Only black cabs can be hailed in the street. If the yellow taxi sign is on, the cab is available for hire.
Can black cabs be booked?
London’s famous taxis (black cabs) can be booked in advance, hailed on the street, or picked up from designated taxi ranks.
Can you drive a black cab for personal use?
Yes, you can buy a London taxi and keep it as a personal vehicle. However, you should ensure that you aren’t misleading people into thinking the black cab is for hire – to do so, make sure the cab is modified so it’s fit for private use.
How do I know if a black cab is free?
How and when to hail a cab. Generally, when a black cab’s light is illuminated it means that the taxi is available for hire. When the light is off it means that either the cab is already carrying passengers or the driver is off-duty.
How do you call the driver of a black cab?
Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as “mushers” and those who have just passed the “knowledge” are known as “butter boys”. There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.
Can you call a black cab?
London’s official taxis, black cabs can be hailed in the street or at designated ranks located in prominent places, including many train, Tube and bus stations. They can also be booked through the Gett app and by phone. If the yellow taxi sign on the front is illuminated, the cab is available for hire.
Is there an app for black cabs?
Gett. This black-cab booking app, available on both iOS and Android, came to London in 2011. Unlike Uber, there’s no surge-pricing during peak times and because of its recent focus on taxi sharing, fares are often reasonable.
Can a black taxi refuse a fare?
Taxi drivers are within their rights to refuse a fair – but only if they have a “reasonable excuse” or the passenger wants to travel outside of the controlled district.
Can a black cab refuse?
A driver of a taxi (or hackney carriage) can only refuse to carry passengers within a controlled district if he has reasonable excuse to do so. What constitutes “reasonable excuse” is ultimately a matter for a court of law to determine.
Can you drink alcohol in a black cab?
But for the passengers in the back it is not illegal for an adult to drink alcohol. That said, it is completely up to the taxi driver whether it’s acceptable to eat or drink in their cab. Drinking alcohol whilst moving from a to b in a taxi or private hire vehicle isn’t really accepted as normal practice.
Is black cab or Uber cheaper?
In such a case, a taxi is a better option because Uber and its rival services depend upon surge pricing to boost their fares. Contrary to that, taxi prices remain the same despite high demand. So it is better to opt for a taxi during hours of high demand.
How do you pay for a black cab?
Paying for your journey
All black cab drivers will take contactless credit and/ or debit card payments via a card payment device. Said device may be handheld – therefore, handed to you by the driver for you to use – or fixed for your use in the cab’s passenger compartment.
Why do cab drivers ask for cash?
Every day they clear their expenses with the earnings from their previous day. Since most drivers have meagre savings, they need a steady cash flow to meet their ends, refuel and maintain their vehicles and support their families.
What cars are black cabs?
Most London black cabs are manufactured by the London Taxi Company (LTI,) although car makers such as Peugeot, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Fiat make specialty-built rivals. By law, all London cabs must have a turning radius of 25 ft or smaller.
How do black cabs work?
Black taxis
Are also called hackney carriages, or black cabs, although they can be any colour. Have a ‘for hire’ light on their roof. This means they can be hailed on the street or from a taxi rank. Can be pre-booked.
Can you get 6 in a black cab?
Different from many taxis around the world, black cabs in London can carry 5 people, as well as the driver.
Do black cabs charge by distance or time?
As London black cabs are a little larger, they can carry up to 5 passengers. Your journey will be calculated based on distance or time, whichever is the higher option. There’s no extra charges for luggage, number of passengers or assistance dogs.
How do you pay for a black cab in London?
All taxi drivers must accept card and contactless payments via the approved TfL fixed card payment device located in the passenger compartment and provide printed receipts for those payments upon request. Handheld payment devices do not meet the licensing requirements and are regarded as unapproved devices.
What do you say when you call a cab?
When you call up the taxi company, you can ask to book a taxi at a certain time by saying “May I book a taxi at (time)?” or if you would like one right away, you can say “When is the soonest I could book a taxi for?” Next, you need to tell the taxi operator where you are by saying “I’m at (address)” or “Could you send
Do black taxis take cash?
First, you should know that all black cabs take credit or debit cards and contactless payment methods. While cash remains the standard form of payment, every black taxi carries card payment devices. The device can be fixed or handheld, but most taxis have it installed in the passenger compartment.
Are black cabs faster than Uber?
At the end of their trial, black cabs worked out faster, taking on average 88 per cent of the time an Uber did – although they were also around 35 per cent more expensive.