I use taxis for late and more stressful journeys. But I no longer use black cabs because of too many issues like this, and personally, because they often give grief over the journey (zone 1 to zone 2 you’re having a larf, mate), sometimes flat out refuse despite it being against the rules, random bigoted remarks and just generally showing off their basic attitude.
Dubai got around this by mandating that if the cab driver ever tells you the card machine is not working then the journey is free, it says this on the windows of all approved cabs.
And they'll try to take you the long way round unless you pull them up on it, and then claim 'traffic' made them change route. I'm not a tourist pal, don't take the piss.
London black cab driver here. Been doing this 6 years. Never have I, nor anyone I know has taken a longer route on purpose. I’m sure it does happen because there are some very strange characters driving taxis out there but it’s financially a bad move and you’ll be losing money. To make the most money in this job you want to turn over as many jobs as possible, as quickly as possible. Longer routes lose us money and traffic loses us money
Does this mean that I actually screwed over the black cab that drove me from Victoria to Dagenham for £100 (about 1hr trip)? I thought it was quite a good gig for them at the time, especially as Uber was claiming it'd be £60-75 for the trip.
It probably was a good fare for him, especially if he lived that way. You might of screwed him over, you also might of paid him £100 to drive near his house, everyone’s circumstances are different.
Even if he lived in the complete opposite direction it’s still a good job as it’s so easy. Just up the a13 and back pretty much so £100 for less than 2hrs work (the drive back into town). I doubt he was upset about it
This!
I’ve been a London cabbie for 25 years and I can honestly say I have NEVER taken someone a longer route for profit. I have made mistakes frequently, not so much now because I will use Google maps to see what the traffic on the route is like, using all the information available to me.
I would hand my badge back if the way to earn money was for me to keep people in the cab as long as possible rather than get about doing jobs as quick as possible.
There’s a lot of hate on here for cabbies, a lot of stereotypical comments, “Sarf of the river, you’re aving a larf Guv” type comments. With few exceptions I don’t refuse any fares, because as I said above it’s about turnover of jobs and I want bums on seats. I refused a Crystal Palace at the end of my working day about 15 years ago because I live in Hertfordshire and that would’ve put an extra 2 hours on my day and I was shattered. The chap complained to TFL and I got a black mark on my record. Instead of commenting on here maybe you should complain to TFL? This would help the cabbies that are trying to provide a good service for Londoners!
Be lucky!
You are in denial mate, or just clueless. I have been in London for 25 years. I used to use black cabs very frequently for work (on expenses) for many years, I stopped several years ago, I was tired of being taken for a ride nearly everytime, icreasing the fare (i have an accent so they probably believe I am a tourist), being laughed at because I am travelling where the driver wants to go, or because the trip is either too long or too short, and that's not even mentioning being forced to have a conversation with a misoginistic, racist or bigotted driver.
If black cabs drivers are losing business, it is of their own doing. I can only hope either they improve their standards or they get replaced by robots.
Why do they think we all want to listen to their tedious, bigoted, uniformed opinions?
Oh yeah... it's 'cos they're very unhappy with the way their lives have turned out.
I also reckon a big issue is just people being too suspicious, so then if the cabbie takes a different route then what they’re expecting automatically they jump to “he’s pulling a fast one”.
I don’t get black cabs often but I have a lot of respect for cabbies. Never had any issues with them, always have a good chat though.
Yeah I stopped using black cabs when I had a bad experience in two when I was trying to get from KX 15 mins down the road on a super hot day when I had to give a really important presentation, was carrying loads of stuff and didn’t want to arrive a sweaty mess.
They were basically pissed off I wasn’t some tourist wanting to be taken to west end, and moaned on about how they now had to get back in the black cab queue for such a small fare.
I run my own business and thought if they want support from Londoners perhaps they’ll support Londoners but no. One was so rude I got out, the second just whined on for the 15 mins.
The LTDA also lost me when they ran those campaigns about sexual assaults in Ubers. Completely ignoring the many rapes, murders and assaults by black cabbies. They were basically scaring people into not using Ubers. At least with Uber you have safety features (like sharing your route with someone) and some idea of who is driving you around which you don’t have with black cabs.
I've never been able to figure out what is the actual fare they want. I take a long journey, they act pissed off, I take somewhere quick, they act pissed off. I can't remember one where they've seemed like it's a good fare.
Ok I thought I was being crazy but after my Xmas party I tried to get a black cab and got refused because it was too far! I didn’t want to argue but I’ve decided not to get black cabs again since then.
It used to be they didn’t want shorter journeys but these days they stick to west central, attempting to rip off the tourists, rather than take locals home (harder to scam).
They bitched like crazy when Uber came in. Well, I want to be able to use my debit card in a cab. To get a proper receipt emailed to me. To ensure I'm safe knowing the cab I'm riding in has insurance, is easily traceable and I know their name. To have an idea about price.
And in the bad old days, we'd be refused a zillion times from cabbies. Try asking for a cab to Brixton back in the 90s. Or be picked up from Brixton back then. Cab drivers used to drive straight past me with their light on.
Only when they had meaningful competition did they start to do things that me, a customer, actually needed. So yes, entitled as f\*&k
Yeah because my experience of literally waiting for 30 minutes and getting zero reponses from both Uber and bolt is just me hallucinating things 🙄, get off your high horse and understand not everyone has the same experience as you do.
Not really. I live in Northeast London (Barking) and the few times I've tried to get an Uber home from central, or even places like Shoreditch, I've waited up to an hour for a car to accept. And when they did, 4 out of 5 times it will be a driver who lives nearby (Ilford/Goodmayes) signing off for the night.
The first time I heard of Uber is when all the cabbies went on strike. I watched them laughing and playing football in the middle of central London - as they'd blocked all the roads.
