On a cold dry sunny morning in January, the founding members of Black Taxi Tour London (BTTL) sat around a huge oak boardroom table in the private dining area of The Admiralty Pub. The Admiralty is a charming pub that sits right in the heart of London’s Trafalgar Square. As the name suggests, it pays homage to one of Britain’s heroes – Lord Horatio Nelson, whose statue stands proudly on a column surrounded by the famous four lions in the middle of the square.
The purpose of the gathering was to hold one of our quarterly meetings where we catch up with one another to discuss, debate, and develop our company in a convivial and relaxed atmosphere over a drink and some wonderful pub food. It is also provides a great opportunity to reminisce about our early days as a company.
Black Taxi Tour London is a ground-breaking concept. We are a group of fourteen licensed London black cab drivers who have a combined knowledge base of more than three hundred years between us. We first met in a lecture room at the Museum of London whilst attending an intense training and study programme (over a period of several months) to qualify as London tour guides.
The course was designed and facilitated by the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, and our lecturers came from diverse backgrounds and disciplines within the guiding industry; Blue Badge guides, historians, and presentational experts put us through our paces.
After we had qualified in the theory, written and practical elements of the exam, fourteen of us (out of a class of twenty-six students) discovered that we shared a common passion and belief that we would love to share our knowledge of London’s fascinating history by forming a cooperative guiding company. After all, we were all experienced London cabbies. Not only did we possess the knowledge of London’s intricate streets, but we also now had the recognised qualification of a professional tour guiding body.
This is where Black Taxi Tour London sets us apart from any other guiding company. As working cabbies and qualified guides we have become the number one ‘go to’ guiding company to visit for a bespoke tour of London and the surrounding areas. But, we don’t sit back on our laurels, we are continually introducing new tours and experiences in our portfolio. Keep an eye out for the new Platinum Tour to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Anniversary in June 2022. As equal partners and ambassadors of BTTL it is our individual and collective responsibility to offer a personal and flexible experience for your tour. But, don’t just take our word for it – check out our customer reviews and see for yourselves.
We are delighted that many of our guests are returning for further tours and recommending BTTL to their friends and family.
We were determined at the outset to provide a one stop shop for our guests and to provide a range of tours and services that could demonstrate our professionalism and highlight our own individual identities. Through our brilliant admin department and web developers we can maintain an up to the minute online presence and social network platforms to keep our visitors and guests fully informed of new and exciting projects.
