drivers are supposed to have "The Knowledge" of central streets, enabling them to work out the quickest route. However, some cabbies claim drivers without it are coming in from the suburbs because of a shortage of work there, and illegally taking their business.
Transport for London is now insisting that ID badges be displayed on the front and back of all black cabs, telling customers whether the vehicle is allowed to pick them up. Green badges denote a cab permitted to operate in the centre, while yellow badges show drivers are only allowed to take fares in the suburbs.
Drivers have had the badges for some time, but have not previously been required to display them at all times. Green badge-holding cabbies claim up to 70 per cent of yellow-badge drivers were taking fares in central London.
Darryl Cox, from the London Cab Drivers' Club, said: "The recession made this much more of a problem." The badge system was "about keeping things fair", he added.
Helen Chapman, deputy director of TfL's London Taxi & Private Hire licensing authority, said: "These identifiers will bring London into line with many other licensing authorities."
source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23976400-black-cab-badges-show-which-drivers-have-the-knowledge.do