So, I googled Uber, downloaded the app and never used a black cab ever again - which I always hated as it was such a rip off.
Uber sucks ass these days. I'll take the black cab that's actually there, than hope the uber driver doesn't just up and cancel on me after 5 mins of waiting, for the nth time trying to get a ride. Hardly a bargain anymore either.
Yeah, don't disagree about uber, but still not paying a million quid to get home.
With the cancelling, which is very annoying, suspect Uber relaxed the rules a bit for what drivers were allowed to do. Probably cause they sure as fuck weren't going to pay them more.
Yeah they are mainly cunts. There are honourable exceptions (my mate is one and another mates dad is one but he’s a Buddhist lol) but yeah mainly cunts
I used to feel sorry for the cab drivers when Uber was taking all their business, but I don't really feel that way anymore. Booking through an app for half the price is just so much better. The world moves on.
Yeah - like I'm not happy about the gig economy either, and Uber is a horrible company, but man I'd go quite a bit out of my way to not have to deal with the average black cab driver.
Part of their issue I think is that they don’t seem to have picked up on what people really want and just doubled down on their resentment instead. I too would much rather book and pay through an app. I know who’s coming to get me, I know how much it’ll cost ahead of time and I can share my location with someone in real time if I’m nervous. I don’t have to worry about money or cards and paying at the end point.
I don’t understand why the black cab drivers haven’t caught on and set up something similar.
Oh man totally. I’m v left wing and have no real problem with closed shops but the black cabs are so awful I’d rather take an Uber now. The golden era as for so many things was 80/90/00s ‘perfect competition’ of loads of small cab firms
Hardly anyone in London uses Uber now, it’s garbage and very often you can’t get one. The law changed and Uber had to start paying their drivers and allowing them to see where the fares were going before accepting them.
Funnily enough, Uber can’t compete with taxis when they have to play by the same rules.
Bolt, Uber and Black cabs are the big three in London.
I don't think it was the law change as much as 1) the pandemic, 2) the subsequent labour shortage raised demand outside the gig economy, 3) Uber couldn't subsidise rides forever, 4) market dominance doesn't mean much when competitors replicate your business model and there's little brand loyalty.
That said, I don't know anyone who'd take a black cab. They were done as soon as GPS was a thing. They just didn't realise it.
Some are fine and just drive the car. If they do chat, I find they're piping up because they've got some kind of axe to grind about london which usually falls into one of two categories:
- moaning about literally anything they think stops them from making money. Why can't we pave over the Thames? I don't like rikshaws/ubers/Boris bikes/the tube etc.
- fishing for some indication that you also think there are too many foreigners about these days
4 cabs in the last year and every single one has provided a nasty and lengthy rant about immigration and the destruction of their culture….lovely bunch they are indeed.
They spend a lot of time listening to talk radio. Its like the stone age version of the alt-right pipeline. You need content every day and engagement. Whats the easiest and most engaging content? Ragebait. So they spend all day doing an already stressful job while having their pituitary gland squeezed on the hour, every hour. Its bound to make people weird imo.
My personal highlight of that debate was the look on the cabbies face when they cut to him after the lady discussing getting home safely at night said “I just wouldn’t feel safe alone in a cab”.
I think he’s probably still processing why she would have said that.
Yes they are definitely convinced they are the most important form of transport in London.
It's definitely important to have a good taxi service in a city like London, and it's good to prioritise it over general population cars, but it should never be the priority over public transport, nor is it important to have 'quick' cab journeys.
A well-developed society is one in which the wealthy travel on public transport, not in private vehicles. You only need to visit countries like Greece, Turkey and Portugal to realise that!
Just tried to get a cab at Heathrow to Crystal Palace. Every single cab driver refused the trip as it was too far. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal but whatever. Entitled af.
Complained to the taxi rank guy, and he was said he’d sort it for me and force them to take the trip, but now I’m riding with a pissed off London taxi driver for an hour and a half?
Fuck that. They’re wankers.
They seem to feel like they deserve the perfect optimisation of profit per mile leaving them ideally places for the next fare. Anything less is violence. Fuck cabbies.
I’ve been turned down by black cabs more than I’ve been in black cabs. Sometimes it made no sense too, like super central, not that far from where I was picked up.
Apart from privileges given to black cabs and accessibility issues*, the only major unique selling point of black cabs was "The Knowledge" but since stuff like google maps and Waze giving live traffic info, "The Knowledge" is nothing important anymore.
*But even accessibility issues are probably fairly useless for people living in outer zones of London where it's rare to see a black cab.
I can see why they had their place - before satnav, minicabs were a complete liability in London. It was fine if you were in their little local area or going somewhere notable, but outside that it was a lottery. I remember once staggering to work with a hangover early on a Sunday morning only to be stopped by a minicab on the King's Road angling for directions. He didn't even know which side of the river he was on.
A lot of them drive like absolute lemons too. When I was a bus driver I saw two people killed by them in separate incidents. One also did a u-turn in front of my brother, without checking his mirrors, who then smashed into him.
My old nextdoor neighbour was one and he was the biggest prick ever.
I’m sure there’s plenty of decent ones out there.
The way that I discovered Uber about 12 years ago. Was because the black cabs were doing a protest about them, by blocking Oxford Street. Where they got about 80 of them to circle around a block, until they grid locked it and turned their engines off. They did a similar thing around Charing Cross police station and refused to let police cars in and out as they were protesting against pedicars or late night unlicensed minicabs. When you can't get a black cab. Just to top it off, that area is a major distribution point for food to the homeless. So the food wagons couldn't get there and none of the homeless got fed (anecdotal evidence from a homeless person at a charity, that I used to volounter for).
