Cost of completing Knowledge of London taxi test hits over £10,000 mark, says popular taxi blogger
The cost of becoming a licensed London taxi driver has reportedly hit the £10,000 mark, according to one popular industry blogger.
Tom Hutley, a London taxi driver and successful YouTuber with more than 40,000 subscribers, posted his latest video which breaks down the individual costs involved when taking on the arduous Knowledge of London (KOL) test.
In the video Hutley details the cost of signing on to the KOL and also the costs associated with buying a moped and fuel throughout the testing period which can last on average between 3-4 years.
The video follows news of worryingly low numbers of KOL students currently being tested to become London taxi drivers. According to latest data from Transport for London (TfL) the number of students has fallen to its lowest level yet to just 552 being tested.
In November 2019 the number of candidates studying the KOL at the testing stages, otherwise known as ‘Appearances’, dropped below 1,000 for the first time and stood at 943. In addition there were 714 candidates that had not yet reached the testing stages, but were signed on to the KOL and learning the capital’s road network
Reducing the costs associated with completing the KOL has become a hot topic as industry representatives and TfL aim to boost the number of licensed taxi drivers in the capital long-term.
Hutley’s YouTube channel has been a massive hit with viewers ever since it first launched in March 2020. The London black cab driver and qualified taxi guide completed the ‘Knowledge of London’ in 2017 after 3 years of studying. Four years into the job he now has a fast-growing channel on YouTube and has recently launched his own blog.
