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Katie Brennan, Matthew Riley
May 17, 2026 / 7:17 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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London’s black cab drivers, already besieged by rideshare companies, may soon face another threat: AI-powered, autonomous taxis.
Yet many drivers feel they can offer something that AI can’t – deep knowledge of the city’s ancient streets and medieval alleyways. To get a cab license, drivers must pass the Knowledge, a 161-year-old test that requires memorizing 25,000 streets and thousands of landmarks and businesses. The exam process also tests an aspiring cabbie’s ability to determine the shortest route between two random points, and articulate it on the fly.
Tom Scullion, who’s been driving one of London’s black cabs for more than 30 years, says this knowledge is what makes Google Maps inferior to a black cab driver.
“It’s like comparing a hot dog vendor to Gordon Ramsay,” Scullion said, referring to the British celebrity chef.
This knowledge will soon be tested like never before. Autonomous vehicles, powered by AI, aren’t picking up passengers yet, but several tech companies are already trying out their cars in London.
What it takes to become a black cab driver in London
Trust and confidence in cabbies dates back to 1865 when the Knowledge exam was first introduced to London’s horse drawn cabmen. Today, aspiring cabbies head to the Transport for London office, which oversees transportation in the city, for a series of oral exams known as “appearances.”
Candidates are quizzed on how to get between two random points as examiners measure the distance, ensuring they’re calling the shortest route. Some cabbie hopefuls try dozens of times over years to pass the test. Anshu Moorjani successfully completed the Knowledge this past week after trying to pass for the last five years.
Anshu Moorjani
60 Minutes
The memorization required to be a black cab driver has proven so challenging that it can change the structure of cabbies’ brains. A study from University College London found cab drivers’ posterior hippocampi, the part of the brain linked to memory, got bigger throughout their careers.
The effort is worth it to some drivers, who feel like they’re an iconic and essential part of London.
“It’s hundreds of years of all of history,” Moorjani said.