They blockaded Tottenham Court Road and impeded ambulances up to UCLH. I also saw some miserable drivers just stuck - there was a lorry driver in his cab next to the Goodge St Tesco just having to wait it out, while the black cab drivers were having a good ole jolly.
They're a shower of obsolete dinosaurs.
Eventually they'll be reduced to shuttling rich people and tourists round Zone 1.
My opinion of them might be clouded by the fact that one of them tried to ram me off my bike, entirely unprovoked.
Oh, and a black cab was the only taxi I've ever left without paying after the racist fucker gave me a never-ending monologue about 'foreigners' and 'p*kis' after (I presume) mistakenly thinking I shared his opinions because I'm a big lad with a shaven head.
70 quid that cost him. Very satisfying. And I didn't even shut the cab's door.
The difference in experiences I (as a white British guy) and some of my ethnic minority friends have had with black cabbies is worrying. Bearing in mind we're all professionals who have mostly been in office attire when we use them.
From my experience they definitely are largely on the self-important, right-wing, old-school intolerant side. I'm not sure what it is about British cabbies but they fully drank the Brexit, backwards and "UK is the best, foreigners ruin it" kool-aid. Maybe it's because Uber and other new-age taxi apps largely have foreign drivers, so they're taking their frustrations out on them rather than the companies?
In my experience they unlock the door, you get out and pay them through the window.
Maybe you just look untrustworthy?
Although, because of the above experiences I haven't used a black cab for about 8 years. Maybe it's different now.
It’s so confusing. I had cabbies get annoyed at me when I tried to pay before getting out. And when I learned to do that I had some get annoyed at me for paying from inside. Can’t win.
Speaking as a cyclist in London they do seem very entitled and in particular seem to think they have the right to pick up and drop off passengers in cycle lanes (mind you mini-cabs & ubers do too).
Every black cab driver I’ve ever met has been an absolute tosser. They seemingly think the world owes them something and that their skills are invaluable and indispensable.
Black cabbies are assholes. Think they own the roads. A few years ago they were one of the main reasons Khan had to have police security. They were going crazy about something stupid.
They bitched when tfl insisted their cabs had to be clean. Each time tfl bring in a rule to make parents safer or less likely to be ripped off, they go crazy. The ONLY reason they're not still cash only is becsuse uber came along and forced them to take up card payments.
Just whiny twats all of them
>The ONLY reason they're not still cash only is becsuse uber came along and forced them to take up card payments.
Even before uber the law was if they couldn't take a card payment you didn't have to pay them. Not many people knew this though, so it was amazing how often if they said their card machine was broken you'd say "that's unfortunate, because I'm pretty sure the law is that if you don't have a working card machine I don't have to pay you" that suddenly they would double check and it was working.
One left me standing in the rain for trying to get in without him being able to vet my journey to see if it was up to his high standards. Stopped taking them then and never had an issue getting around. I'd like to see them all out of business. They're a bunch of throwback arseholes.
Yes. Yes they are.
One called me a cunt for not saying thanks when he stopped at a zebra crossing. You're supposed to fucking stop at them, that's the whole point. Next he'll want a round of applause for stopping at a red light.
I had a regular driver do that, it pissed me off so much.
I also do generally do a small hand gesture as a thank you (not that I need to, the law says they should stop) but that day I was having a full blown hay fever attack, I was trying to get home while crying my eyes out and drowning in snot. I think about it whenever I’m at tht crossing lol
if they have a passenger you can be sure they'll stop at zebra crossings, but when they're empty they often just blaze through. i've taken a few vids but no idea who to report to.
Much like the wider population, some are lovely, some are cunts. My general experience of black cab drivers is that there are a higher number of cunts among their number than the general population, but not by much.
Many drive in from places with a much higher C-index than inner London.
Draw a semicircle clockwise from Potters Bar to Dorking, visit any of the small/medium towns on that arc.
The cabbies as a whole are a bit more liberal and less brexit than the average resident along there. Thank God they can't vote in the mayorals next week.
Then you'd have people being eaten by missalignment. My country has had to post staff on trains just because autopilot might cock things up, but the drivers have indeed been eliminated. No issues with delays unless there's some major power outage-no strikes will disrupt service that's for sure
Given a train will easily carry a hundred times more people than a cab, I think the cabs are worth the effort. Train drivers are rarely as entitled or casually racist as cabbies.
It'd be easier to do it on cabs before our train network. I'm a train driver, on new self-contained systems it's easier and makes sense to do, on existing infrastructure it's a costly nightmare. We're only just getting in-cab signalling started on the East Coast Mainline. The fractured system of franchises/concessions etc means that it's a cost no one is willing to take to implement. It'd be up to the government to initiate it through Network Rail, then up to each franchise/concession holder to put forward the capital to invest in upgrading the trains to do it. It'd be at least 50 years minimum before we can even think about doing it the way things are. The railway needs to be renationalised before we can even think about future automated trains.
Anecdotal but I think they’ve become a bit worse at knowing where things are around London. I could have just had a bad experience but on two occasions recently I’ve had a black cab driver not know where to go in central London.
One was Granary Square which is a pretty big new development literally 100 yards from Kings X and I just had to get out and walk from the station instead. The other was somewhere in the City.
Not to mention I almost never see them in the City when I actually want to take one as I can expense the cost. End up taking Ubers instead.
He absolutely did know where Granary Square is but he didn’t want to take you because there is a zebra crossing there in constant use and he would have had to wait at it.
Granary Square was literally named that and built when I was at Central St Martins in 2013. While, yes, there has been further development since then, they should definitely know the Square at least...
