It's a mix in the US. "Career" taxi drivers that have been in an area for a long while will generally be able to get you where you want to go based on landmarks and place names. Many will ask for a cross-street and will take you there from memory. Newer drivers or drivers who cover a larger area will rely heavily on satnav.

Even then, many experienced drivers will still use satnav due to changing traffic conditions. Since there are usually several routes that can be taken, using Google Maps or the like will tell the driver what the fastest route is during that particular moment, which might change every 15 minutes.

I remember when Uber was new (black cars only), and the app didn't yet give the ability to enter your destination, the drivers were all very knowledgeable (in SF) and would be able to take me where I wanted to go based on pretty minimal information. Especially in SF, UberX and Lyft Line are full of drivers who don't live in the city, and must rely on satnav to get around. Very occasionally (1 in 100 rides) I'll end up with a driver who has lived in the city for decades and could drive me somewhere in their sleep.

"At first, this was a surprise, as in my native UK I can literally give a street name within 50 miles of where I am, and the driver cocks their head for a second, gears whir, and yes! They know it!"

I'm not sure where in the UK you are, but if you pick a street at random (i.e. give all streets within 50 miles equal weight, and pick a name out of the hat), it's far from guaranteed that a taxi driver would know where it is, and how to get there.

- <30 square miles: The area within 6 miles of Charing Cross, within which London taxi drivers must know every single street.

- ~606 square miles: The area of Greater London, within which London taxi drivers must know the main roads.

- ~7800 square miles: The area "within 50 miles of where I am"

That's because in the UK they have to know the area before they can get a taxi license. No such requirement exists in the US.

That is only true if you want to drive a black cab in central London. My northern taxis are just as OP described.

Up here in Newcastle I'm yet to meet an Uber driver who knows their way around, and it's a tiny city. My favourite was the guy who had no idea how to get to the airport despite it being literally 15 minute drive from the city centre. One of the roads was closed(and Google maps of course had no idea about it, it's completely useless), so the driver started asking me for directions to get to the airport - and my only reaction was "dude, seriously? You drive a taxi for a living and have no idea how to get to the only airport for a mid-size city??". Literally every Uber I've taken so far was both useless at navigating and borderline criminal with their driving ability(driving too fast, too aggressively, not paying enough attention).

Didn't know that. Thanks.

That's probably because becoming a taxi driver in places like London is extremely hard (https://www.theknowledgetaxi.co.uk), while becoming a taxi driver in Houston is probably as simple as "do you have a license?"

I lived in a small New Jersey town where getting a taxi medallion involved little more than paying $100 and promising to charge every customer no more than $5 (for in-town trips).

I'm not in London, or even England. AFAIK, it's relatively straightforward to get a taxi license anywhere in the UK but London.

Yes, London is the whole UK.

EDIT: If it sets a standard then why has that standard not been adopted nationwide? Your argument is dead in the water and I can only assume you’re speaking as a person who has never visited the UK.

It sets a standard.

The US has no such equivalent.

Speaking from my own experience though, for the few times I was in London, the driver would need the zip code to drive from airport to the home stay.