A London black cab charges by a meter set by Transport for London, with higher rates in the evening, at weekends and overnight, and it is the only kind of car you can hail on the street or take from a rank. A rideshare ride in London is legally private hire: it must be booked in advance through a licensed operator, and its price is set by the app, not by TfL.
For a short hop across the West End at a quiet time, either works and neither is expensive. For a long ride across the city, a late-night return from a concert, or a family arriving at Heathrow, the differences start to matter. This guide sets out the verified TfL numbers for black cabs, the rules that govern app rides, what really decides how long you wait, and when a pre-booked car with a fixed price is the better tool.
Which is cheaper in London: a black cab or rideshare?
For short trips, a black cab on the TfL meter and an app ride are often close, and the app can be cheaper at quiet times. Black cab fares are regulated and predictable by time band; app prices move with demand. For airport runs, groups or event nights, a fixed pre-booked car per vehicle is often the more predictable choice.
The structural difference is regulation. TfL sets the black cab meter and publishes typical fares, so you can estimate a cab ride before you take it. TfL does not regulate private hire fares: it requires operators to give an accurate estimate before the trip, unless a fixed fare is agreed, but the number is theirs. That is why rideshare prices are not quoted here. Rides in London booked through Elly8.net are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
How a black cab fare is calculated
The meter runs on one of three tariffs, depending on the day and the time you start.
| Tariff | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Tariff 1 | Monday to Friday, 05:00 to 20:00 |
| Tariff 2 | Monday to Friday, 20:00 to 22:00, and Saturday and Sunday, 05:00 to 22:00 |
| Tariff 3 | Every night, 22:00 to 05:00, and public holidays |
TfL publishes typical fares by distance for each tariff. These are the figures from its taxi fares page:
| Distance | Approx journey time | Tariff 1 | Tariff 2 | Tariff 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mile | 6 to 13 min | £8.40 to £13.00 | £8.40 to £13.20 | £9.00 to £13.20 |
| 2 miles | 10 to 20 min | £12.60 to £20.20 | £13.40 to £20.40 | £13.60 to £20.40 |
| 4 miles | 16 to 30 min | £21.00 to £31.00 | £23.00 to £32.00 | £23.00 to £35.00 |
| 6 miles | 28 to 40 min | £33.00 to £42.00 | £41.00 to £45.00 | £41.00 to £45.00 |
| Heathrow to central London | 30 to 60 min | £70.00 to £120.00 | £70.00 to £120.00 | £70.00 to £120.00 |
Three rules sit behind those numbers. There is a minimum fare of £4.40 at all times. The meter shows the maximum you can be charged, and you pay what it shows unless you agreed a fare before setting off. And on Tariffs 1 and 3, the rate at which the fare climbs changes once a journey passes about six miles, which is why long rides across London grow faster than short ones.
Outside Greater London, fares can be negotiated. For trips to Gatwick, Stansted or Luton, TfL says the fare can be agreed with the driver before you start; if nothing is agreed, the meter applies. Ask whether any airport drop-off fee is included.
The extras on a black cab fare
TfL lists the permitted extra charges, and they are short:
- Booking by phone, app or online: up to £2.
- Starting from a Heathrow taxi rank: £1.60.
- Dropping off in a Heathrow terminal drop-off zone or at London City Airport's forecourt: up to £6, to cover the airports' own charges. You can ask to be dropped somewhere safe and legal instead, with no extra. At Heathrow the extra can be added each time the cab enters a different terminal's drop-off zone, so if your group is flying from two terminals, TfL suggests telling the driver at the start whether to pay at each, stop at one, or use a Park & Ride car park and the free bus.
- Christmas and New Year: £4, from 20:00 on 24 December to 06:00 on 27 December, and from 20:00 on 31 December to 06:00 on 2 January.
There are no extras for luggage, extra passengers or assistance dogs. Every licensed taxi must have a working card reader in the passenger compartment and accept contactless payment, with no surcharge for paying by card, which is useful for visitors who carry little cash. Drivers can charge up to £60 for soiling if the cab has to be taken out of service.
Reading a black cab before you get in
Black cabs are purpose-built vehicles, and despite the name they come in many colours. Three details tell you a cab is licensed and what it can do.
The light. A lit yellow "for hire" sign on the roof means the cab is free and can be hailed. If it is off, the cab is taken or the driver is off duty.
The badge. Every driver must wear a badge while working. A green badge means the driver passed the full Knowledge of London and can pick up anywhere in London; a yellow badge means a specialist in particular suburban areas. TfL also requires taxi and private hire drivers to pass criminal record and medical checks.
The white plate. On the back of the cab, a white plate shows the licence number, its expiry date, the registration and the number of passengers the cab is licensed to carry. That last figure is the one to check before a group piles in, because the plate, not the driver's goodwill, sets the limit.
What is different about rideshare in London
North Americans who use Uber or Lyft at home will find the app familiar and the rules a little stricter. Under TfL's guide to taxis and private hire, every app ride is private hire, and private hire works like this:
- Pre-booked only. Private hire vehicles cannot be hailed and cannot wait at ranks. They must be booked through a TfL-licensed operator, which must send a confirmation before the trip that includes the driver's private hire licence number.
- Check the car and the driver. Licensed vehicles display licence discs on the front and rear windscreens, and drivers wear a TfL ID with their photo and licence number. A "pre-booked" sticker on its own is not proof of a licence. TfL's licence checker lets you look up a driver, a vehicle or an operator.