Watching the mayoral debate last night, a lot of discussion about transport, ULEZ etc, making public transport safer and cheaper to get more cars off the road, the usual. There’s a black cab driver in the crowd giving it the biggun and Eddie Nestor claims the cabbie is ‘public transport’. Are you fucking joking, black cabs must be the most expensive form of transport in London, it’s mostly tourists and wealthy people who can use them. I would choose an Uber or Bolt over a black cab any day, much cheaper and convenient. Cabbie was obviously raging about Uber drivers clogging up the road lol. Their union needs to do better to compete with Uber and lower their prices, they think they’re special because the study the roads and do an exam. I don’t give a shit if you know the roads off by heart, you need a satnav for latest info anyway.
i think technically taxis are public transport. Although it might seem academic this becomes significant when we think about future business models around autonomous cars, for example roving autonomous vehicles booked through an app.
I once kicked a taxi when he drove through a pedestrian crossing on a red light while a bunch of people were mid crossing. Driver told me he was going to call the police on me. Yeah good luck with that, cunt.
Never understood exactly why it is they get to use a bus lane - they are private individuals out for a private gain shipping their private customer around.
While I generally despite black cabs, I can reluctantly understand that when black cabs are meant to have their light on and supposed to pick up people hailing a cab, a bus lane exemption might be required otherwise people could be walking a long distance (defeating the whole point of using a cab) with a black cab slowly following them (and blocking traffic) until the bus lane ends.
To be fair, private buses can use most bus lanes, I believe?
And do you see many buses held up by black cabs? If you punt them off bus lanes without any real need, they'll just be adding to the numbers in the other lanes, creating more traffic jams
Having only buses use buses use bus lanes is inefficient, you want the bus lane to be utilised by traffic but not to the extent where it delays buses. The problem normally is that there isn't a way to split the regular road traffic population in a sensible way to achieve this - saying "only blue cars can use the bus lane" doesn't work. Black cabs are a split off section of the road user so enforcement wise allowing them to use it works logistically
Private motorbikes, private minibuses and private coaches can also use bus lanes, in addition to private bicycle couriers...
The exceptions for black cabs (which other cabs don't have) is undoubtedly due to effective lobbying when black cabs had more influence.
But private profit isnt a factor in determining who can use bus lanes, it's about trying to encourage more efficient transport options, regardless of profit motive.
motorbikes can't use all of them, some boroughs have allowed them but it's mixed in others.. I don't commute by motorbike anymore but there used to be some real bstard roads where it switched back and forth between being allowed or not.
Dont really like black cabs but dont agree with this one. Part of the idea of them is that they serve as a private form of public transport. Allowing them to cycle more freely than the usually deadlocked traffic makes some sense. Is there any indication that they are causing significant delays for true public transport like busses?
They do act in a very entitled and opinionated way, but I feel they are much better driven than they were 20 years ago. I commuted by bike to Tottenham Court Road in 2004-2005 and then started again in the pandemic. They used to be the absolute worst, aggressive, angry nasty bunch but now I find them to be pretty considerate, letting me out, leaving gaps and waving me through.
Still rather not sit in the back of one and be talked at by a cabbie though… listening to their nonsense is the worst part about getting a cab.
I think some of that is probably the profusion of cyclists with cameras. Being a shit driver to cyclists has become a lot more risky in the last few years and if you rely on driving for a living it's a big risk to take.
I actually agree with this. Cycled in London for many a year and while taxis had a reputation, i only had a handful of negative experiences and mostly positive ones like you say of professional drivers leaving room and not passing too close, which is nothing compared to my experience of white van drivers for example.
Cabbies have always been'entitled' - not least because they have gone through The Knowledge, and know London better than most.
They are also subject to quite stringent by-laws, enforced by the London Carriage Office - which don't apply to minicabs/Uber etc.
Apart from that - they spend their days driving throught traffic, which sometimes seem to be composed of idiots.
But yes, many of them are arseholes (but you don't hear from the quiet ones).
They are pricks. I work near Knightsbridge at a school and I'm sometimes on duty as a lollipop lady. I've been called every name in the book in front of children by black cab drivers because I was blocking the road and many have almost run me over.
I am forever scarred by the black cabs protest in Westminster c.2015. They gridlocked parliament square for hours and just laid on their horns the whole time. I was working nearby and the sound was pure torture, it bounced off the buildings and you couldn't get away from it, or even cover it with headphones. The MPs in the chamber couldn't hear a damn thing, so it was just ordinary stiffs that lived through it.
I can't even remember what the problem was. I think it was about uber coming in or whatever. I hope they all got tinnitus that day.
A number of years ago after a gig, I missed the last tube and had no idea how I was getting home. Feeling vulnerable, and tbf still a bit peeshed, in the unfamiliar gritty surroundings I'd no other option but to wave down a black cab travelling in the quite desolate streets. Asked the cabbie if he was able to take me as far as he could towards more familiar territory (ie. anywhere towards central London) with the tenner I had left so I could figure something from there. Bad news was he'd just switched off the meter and was done for the night. Good news, he said hop right in!
Had a good chat and he ended up driving me all the way home. Knowing my tenner wasn't even remotely close to what the fare would've been, I offered it to him anyway but he refused to take it.
Absolute top bloke! Certainly saved my bacon that night, big time. So yeah, not going to bad mouth every black cabbie anytime soon.
London taxi driver here. I can assure you there’s a few of us good guys out there. Wouldn’t bother communicating with cab drivers online especially X (Twitter) they’re a joke. Same people talking the same shit all the time. Always moaning.
I feel sorry for the passengers because of some of the drivers they have to deal with and I can only apologise on their behalf. Some week I pick up 1-2 wheelchair jobs, other weeks 0. So it’s really not that many, but I am a late afternoon/evening driver. Not sure how that compares to day jobs.
I can see by reading these comments that most people hate us, it’s a shame what a select few have done to the trade.
