Licensed taxi fares in London
The table shows typical fares and journey times based on distance for three types of tariff. Fares and journey times may be higher if there are delays or heavy traffic.
| Distance |
Approx
journey
time |
Monday to Friday
06:00 - 20:00
(Tariff code 1)
|
Monday to Friday
20:00 - 22:00
Saturday and Sunday
06:00 - 22:00
(Tariff code 2)
|
Every night
22:00 - 06:00
Public holidays
(Tariff code 3)
|
| 1 mile |
5 - 12 mins |
£4.60 - £8.40 |
£5.00 - £8.60 |
£5.20 - £8.60 |
| 2 miles |
8 - 15 mins |
£7.20 - £11.20 |
£7.20 - £11.20 |
£8.00 - £12.40 |
| 4 miles |
15 - 30 mins |
£11 - £19 |
£13 - £19 |
£15 - £23 |
| 6 miles |
20 - 40 mins |
£17 - £28 |
£19 - £28 |
£24 - £34 |
| Between Heathrow
and
Central London |
30 - 60 mins |
£43 - £75 |
£43 - £75 |
£43 - £75 |
There is a minimum fare of £2.20 at all times.
How it works:
The meter calculates the maximum fare based on time of day, distance travelled and taxi speed.
The passenger will be expected to pay the full fare displayed on the meter at the end of the journey unless the driver and passenger agree on the final fare to be charged before the start of the journey.
What you can expect from the driver:
Unless they have a good reason not to, drivers must:
- Accept any hiring up to 12 miles or any hiring up to one hour duration, if the destination is in Greater London
- Accept any hiring up to 20 miles if starting at Heathrow Airport
- Accept any hiring up to one hour duration, if the destination is in Greater London
Fares for destinations outside Greater London may be negotiated between the passenger and driver before the journey. If no fare is agreed before the start of the journey then the maximum fare will be that shown on the meter at the end of the journey.
For some London taxi services booked by telephone there is a minimum price of £15 (excluding booking fee) between 5am and 8pm, outside of these hours the minimum price is £25. Last updated Saturday 10 April 2010.
Licensed private hire and minicab fares in London
Private hire covers a wide range of services, including minicabs. Unlike licensed taxis, journeys must be booked through a licensed private hire operator and vehicles cannot be hailed or approached on the street. Fares are at the discretion of the operator but most have set fares including a minimum fare per journey. You should ask the operator for a quote or estimate before you start your journey. For short journeys - less than 3 miles - they may be more expensive than a licensed taxi that you hail on the street. But they remain good value compared to a licensed taxi booked by telephone.
All licensed private hire vehicles have a TfL licence disc in the front and rear windscreen.
Licensed private hire vehicles are generally saloon cars but from the largest cab company in Europe -
Addison Lee - you will generally travel in a people carrier and you should check with the licensed operator on whether their vehicles meet your own accessibility requirements.
Private hire vehicles displaying the correct signage can pick up and drop off passengers on most red routes in London. If you want to be picked up or dropped off on a red route try to let the operator know when you book your vehicle.
Stay Safe with Cabwise - Transport for London's Text Service
Text CAB to 60835, and you'll receive two minicab numbers and one taxi (black cab) number straight back to your mobile phone by text. You don't even need to say where you are as your location is plotted using GPS. So save 60835 to your mobile now and it'll be there whenever you need it.
Text charged at 35p per enquiry plus standard text message rate. Roaming rates apply to overseas networks. Customers on the 3 network need to enter different information.
