dba

Yes i think they do a "service",get loads of stick after 11pm blah blah blah,but who on earth can afford them now? I have just used one,and the meter was at £2.00,plus for some reason £1.20 for "extras" (no case,just me,it must be my weight) and 2 miles later................i had to pay £7.60

and while i am ranting,why dont they fit suspension to these things? I would have got a smoother ride coming home on a spacehopper

Tim-Grove

Your write there mate, I got one on the way home on Sat night after a pi55 up and what would normally cost me £6 from our local private hire mini cab company cost me £13!!! in a black cab. No wonder in our town you see all the black cabs driving round looking for fare’s and all the private hire cars taken.

dba

yep,they have priced themselves out of a job

Hobo_Jojo

blimmin ell, black cab for 2 miles ish here is £3

dba

well Hobo,down here,it was £3.20 before a frigging wheel had moved

Daz34

I live not far from the airport & the fits & sulks they have when I tell them where I live are hilarious. They do have to queue for ages to pick up a fare from the terminals though but that's their problem.

Darren

Jerome

Black cabs were expensive *before* Red Ken waded in and increased the fares between 8pm and 11pm by 25% (IIRC). It backfired and the cabbies ended up getting less money. People just got the tube instead.

I always found black cabs a rip off. Especially the ones that take you a circuitous route because they think you are a tourist. If you have the audacity to complain (however politely) they either explode into a rage or lock you in and call the police. I speak from experience. Don't even think about going south of the river either.

Toronto cabs are much, much cheaper and the drivers (mostly immigrants) are far more polite and pleasant than most black cab drivers. They are also prepared to work late at night and weekends. The only thing I miss about the Smoke is being able to get Red Bull.

fatherpierre

Agreed - complete rip off.

I'd rather use a minicab company or even one of the many illegals that are outside every pub/bar in London. Just offer a silly, low price and away you go for around 25% of the price of Dick Turpin's black cab.