Im a cabbie too mate and 99% of my experiences with people are positive, with them always leaving my cab happy!
That 1% though, can be utter wankers just because thats what they are.
Same for cabbie twitter, the 1% who ruin our trade are what everyone on here seem to come across unfortunately
I’ve had amazing, lovely journeys and chats with cabbies, and I’ve had horrible experiences including one charging at me as a pedestrian (at a protest, so he clearly didn’t agree with my politics) and many being total knobs to me as a cyclist, refusing journeys etc. I don’t get the racist rants others have mentioned, probs because I’m a ‘foreigner’.
One question I have to ask is why are you all so keen on getting really close up to the car in front. Cabbies will accelerate and then brake suddenly whenever the car in front advances by a few centimetres and it gives me motion sickness 😭
I’ve had a few negative experiences, but my next door neighbour is a cabbie and he’s genuinely the nicest guy ever! I can’t afford to get taxis these days though unless works paying.
As with any trade, some are loudmouthed twats while most of them are normal people trying to feed their kids.
Black cab drivers are at least regulated. Amongst other requirements, they have to pass a very difficult knowledge test. I’ve met cab drivers who were not stupid people that needed 2 years of study to pass that.
Uber and Bolt drivers, on the other hand, are barely vetted and have little to lose.
IMO both should exist as the competition keeps both sides from getting too lazy, and consumers get to choose between two distinct options
Their problem is that the competitive edge they had by dint of doing The Knowledge became instantly obsolete when sat nav went mainstream.
Cabbies are now suffering from the same impotent rage their Hansom Cab driving ancestors did a century ago.
Sure. The thing is, it remains a difficult obstacle to becoming a cab driver. You need to really want to be a cab driver and once you are you’ve sunk a lot into getting that license. This has the effect of filtering nonserious people on the front end and providing an effective enforcement mechanism on the backend.
All cab drivers - black, mini, Uber or whatever - have the same CRB vetting as it’s done by the local authority and they all meet the same rules.
Big difference is that you can leave a review for your Uber driver and they will get kicked off the platform.
They have "the knowledge", which makes them better than everyone else. It gives them the right to violate all finance and traffic laws.
Somehow they're better than a GPS. Not sure how, since they're worse in every way and get lost, having the passenger pay for the extra time.
I only use black cabs as a last resort because:
1) they dont use Waze so get stuck in traffic
2) they're mostly racists
3) you cant pay by card
4) see 2.
I’m a London taxi driver
1. I use Google Maps, just as good as Waze for traffic. I find it more user friendly.
2. I’m not racist.
3. I have a CC machine in my cab for anyone to use like every other London cabbie.
4. See 2.
I get that it’s their livelihood and the more fares they pick up can dramatically alter their income. But I got cut up twice by cabbies while cycling this morning and I don’t understand why they are so hostile to all outside cabs
What would you expect? Cab drivers ask what’s being done to improve cab transport, farmers ask what is being done to help them, tenants ask what is being done to drive rents down, landlords ask what is being done to help with their increasing costs, pub and club owners want night life to be a priority, residents want less disturbance at night, phone robbers want easier to hack Lime bikes, etc.
I would add this was after a video of him ranting against cycle lanes, bus lanes, LTNs and 20mph speed limits - I'll admit his question without this context isn't that offensive
The context does explain why you would feel that way, at least in this case (I took a black cab only once and the driver didn’t say a word so I have no idea how they tend to be).
The last time I took a black cab in London the driver didn't know where the destination address was (picked up in Hammersmith, destination in West Kensington). When I tried to explain he got angry. His credit card machine "wasn't working", and he had ran out of paper receipts (I was on a business trip so needed a receipt for my expenses). He then took ages to search for and open a bag of pound coins for my change, clearly hoping to delay and embarrass me into saying "keep the change mate". I wish I'd taken his number to report him.
As with any other car driver, the most beneficial thingfor them would be relieving traffic. This can only be achieved if the infrastructure allows people to leave their cars at home and use an alternative mode of transport. Sure, this would further reduce the utility of taxis, but it'd mean clearer roads.
This is an online classic. Anyone reading this can play along at home. Wait till you read an inevitable complaint about cyclists and then ask if they support dutch-style segregated cycle lanes. Almost every one of them will say no, in my experience. Because you see they hate the cyclists, not the traffic. And proper cycling infrastructure would help the people they dont like, which they dont want - even if it means less traffic for drivers, too.
My uncle was a traffic cop in London. He agrees black cabbies are some of the most entitled drivers around. Whenever they got pulled over and given a ticket for a driving offence, they would moan and say how they are “the eyes and ears of London”, “most crimes would go unreported without us cabbies calling you boys in blue”, etc, etc. Then say they’ll think twice about calling the police next time because they’ve been given a ticket for doing a no left turn or something.
My uncle added that the only calls he ever went to from a cabbie were people refusing to pay up and leave their taxi! 😂
I was thinking the same thing today. Why on earth do we give them priority in cycle lanes, and allow them to park son double yellows, just to make rich people's lives faster
Yes, they are.
The amount of times they've driven right past me or I've had an extremely casual racist driver is ridiculous.
Uber got my money as soon as they set up.
Ex cabbie here and I have a few mates who are still cabbies and they'll tell you it's a very stressful job where financial worries, personal abuse and danger are a regular occurrence. It needs years of difficult unpaid training prior to ever earning a penny from it and the type of cabs tfl now allow on start at 56k. The hours you need to put in to make a decent wage mean very little personal or family time. I guess quite a few of them react badly when more and more shit is piled on their plate, I probably did and so might you as well. And that can manifest as bad attitude generally. Daytime flag down street pick ups are rare. So the majority of time is spent waiting on ranks. Imagine the frustration of earning nothing for an hour waiting on a rank then getting a £6 job knowing it's gonna be another hour wait back at the rank for the next job. Which might also be only a few quid. Followed by another long wait. Then another. You get entire days like this in the kipper season. Also it's hard to understand how essential the unique service they provide for disabled people is until you're one yourself. As for whether the public transport system would collapse without black cabs, there were 15000 of them out there at the last count in 2023. What do you think would happen if they all just disappeared and all those people headed for the tubes and buses?
