BLACK cabs may be at the end of the road — as the Knowledge faces calls to be axed.
An influential think tank says drivers for ride-hailing apps including Uber should have the same privileges as black cabbies.
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A report by the Adam Smith Institute recommends the world-famous London map test should go — which licensed taxi chiefs last night warned would be a “catastrophe”.
Minicabs and others should also be able to use bus lanes and pick up passengers from the street to make services cheaper and easier, the institute recommends.
Ministers are currently mulling over more regulation by introducing an Ofqual-certified test for all potential cabbies.
But Tory MP Greg Smith and the ASI are calling for greater deregulation.
Mr Smith said reform is “long overdue”, adding: “The revolution in consumer choice that services like Uber brought needs to be matched with the way the state sees taxi services.”
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, blasted the idea.
He told The Sun: “This report seems to advocate for a race to bottom, which would undermine the quality of the important service licensed taxis provide and seriously jeopardise passenger safety.”
He said it was exploring “how the Knowledge could be modernised” but scrapping it “would be catastrophic for the industry and passengers”.
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He added: “A satnav is no substitute for a professional driver’s knowledge and experience, especially in a busy, ever-evolving city like ours.”
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