Travelling through London – Taxis
Another famous image of London is its black taxis called cabs. Their cheaper counterparts are called minicabs and look like ordinary cars. Black cabs are licensed by the police, whilst minicabs are not licensed or regulated by any body. Most populated areas in the UK will have at least minicab services whilst larger towns and cities also have black cabs.
Black cabs are also known as Hackney Carriages. They are allowed by law to stop, where it is safe to do so, to pick up fare paying passengers on the streets of London. Every journey’s fare is metered and drivers are not allowed to charge more than what appears on the meter. Tips are discretionary. Meters determine fare by counting time and mileage. The meters are regularly tested for their accuracy. 99.9% of black cab drivers, called cabbies, are honest, fair people and great conversationalists to boot.
London’s cabbies have to undergo a demanding, unpaid apprenticeship known as the Knowledge. It involves 3 years of getting to know, off by heart, every London street name, its location, traffic directions and likely traffic flow at different times of the day and week. Most importantly they must be able to know the shortest and quickest routes (allowing for traffic) in London. Once you’ve been to London will you know what an achievement this is. Only a third of candidates pass the final test. There are only ever just over 2 000 licensed black cabs in London.
Minicabs are regular cars driven by a driver needing only a valid driver’s licence. No special knowledge of his trade, London or even English is required. They are not allowed to stop for people on the street, but collect their customers after the person has phoned their office to request their service. Minicabs are cheaper than black cabs, but they have no meters in them. You need to agree the fare before beginning your journey. The drivers are mostly decent, hard-working people who are a cross section of the various nationalities to be found in London today.
Beware minicab touts in Soho, the West End’s theatre areas and other busy areas, who will tell you that they have a cab waiting just around the corner. This is an attempt to circumvent the law and these unscrupulous people are to be avoided. Mini cab company numbers can be found in the Yellow Pages. They often advertise with small business cards stuck onto public payphones. Calling a typical mini cab from a reputable company will result in as good a service and cost less than using a black cab. Also, just because a company has the largest advertisement in a phone book, it doesn’t mean that it offers the best service.