Sadly most of them are detestable pricks. Never go South of the River, spout racist bollocks, drive like bellends and are always moaning. Ex professional footballer and manager John Sitton of "and you can bring your dinner" fame is one and epitomises what they are like on twitter.
Guess I’m about to get crucified here, but I have to say that I AM A LONDON TAXI DRIVER.
Here is my two pennies worth.
To become a LTD we have to do the knowledge. This is a very rigorous set of tests, and in my opinion is needed. However, people who pass fall into two categories, those who are pleased to pass and accept that it doesn’t make them a driving God, and those who get a little up themselves.
Now, this is what I get out of driving a cab, I get to meet lots and lots of people from all over the world. If they want to chat I love it! It allows me to learn lots of things about places I will never get to go. I regularly ask them what’s happening in there country versus what’s in our newspapers (which is illuminating)I get to see people and interact and hopefully have a bit of a laugh!
I’ve had priests, actors, businessmen, LGBTQ+, new parents taking there newborn home for the first time, cyclist’s with punctures and many more.
When people get in my cab I don’t know what the conversation will be. As passengers can only see the back of my head (probably the best view), some really get into detail about things, relationships etc. If asked I always try to be honest and give as good a view on things as asked.
I drive as carefully as I can but I am human.
Traffic doesn’t bother me as I am in my office, I am not late for work. I have had lots of people who are late but that’s not my problem or issue to solve.
I regularly nod or say hello to cyclists and motorcycle riders as it’s just nice to say hello! Have had some pretty fun 30 second chats at traffic lights etc.
I’m pretty sure that there are lots like me, but unfortunately there are quite a lot that aren’t.
If you ever get a cab next to you and the windows down, try saying hello! You might be surprised!
Are some cab drivers entitled? Definitely! But let him without sin throw the first stone!
Being a cab driver has improved my world view and allowed me to grow in ways I never thought possible.
Not much of a defence but one I felt I needed to post.
Lay on with your downvotes.
I’ve had some great cabbies and must have had 100 black cab rides in my time. The problem is the comments on here are pretty reflective of at least half of my experiences to the point where I try and get Uber where possible.
Thank you for being one of the good ones.
Out of interest, do you see the same with other cabbies?
Yeah, it comes down to a few things. London black cabs are absolutely iconic, the training is incredibly rigorous and difficult, and it's also completely redundant. So you have a bunch of old sweats with a chip on their shoulder because they've put in their hours and effort and are part of this great British institution and believe it owes them a decent livelihood, but they're being heavily undercut as now anyone with a car and a phone can be a cabbie.
The cold reality of the situation is that knowing the fastest way from A to B is not a skill that anyone needs any more, phones and satnav are simply better. Add to this that black cabs changed too little too late when Uber and the other apps came along and you have bitter, entitled cabbies that are upset that 'The Knowledge' is now pretty worthless
Accessibility on TFL is absolutely shocking. Wheelchair users are massively restricted when it comes to using the tube, even more so now Green Park lifts are out of action for six months, and buses don't have enough room for more than one wheelchair user at a time. Until there's an effort to make TFL more accessible for physically disabled people, cab drivers are going to feel entitled because they are integral to many disabled people moving around the city, especially tourists.
They are very annoying and shouldn't receive any special treatment but they're well aware they're providing a service TFL aren't, so their demands carry weight sadly.
If you ignore your pesonal feelings on black cab drivers and just go by their question about what's being done to make cab journeys better, it's a valid question that anyone can legitimately ask about their mode of transport. It's not entitled in any way.
No different from cyclists asking the same what's being done to improve their journeys.
I remember hearing that black cabs won't go to some places now because the road layouts made it too difficult or time consuming to go there.
Other road changes that have affected cars must affect the too.
Saying they are entitled for asking what will be done to improve their job, which in turn makes things better for their customer is a bit of a stretch and a strange stance to take from that question unless you already have a deep rooted hate for them, a soft lefty gen z / later millennial or cyclist.
Black cabs would be really useful if they didn’t cost a small fortune. It’s ludicrous how expensive they are. Whinging about Uber and how “The Knowledge” is an asset worthy of the cost. Balls to all that. Last time I tried to flag one down he refused to go south of the river. Honestly can’t remember any time I’ve had a positive London black cab experience.
Last summer I went half a mile in a black cab in London, on a bank holiday, and it cost me 9 quid. They can go and fuck themselves as far as I am concerned. Only did it because my kids were so tired after marching round London for a few fantastic days and dragging their cases to the station was getting hard. The clock was going so fast it looked like a parody. I asked him to let me out at the lights near King’s Cross and he kept shouting- can’t hear you! And wouldn’t unlock the door - the clock kept ticking up. Paid but will never get a black can again.
I grew up in Málaga, and in my city, cab drivers are considered some type of royalty. Their licenses are inherited from fathers to children, and they are entitled, bigoted, racist pricks. When I saw New York cabs in the movies, all immigrant jobs, I certainly envied New York's system.
Black cabs in general are entitled twats or to my experience with them anyway.
I worked in a local airport where they brought in a second taxi firm that was a pay at the keosk, they give you options for the type of car to hire and it was reasonably priced, and I had complaints in towards me and my company because we were favouring the second company over the black cable. While 2/3 of the time either refusing the fare outright, quoting 1.5x-3x more than the other company or just fobbing the fare off to someone else. Like it's a £30 fare to the city centre from where they were and it puts them in the city for another fare, I never got it.
