Victoria Hannan looks at the lives of London's cabbies.
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Barry
Barry deals with the traffic by looking at the Bible he keeps on his dashboard. It keeps him calm. Sometimes if his passengers are having a bad day, he’ll tell them about the word of God. He says it may help them but it also helps him pass the time. He’s been driving cabs for 22 years. -
Jamie
Thirteen years ago, Jamie left a job in an office because he didn’t like anyone telling him what to do. Now he loves the fact that his only boss is his wife. He reckons anyone who says being a cab driver is a bad job, just isn’t doing it right. -
Bill
Bill’s been a cabbie for 12 years. The most interesting passenger he’s ever had was an escaped psychiatric patient who apparently ran away every Saturday under the guise of buying a newspaper. Bill dropped him off next to a police officer when he refused to pay. -
Gerry
Gerry’s had his badge for 51 years. He says times have changed so much and it’s more competitive and cut-throat now. But he enjoys it more than he did at the beginning because he doesn’t need the money. Now he does it for the people, the connections. -
Andy
After working as a chauffeur for the Daily Telegraph for 16 years, Andy gave it up to become a cab driver. He’s been doing it for six years and says it’s a good job, especially when the market’s strong. He thinks things have been good since the start of the year and they’re only getting better. -
Ben
Ben gave up a job at the post office to drive a cab. That was 33 years ago. He likes seeing all the different faces every day. -
Ray
Ray’s been driving cabs for 16 years. He thinks it’s the best working class job there is and that there aren’t many others that let you work every day of your life if you want to. -
John
John says the freedom and a good tip are the best things about driving a cab. He thinks the traffic is impossible and it’s only getting worse. -
Gary
Gary’s had his badge for 22 years but he’s been too tired to work as much as usual. Something he blames on Bella, his family’s new labrador puppy. -
John
John was so nervous on his first shift that he drove around for two hours without even turning his light on. Now he mostly does nights, working as an electrician on the Underground during the day. He clocks about 75 hours a week but he’s not tired. -
Michael
Once, Michael picked up a Danish couple from their hotel in the morning and took them into central London. Then, by complete coincidence, he picked them up again that afternoon. Of all the cabs in London, they just happened to hail his. Twice. -
John
John’s had his badge for 24 years. He says it can be a lonely job, especially when passengers don’t want to talk. He thinks MPs are among the rudest passengers he’s ever had. They’re always running late and it’s always someone else’s fault. -
Mark
In his 20s, Mark got fed up of working in accounts at BT. So he got up at four in the morning, every day for three years so he could do The Knowledge before work. Twenty-four years later, he still thinks it was the best decision he’s ever made. -
Femi
Femi’s been a cabbie for 19 years. He doesn’t understand why some passengers don’t trust their drivers. They always think they’re going to be ripped off. Most drivers just want to get their passengers from A to B as quickly as possible. Femi wishes there was more trust. -
Mark
For Mark, the worst part about the job is not being able to help people when they need it. His worst ever fare was a lady who’d missed her last train and needed a place to sleep. He drove her around for more than an hour trying to find her a hotel. They were all full. So £90 later, he had to drop her back off at the train station.
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