Taxi Wars – Black Cab vs Mini Cab

The black cabs around our fair city are as iconic as the double-decker bus.  However, you’ll soon discover that these masters of the road are pretty damn expensive.  How expensive you ask?  On St. Patricks Day last year, it cost me 50 quid.  Yes, 5-0 to go from Soho to Acton Town.  And this was all on the meter.

You also have the occasional issue of cabbies refusing to take you where you want to go.  This happened to me while I was in Ladbroke Grove around 2 AM trying to go to Acton Town, which by the way isn’t that far away.  But after being turned down by three cabbies, I unfortunately had to wait for the night bus.

That being said, mini cabs can be really dodgy.  Firstly, you have no guarantee that the driver is properly trained.  I have on many occasions had to give my mini cab driver the postcode of my destination to enter into a sat nav (GPS).  And he still had trouble getting me there. 

In contrast, all black cab drivers have to know London like the back of their hand…well central London at least.  They all have to pass an intensive driving exam called the Knowledge where they literally have to know ever nook, cranny and intersection of the city.  Just tell them where you want to go and they’ll get you there.  Problem is it can be hard to find an empty cab especially if you’re in a popular spot like Piccadilly Circus or Soho at night.

Which bring us back to mini-cabs which tend to be conveniently parked right outside clubs late at night.  The only problem with this is that its illegal for them to do this.  It can also be dangerous as the person who you think is a cab driver could just be some crazed murderer/rapist.  So unless you are with a group of people, I’d be extremely cautious of going into one of these alone.  You really should only get into a mini-cab if you have called them to pick you up.

 But on the bright side you can get the number of a reputable mini-cab service, like Addison Lee and have them pick you up.  No muss. No fuss.  Plus mini-cabs are on a whole cheaper than black cabs and their prices are negotiable.

The verdict:  Black cabs are awesome if you’re going short distances or if you need to get to a place you’ve never been. However, if you want to save a bit of cash, mini-cabs are the way to go.