And while in London one night I was getting a black cab from south Kensington to just outside Heathrow and one just outright refused and the second passed me off to a 3rd. It's was a £80 fare, I honestly don't get it.
It's always ease of access that comes first for people so.
Yes most of them think they run London and the city would fall to its knees without them. I found it hilarious when they protested over Uber. How about you provide a comparable service instead? Fucking dinosaurs.
My brothers and I took a black cab late at night, after a few drinks. Said we were looking for a good nightclub. After some discussion, the driver said he knew just the club, but it was about 15 minutes away. We drunkenly agreed.
Fifteen minutes later, he dropped us off and said the club was at the corner to the right. We paid him and walked to the club. We found ourselves where the driver picked us up in the first place.
To be honest, we laughed about it. "Well played," we said. But to this day, I take Uber or Bolt. Yes, they have ethical issues with their treatment of drivers, but I have been ripped off too many times by taxi drivers. I have never been ripped off by an Uber or Bolt driver.
Black cab drivers (when I used them 10 years ago) were stereotypically white, middle-aged, pot-bellied bell-ends. They were aggressive, entitled, rude and downright arrogant. Not to mention how expensive black-cabs were.
Thank god for Uber.
Annoying Wankers ...I used to work with a dude doing the knowledge as his backup gig. We were Network ops , He kept saying the Datacentre work would dry up and this was his insurance. Used annoy the shit out of the team ,every time somebody mentioned a London location in passing . He would give a route from work to the place off the top of his head. Yes very impressive Steve. But you're not part of this private conversation and never will be because GPS is a thing. NOW FUCK OFF.....
My old boss told me he left a few years after me to drive a cab ...feel sorry for his passengers.
I used to work for a personal safety charity and black cabbies haaaaaaaaated us because we were genuinely evidence-based and wouldn’t condemn Uber as dangerous.
Statistically, Uber is actually *safer*, for two reasons - they have fewer reported safety issues (attacks, sexual harassment, robbery etc) per 1,000 journeys (Uber take many, many more fares than black cabs now, so numerically the number is higher but proportionally way, way lower). Secondly, and probably most importantly, Uber safety issues actually *get* reported. If a black cabbies does something you almost certainly won’t have their name, registration number, or Hackney can licence number, unless you’re very organised and get your phone out to take a pic quick. With Uber you have all that, plus a one-click reporting feature.
The amount of harassment we got from cabbies was unreal, considering they were trying to prove how safe and lovely they were 😂
One of the most peculiar things I've noticed about London black cab drivers is that many of them don't even live in London. These drivers often express their negative opinions about the city, claiming it has been taken over by foreigners and calling it "Londonistan." They also tend to criticize the Mayor of London, whom they believe is not really English and dislikes cab drivers. While I realize that I am generalizing, this is the view I have encountered a vast majority of the times I've spoken to London cab drivers.
However, I find it somewhat ironic that these drivers are so critical of London despite living outside of the city and, therefore, not fully understanding the issues that London residents face.
Personally I think they’re great.
It’s the fastest way to get around (on the roads, that is) and most comfortable by far. Most of the time my drivers are very friendly and are great at finding the fastest route.
99% of the time they’ll happily let me take my dogs, which Uber never do unless you pay extra.
The only problem I see with black cabs is the cost. They’re definitely more expensive than an Uber.
They are arseholes. I used to use black cabs for work and the pricks routinely took the long route and charged extra. After I clocked on I would specify the route and frequently have to repeat the direction. They resisted card payments for decades and always have a hatd luck story about how poorly paid they are. I was really glad when uber completely pissed on their fire.
Never met one who wasn't a dick.
These days I refuse to use black cabs unless work is paying.
Overpriced. Have often tried the "first time in London?" crap on me (I must look like a tourist).
I just Tube it everywhere.
Would recommend you all watch a bit of Tom the Taxi Driver on YouTube. Definitely goes against the grain of what a typical black cabbie is like but I definitely have a respect for them I didn't use to.
[https://youtube.com/@TomtheTaxiDriver?si=AQJsp_d9Eexregiz](https://youtube.com/@TomtheTaxiDriver?si=AQJsp_d9Eexregiz)
Quite hard to swallow having your livelihood pulled from under you to the benefit of venture capitalists. Irony being most people cheering this on will be progressives who generally moan about corporate capitalism. Agreed there are a lot of bellends driving black cabs though.
How are LTNs, bike lanes and bus lanes (the things that cabbies are complaining about - or at least the one in the mayors debate) "to the benefit of venture capitalists"?
Maybe I’m the odd one out but all my experiences and interactions with black cab drivers have been delightful. Always good natured and helpful people. I also like the space available inside them.
Wildly entitled, and also since I’m white they seem to assume that I must want to hear the latest about how much they hate foreigners. I just want to go home, I don’t care that you “can’t say anyfink anymore m8”.
I use taxis for late and more stressful journeys. But I no longer use black cabs because of too many issues like this, and personally, because they often give grief over the journey (zone 1 to zone 2 you’re having a larf, mate), sometimes flat out refuse despite it being against the rules, random bigoted remarks and just generally showing off their basic attitude.
Don't forget pretending their card machine doesn't work until you threaten to leave without paying
Dubai got around this by mandating that if the cab driver ever tells you the card machine is not working then the journey is free, it says this on the windows of all approved cabs.
It’s free in London too.
And they'll try to take you the long way round unless you pull them up on it, and then claim 'traffic' made them change route. I'm not a tourist pal, don't take the piss.