- A fare estimate, not a regulated fare. The operator must give an accurate estimate before you travel, unless a fixed fare has been agreed. Prices change with demand.
- Road charges apply differently. Under TfL's Congestion Charge exemptions, licensed black cabs are exempt from the charge, while private hire vehicles are not and must pay it in the zone during charging hours. The charge is £18 a day, 07:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays.
That last point applies to chauffeur cars too, because a pre-booked chauffeur car is also private hire. On Elly8.net bookings, the Congestion Charge, tolls, parking and airport drop-off fees are billed at cost, never added as a surcharge.
Wait times: what actually decides them
There is no official published wait time for London cabs or app rides, and anyone who quotes a single figure is guessing. What decides the wait is predictable, though.
Where you are. Central streets have plenty of passing cabs; outer residential areas have far fewer. A black cab with its yellow "for hire" light on can be hailed; a rank at a station, a hotel or an airport usually has a queue of cabs, or of people.
The weather and the hour. A sudden downpour, a Friday evening and the moment the theatres empty all push demand up at once. That is when app prices climb and cabs with their light on become scarce.
Events. When Wembley Stadium, The O2 or the Royal Albert Hall empty, thousands of people want a ride from the same streets. Closures and crowd management keep cars away from the doors, so the wait is often for a walk to somewhere a car can reach.
The airport. At Heathrow, black cabs wait at the ranks outside each terminal. App rides cannot use the forecourt: Heathrow says Uber riders meet their driver on foot in the terminal's Terminal Parking car park. After a long flight, both involve a queue or a walk.
Black cabs have one more rule worth knowing. Within Greater London, TfL says drivers must accept a hiring of up to 12 miles, or 20 miles from Heathrow, or up to an hour, unless they have a good reason not to.
When to book a car instead
A pre-booked car is not the cheapest way to cross London, and for a quick ride from a hotel to a restaurant we would not suggest one. These are the trips where it earns its fare:
- Heathrow arrivals with a family or a group. A fixed price from US$195 in a business sedan or US$255 in a business SUV, per vehicle, against a meter estimate of £70 to £120 plus the rank extra. The chauffeur is inside arrivals with a name board and waits after a tracked landing at no charge. Our guide to whether the Heathrow Express is worth it runs the numbers by party size.
- Late nights after big events. The evening out and event night package covers five hours with the car waiting, from US$525 in a business sedan to US$1,050 in an Executive Sprinter, so the ride home is arranged before the crowd leaves. See event transportation.
- A day of meetings. One car and one chauffeur staged near each lobby, by the hour from US$105 with a 3-hour minimum, rather than six separate rides and six waits.
- Gatwick, Stansted and Farnborough. Fixed fares in US$ instead of a negotiated price: Gatwick to Mayfair from US$340, Stansted and Farnborough from US$335.
- Groups of seven to twelve. One Executive Sprinter instead of two or three cabs travelling separately.
For a trip-by-trip guide to a whole visit, see London taxi vs Uber vs private car. The general comparisons across our cities are in chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft.
Accessibility and children
TfL says every licensed black cab is wheelchair accessible, with an induction hearing loop and high-visibility grab handles, and must carry wheelchair users. Private hire vehicles must carry wheelchair users only if they are designated wheelchair-accessible, so check before booking an app ride. Taxi and private hire drivers must carry assistance dogs at no extra charge.
Travelling with young children? Elly8.net fits child and booster seats on request when you book, so the car is ready at arrivals. Tell us the children's ages and the number of bags, and we confirm the vehicle.
How to book a London car
- Enter pickup and drop-off. Add a flight or train number for airport and station pickups.
- Choose the vehicle. Business Sedan, Business SUV, First Class Sedan, First Class SUV or Executive Sprinter, each with a fixed price on the London chauffeur service page.
- Reserve now or use the web booker. Fixed fares go straight to secure checkout in US$; any other address is priced in the booker. Confirmation arrives by email.
Travelling on from London? We run the same fixed-price service in Edinburgh, Manchester and Paris. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a black cab in London?
TfL's typical fares are £8.40 to £13 for a mile and £12.60 to £20.20 for two miles on weekday daytime rates, rising in the evening, at weekends and overnight. The minimum fare is £4.40. TfL estimates £70 to £120 between Heathrow and central London.
Can you pay a London black cab by card?
Yes. Every licensed taxi must have a working card reader in the passenger compartment and accept contactless payment, and there is no extra charge for paying by card. Booking a cab by phone, app or online can add up to £2.
Can you hail an Uber in London?
No. App rides in London are private hire and must be booked through a licensed operator before the trip. Only black cabs can be hailed on the street or picked up at a rank. Check the driver's TfL ID and the licence discs on the car.
Why do black cabs not pay the Congestion Charge?
TfL exempts licensed taxis from the Congestion Charge. Private hire vehicles, including app rides and chauffeur cars, are not exempt and pay £18 a day in the zone during charging hours. On Elly8.net bookings, any such charge is billed at cost.
Is a black cab or a pre-booked car better from Heathrow?
For one person with light luggage, a black cab from the rank is simple, at £70 to £120 on the meter plus £1.60. For families, groups and late arrivals, a fixed Elly8.net car from US$195 per vehicle, met inside arrivals, is more predictable.
Are London black cabs wheelchair accessible?
Yes. TfL says all licensed black cabs are wheelchair accessible and must carry wheelchair users. Private hire vehicles only have to if they are designated wheelchair-accessible, so ask when you book. Assistance dogs travel free in both, with no extra charge from the driver.
