Can you wave down a taxi in London?

Never shout, “TAXI!” at a black taxi while it is moving. This is against the law and taxi drivers will not stop for you unless you stick out your arm to hail them. When a hailed taxi stops, approach the front passenger side window and explain to the driver where you want to go.



People Also Ask

There are two kinds of taxis in the U.K. - taxis that you flag down (Hackney carriages), and taxis that you book in advance (private hire) - and that includes Uber. You are not allowed to flag down a private hire vehicle.

MORE DETAILS

Since the time of Queen Anne, the humble Hackney carriage has attracted the most legislation, totaling over 37 Acts, many of which are still in force. One thing many passengers may not be aware of is it is actually illegal to hail a taxi cab in motion.

MORE DETAILS

When you see a cab, stretch your hand in the air. Some people give a little wave, some don't. But if you do wave, know that once is enough. If you make eye contact and see the car heading toward you, you can put your hand down.

MORE DETAILS

Yes, unless you're flagging down a black taxi. Don't flag down a private hire taxi on the street, even if it has a visible license plate and the driver looks okay. It's not safe to get in an unbooked private hire taxi and it's illegal for the driver to pick you up if you haven't booked in advance.

MORE DETAILS

There are two kinds of taxis in the U.K. - taxis that you flag down (Hackney carriages), and taxis that you book in advance (private hire) - and that includes Uber. You are not allowed to flag down a private hire vehicle.

MORE DETAILS

A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire.

MORE DETAILS

British law prohibits taxi drivers from wearing seat belts for their safety. Most of the time, the goal is to prevent robberies. Also, drivers find it difficult to escape dangerous riders quickly when wearing a belt. There is a higher risk of assault among seatbelt-wearing drivers.

MORE DETAILS

Thousands of taxi and minicab journeys are taken every day, the majority without incident. We take passenger safety extremely seriously.

MORE DETAILS

London Black Taxis +44 (0)20 3984 4515.

MORE DETAILS

From Driver Rule 54-20 (in PDF): It is against the law to refuse a person based on race, disability, or a destination in New York City. A taxicab driver is required to drive a passenger to any destination in the five boroughs. You can make a refusal complaint by calling 3-1-1.

MORE DETAILS

All black cabs accept payment by credit or debit card without a surcharge. For a full list of fares, check out Transport for London's taxi fares information. You can tip taxi drivers as much as you like, but most people round up to the nearest pound.

MORE DETAILS

All black cabs accept payment by credit or debit card without a surcharge. For a full list of fares, check out Transport for London's taxi fares information. You can tip taxi drivers as much as you like, but most people round up to the nearest pound.

MORE DETAILS

If you knowingly have the plague or a notifiable disease, it is illegal to flag down a taxi or ride the bus without first informing the driver.

MORE DETAILS

Would you be safe using Uber? Statistically, the answer is probably yes. There is very good public transport and a myriad of well trained licenced Black Cab and reliable Minicab drivers available in London should you not fancy gambling on statistics with Uber.

MORE DETAILS

For some reason, many visitors tend to believe black cabs only accept cash. This isn't true – it's the 2020s, after all! All black cab drivers will take contactless credit and/ or debit card payments via a card payment device.

MORE DETAILS