TAXI drivers in Reading have to pass ‘the Knowledge’ test before they are given a licence and are allowed to pick up passengers. 

The test, set by Reading Borough Council, includes questions on disability awareness, safeguarding, the highway code, as well as key streets, locations and places of interest in the town. 

Few potential drivers pass first time, so the council has prepared a guide to the test. According to the guide, “to be a Reading private hire driver, you need to know Reading better than most people.

“You have to understand the licence conditions and legislation, so that your passengers get a safe, high quality service.”

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Candidates have 90 minutes to answer 45 questions, without referring to their own maps or notes. 

Examples in the guide of multiple-choice questions include whether you can smoke in a licensed vehicle, where to find the After Dark club, and what to do if you are concerned for a drunk teenager’s safety late at night. 

Candidates also need to buy an A–Z street atlas of Reading and are told to ‘learn small sections of the atlas at a time’. This even means going out and visiting the locations ‘to help them stick in your mind’. 

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The guide recommends how to test what drivers know before the exam. “Route finding — pick two locations at random and find the shortest route between them. 

“If that is too easy, pick ten locations at random and find the shortest route that goes to all of them.” 

The guide describes how taxi drivers should help passengers who use wheelchairs, blind passengers, and deaf passengers — “Always have paper and pen with you, and write things down if it makes it easier to understand each other.” 

On key locations, there are 10 multiple-choice questions, and candidates need to answer at least nine correctly to pass the Knowledge test. 

The locations they have to learn include where to find casinos, cinemas, courts, doctors surgeries, hospitals, hotels, swimming pools, libraries — and even the annual beer festival in Kings Meadow. 

Here are some example questions in the guide:

  • Can you smoke in a licensed vehicle? A. Yes, it is not hired out; B. No you can’t; C. Yes, if the passenger has said you can; D. Yes, if your company’s policy says you can.
  • When picking up a blind passenger from a pre-booked location, what should you do? A. Sound your horn three times and wait in the taxi; B. Arrange for them to be phoned five minutes before you arrive; C. Walk up to the front door and use the bell or door knocker; D. Sound your horn and give them time to get to the door before you go to help.
  • Where you would you find the After Dark club? A. Southampton Street; B. Gun Street; C. London Street; D. Friar Street.
  • You collect a teenage girl and two older men from a town centre bar late at night. The girl appears to be very intoxicated and not happy about going with the men. You are concerned for the girl’s safety. What action should you take? A. Take the men only because the girl is too drunk; B. Take the girl only because you do not trust the men; C. Report your concerns to the bar door staff or police; D. Ignore your concerns as its none of your business.