Knowing your local attractions
Knowing your local attractions
For many taxi drivers, passing a local knowledge test is an essential requirement of becoming licensed. Indeed, the Knowledge of London can take 3 years of hard work and learning 30,000 points of interest. For smaller towns and regions, the tests are not as gruelling, but knowing your area is nonetheless important. Quite often you can become a pseudo tour guide, asked by your customers for recommendations. Good knowledge can also lead to good tips and repeat business. We’ve therefore suggested some things to think about to build your local knowledge.
History
It’s always good to have some local trivia up your sleeve. Whether the history of the local towns, some famous names, perhaps even a ghost story or two. Knowing about where you drive can give some useful insight to your passengers and leave them with the happy feeling that they’ve learned a little more about where they are visiting. It is perhaps wise visiting the local museum or tourist information centre to brush up on your local expertise.
Restaurants
Restaurant recommendations are always important. Knowing the best places to eat and drink do not just earn you brownie points, but can result in repeat custom if you offer to pick up and drop off your customers should they book a table. It’s good to browse online reviews, as well as advise from personal experience, so you can offer the best advice.
Shops
Knowing where to buy what can be tricky, especially if you’re new to an area. Knowing the best supermarkets, clothes shops and pharmacies is a good start for most needs. But getting to know the local independent shops, as well as where to go for even the most obscure items will help you help your customers when they are searching for something.
Events
There’s often a lot more going on in your area than you may think. From seasonal gatherings to comedy and music, it’s recommended that you keep an eye on the what’s on column of your local newspapers so you can bring up ideas in conversation that provide insight to even your regular local customers.
Things to do
Whether the local museum, cinema or sports centre, there’s usually lots to do if you look hard enough. It’s worth getting to know the opening times of your local leisure attractions, keeping up to date with what’s going on and being able to make suggestions when your customers are asking about things to do in the area. Remember, the more you know about an area and can help your customers looking to do things, the more likely the