London Taxi driver Charlie Green has decided to call it a day having spent 60 glorious years working throughout the capital.
Born in Stepney, London in 1925, Charlie joined the cab trade having spent five years (1942 to 1947) in the army. As a second generation family member to become a taxi driver, Charlie thought his keen eye for detail, razor sharp wit and profound interest in human nature would make him ideally suited for a career in the taxi industry. He went on to study and pass the Knowledge test in 1948, and soon found himself sitting behind the wheel of a Chinese upright courtesy of cab firm London General at 1 Brixton Road, SW9.
Having served the London cab trade with great pride and passion, Charlie often looks back fondly on the memories of his role. Over the years, he delighted thousands of UK and international passengers with his fascinating observations, which were always rich in history and featured a humorous twist.
One of Charlie’s earliest passengers was former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, who he picked up from the Houses of Parliament en route to the PM’s home in Hyde Park Gate. Other famous passengers included international singing star Dame Shirley Bassey, actors Robert Newton and Rex Harrison and comedians Tony Hancock and Benny Hill amongst numerous others.
“The streets were so quiet back then compared to the hustle and bustle of today’s busy transport network. Getting from A to B was so easy.” said Charlie.
“I first started out driving a Chinese upright, a vehicle which had no side windows for the driver or suspension. It certainly made for an interesting ride on the cobbled streets of the capital. I then drove an Austin 6 taxi and a selection of vehicles within the TX series, before finally driving a Fairway – one of the cabs that used to be manufactured by the taxi firm LTI Vehicles.”
Having never owned a taxi, Charlie worked for a number of garages throughout the region including firms such as Feldays in Bethnal Green and finally Frank Tingley Motors in Cable Street, Stepney. It was here that Charlie made the difficult decision to finally take retirement.
“I spend most of my time now trying to stay active and mobile. I’ve always remained young at heart, which is why I’ve continued as a taxi driver for so many years. However, the main reason for not retiring before now is that those in the trade would always say that you shouldn’t retire too early because your wife will drive you mad.
“I wouldn’t have wished to do anything else but be part of the world famous London taxi service and will miss all those within the industry greatly. I would like to let my ex-colleagues on the Barbican City Hotel cab rank and café in Smithfield Meat Market, who I used to see on Sundays, know that I am still alive and kicking!”