Satnav no match for London cabbies -- yet (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) - Satellite navigation systems may be thelatest "must have" car gadgets but London cabbies, who have topass the world's toughest taxi exam, are not impressed.

While hundreds of thousands of the electronic mappingdevices are sold every year -- despite some reports of softwareglitches that have sent drivers down one-way streets or upimpassable mountain tracks -- most cabbies in London regardthem as largely irrelevant.

The increasingly sophisticated devices were allowed inLondon cabs for the first time earlier this year, but so farfew drivers have opted for the hi-tech guidance systems,preferring instead to rely on their own brain power.

"I would say take-up has been about 4 or 5 percent, maybehigher for drivers doing the airport runs and those doing jobsin the London suburbs," said Bob Oddy, general secretary of theLondon Taxi Drivers' Association.

He said all London's 25,000 cab drivers take pride inhaving passed the grueling exam called "The Knowledge" in orderto win the coveted license that allows them to ply their trade.

Would-be cabbies have to learn 320 standard routes and befamiliar with the city's myriad streets, roads and avenues aswell as countless short-cuts and public buildings.

In total nearly all streets within a six mile radius ofCharing Cross near Trafalgar Square are covered, along with thecapital's major arterial routes.

"Regardless of the salesmen's hype about these machinesthey cannot match the knowledge and experience of a goodcabby," Oddy said.

The test is so tough -- it can take up 34 months of study,albeit part-time, to pass -- that academic studies have shownpart of the brain of successful applicants actually enlarges.

Scientists found London taxi drivers have a largerhippocampus, the part of the brain associated with navigation,than other people.

The Knowledge requires drivers to know such details as theorder of theatres along the main West End thoroughfares andwhere top hotels and government offices are located.

Oddy said a black cab driver will also know that a route at7 a.m. might be congested an hour later and that longer routeson paper may actually be quicker.

London's lack of a grid system and the fact that licensedcabs can be hailed from any street means taxi drivers have todecide immediately which route to take rather than stopping tolook at a map, or ask a controller by radio or to key indestinations into a satnav, said Oddy.

But that could change as the devices become easier to useand more advanced.

"I expect lots of drivers would accept satnavs in theircabs if the machines were really easy to use -- but to behonest if you have been cabbing for a few years you are notreally thinking about what route to take, it's more like secondnature," said cabby David Jacobs.

"It's a source of pride that we know every short-cut, hotelor whatever. It always amazes tourists, especially Americanbusinessmen," said the 36-year-old who spent over 3 yearsstudying, including driving every route on a moped with astreet atlas propped open on the handlebars.

TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES

But technology is moving fast in the satnav arena: thelatest generation of machines now has low-level trafficcongestion recognition and further developments are on thehorizon.

George Marshall-Thornhill at consumer magazine Which? hasbeen testing the current crop of new products and believes theywill surprise even the skeptics when they reach the shops.

New versions are likely to be downloadable onto mobilephones and will have functions that tie-in traffic updates fromthe radio with re-routing software.

Marshall-Thornhill said the devices can be invaluable forunfamiliar routes, but less useful for regular journeys such asthose undertaken every day by cab drivers.

Nevertheless he thought the microchip would eventuallysqueeze out the brain cell.

"My prediction is yes, they will in the future become soadvanced that 'The Knowledge' may become obsolete," he said.

"At the moment the devices don't have the sophisticationabout blocked routes, which short cuts are best etc ... so 'TheKnowledge" is still going to have the advantage for the next10-15 years."

He said that while acquiring "The Knowledge" was animpressive feat, it may not be necessary if in future all thatinformation can be stored and easily accessed in a littlegadget on a vehicle's dashboard.

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