Put your hand out on a busy London street and you might get picked up by one of today’s guests. Danny McIntyre and Greg Smith are licensed hackney carriage drivers. They are part of a tradition that goes back centuries, commonly known today as ‘black cabs’. As well as transporting people across London, Danny and Greg also take curious visitors to the top historical sites and regale them with stories of the city’s past.

On this episode, we uncover how they earned their prestigious licence, including taking an exam that involves memorising 25,000 London streets. They share how they expanded their roles into tour guiding, and we learn about the taxi trade’s longstanding culture of benevolence, including an annual trip that takes children from London’s hospitals on an exciting day out. Finally, we hear about the array of people they have driven around, and how there’s more to being a London cabbie than meets the eye.

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro

(02:36) Backstories of Danny & Greg

(13:00) Cab tours vs walking tours

(17:24) A tradition of benevolence

(20:40) More than driving

(23:32) Quirky & famous passengers

(28:03) Outro

Links: THE CHILDREN’S MAGICAL TAXI TOUR

Website: https://magicaltaxitour.com DANNY MCINTYRE

Website: https://traditionallondontours.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Lifeofalondoncabbie

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeofalondoncabbie

GREG SMITH

Website: https://cityoflondonguides.com/find/gregsmith

Instagram: https://instagram.com/greglondonguide

JEREMY JOHN: Tours: https://historyupclose.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/londonwithjeremy