How much do black cab drivers earn London?

Drivers who rent their cab rather than buy are paying anything between £180-£240 per week, depending on age and model of cab. This excludes fuel of course. Most put in a 40- to 50-hour week and earn around £23,000 after expenses.



In 2026, the earnings of a London black cab driver vary significantly based on their working hours, experience, and the time of day they choose to work. On average, a full-time driver can expect a gross income between £35,000 and £50,000 per year, though top earners who work unsociable hours or weekends can exceed £65,000. It is important to distinguish between gross takings and net profit; drivers must account for high overheads, including the lease or purchase of a Zero-Emission Capable (ZEC) vehicle, which can cost over £70,000, as well as insurance, fuel/charging, and license fees. While ride-hailing apps have increased competition, the "Knowledge-trained" drivers often command higher fares and have exclusive access to bus lanes and taxi ranks. Additionally, tips can add a significant tax-free boost to daily takings. Most drivers are self-employed, meaning their "salary" is effectively what remains after all business expenses are paid, requiring careful financial management to ensure a stable middle-class living in one of the world's most expensive cities.

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Tipping taxi drivers It is polite to tip 10 to 15% of the taxi fare for black cabs and licensed minicabs in London. However, most people simply round up the fare to the nearest £1 and tell the driver to keep the change.

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In order to become a licensed London taxi driver, you must pass the difficult and gruelling Knowledge test, of which there is a 70% drop out rate and for which there are no study materials.

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London's black cab drivers were making £20-£30 an hour before the pandemic - but saw income plummet to almost nothing in lockdown, a cabby has revealed. The number of licensed cabs on the road dropped from 19,000 in 2019 to 14,000 last year, as thousands left the struggling trade to find cash elsewhere.

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Paying for your journey 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.

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The best and the most convenient way to get from heathrow airport to london are taxis. It is easily available outside each terminal. The taxi fare to central London from heathrow is around £45–£70 with a journey time of approx one hour.

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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.

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London taxi drivers are licensed and must have passed an extensive training course (the Knowledge). Unlike many other cities, the number of taxicab drivers in London is not limited.

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Ridership is solid, and the number of drivers has declined in recent years. Before the pandemic, there were about 22,500 drivers of London's iconic black cabs, though at last count in March, their ranks had shrunk by about 3,000.

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The number of new applications for black cab licences has dropped by almost 95% in a decade, from 3,484 in 2011-12 to just 221 in 2021. As a result, London Taxi PR, a group which promotes the historic industry, has launched the largest ever campaign to promote the Knowledge, and encourage new drivers.

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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.

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I might have some more luck with Bolt but I'd say it's all hit and miss. Look I took my fare share of Ubers and black cabs I can say black cab is not slightly more expensive it's 30-50% more than Uber. I didn't say it's cheaper. I said, from my experience, it's slightly more expensive than Uber.

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Originally Answered: Are the Black Taxis in London more expensive than other cabs? As a rule, yes, the Black Taxis will charge more since they are licensed to pick up fares, the drivers are vetted and the taxis have to be clean and in good road condition.

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According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for taxi drivers and chauffeurs in the US is $30,050. This works out at around $14.50 an hour. Taxi drivers earn much lower than the average salary in the US.

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Uber says that the typical driver will earn up to £30 per hour in London but we think that is ambitious. The Otto Car family says that the average amount they earned during 2022/23 was £20.48 per hour. This is not as much as Uber's official estimate yet it's still entirely respectable.

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Black Cabs are considered safe because of the processes that have to happen around licenses. Licensed private hire vehicles (minicabs) are considered safe if they have the licence displayed and are pre-booked.

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