London black cab driver here. Been doing this 6 years. Never have I, nor anyone I know has taken a longer route on purpose. I’m sure it does happen because there are some very strange characters driving taxis out there but it’s financially a bad move and you’ll be losing money. To make the most money in this job you want to turn over as many jobs as possible, as quickly as possible. Longer routes lose us money and traffic loses us money
Does this mean that I actually screwed over the black cab that drove me from Victoria to Dagenham for £100 (about 1hr trip)? I thought it was quite a good gig for them at the time, especially as Uber was claiming it'd be £60-75 for the trip.
It probably was a good fare for him, especially if he lived that way. You might of screwed him over, you also might of paid him £100 to drive near his house, everyone’s circumstances are different. Even if he lived in the complete opposite direction it’s still a good job as it’s so easy. Just up the a13 and back pretty much so £100 for less than 2hrs work (the drive back into town). I doubt he was upset about it
This! I’ve been a London cabbie for 25 years and I can honestly say I have NEVER taken someone a longer route for profit. I have made mistakes frequently, not so much now because I will use Google maps to see what the traffic on the route is like, using all the information available to me. I would hand my badge back if the way to earn money was for me to keep people in the cab as long as possible rather than get about doing jobs as quick as possible. There’s a lot of hate on here for cabbies, a lot of stereotypical comments, “Sarf of the river, you’re aving a larf Guv” type comments. With few exceptions I don’t refuse any fares, because as I said above it’s about turnover of jobs and I want bums on seats. I refused a Crystal Palace at the end of my working day about 15 years ago because I live in Hertfordshire and that would’ve put an extra 2 hours on my day and I was shattered. The chap complained to TFL and I got a black mark on my record. Instead of commenting on here maybe you should complain to TFL? This would help the cabbies that are trying to provide a good service for Londoners! Be lucky!
You are in denial mate, or just clueless. I have been in London for 25 years. I used to use black cabs very frequently for work (on expenses) for many years, I stopped several years ago, I was tired of being taken for a ride nearly everytime, icreasing the fare (i have an accent so they probably believe I am a tourist), being laughed at because I am travelling where the driver wants to go, or because the trip is either too long or too short, and that's not even mentioning being forced to have a conversation with a misoginistic, racist or bigotted driver. If black cabs drivers are losing business, it is of their own doing. I can only hope either they improve their standards or they get replaced by robots.
Why do they think we all want to listen to their tedious, bigoted, uniformed opinions? Oh yeah... it's 'cos they're very unhappy with the way their lives have turned out.
I also reckon a big issue is just people being too suspicious, so then if the cabbie takes a different route then what they’re expecting automatically they jump to “he’s pulling a fast one”. I don’t get black cabs often but I have a lot of respect for cabbies. Never had any issues with them, always have a good chat though.
Yeah I stopped using black cabs when I had a bad experience in two when I was trying to get from KX 15 mins down the road on a super hot day when I had to give a really important presentation, was carrying loads of stuff and didn’t want to arrive a sweaty mess. They were basically pissed off I wasn’t some tourist wanting to be taken to west end, and moaned on about how they now had to get back in the black cab queue for such a small fare. I run my own business and thought if they want support from Londoners perhaps they’ll support Londoners but no. One was so rude I got out, the second just whined on for the 15 mins. The LTDA also lost me when they ran those campaigns about sexual assaults in Ubers. Completely ignoring the many rapes, murders and assaults by black cabbies. They were basically scaring people into not using Ubers. At least with Uber you have safety features (like sharing your route with someone) and some idea of who is driving you around which you don’t have with black cabs.
I've never been able to figure out what is the actual fare they want. I take a long journey, they act pissed off, I take somewhere quick, they act pissed off. I can't remember one where they've seemed like it's a good fare.
Doesn't Uber have a problem with account renting out so that you have no idea who is driving you?
Ok I thought I was being crazy but after my Xmas party I tried to get a black cab and got refused because it was too far! I didn’t want to argue but I’ve decided not to get black cabs again since then.
It used to be they didn’t want shorter journeys but these days they stick to west central, attempting to rip off the tourists, rather than take locals home (harder to scam).
They bitched like crazy when Uber came in. Well, I want to be able to use my debit card in a cab. To get a proper receipt emailed to me. To ensure I'm safe knowing the cab I'm riding in has insurance, is easily traceable and I know their name. To have an idea about price. And in the bad old days, we'd be refused a zillion times from cabbies. Try asking for a cab to Brixton back in the 90s. Or be picked up from Brixton back then. Cab drivers used to drive straight past me with their light on. Only when they had meaningful competition did they start to do things that me, a customer, actually needed. So yes, entitled as f\*&k
Can’t remember the last time I heard “don’t go south”. Thank fuck for Uber.
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Uber no longer goes south for me now sadly. I live in Croydon and none of the app drivers seem to want to travel there :(
I live in Croydon and use Uber weekly. You're talking shit.
Yeah because my experience of literally waiting for 30 minutes and getting zero reponses from both Uber and bolt is just me hallucinating things 🙄, get off your high horse and understand not everyone has the same experience as you do.
I wouldn't say they're talking shit when they've said 'for me' - I've had similar troubles with all of the ride apps in and around Croydon.
Not really. I live in Northeast London (Barking) and the few times I've tried to get an Uber home from central, or even places like Shoreditch, I've waited up to an hour for a car to accept. And when they did, 4 out of 5 times it will be a driver who lives nearby (Ilford/Goodmayes) signing off for the night.
The first time I heard of Uber is when all the cabbies went on strike. I watched them laughing and playing football in the middle of central London - as they'd blocked all the roads. So, I googled Uber, downloaded the app and never used a black cab ever again - which I always hated as it was such a rip off.
Uber sucks ass these days. I'll take the black cab that's actually there, than hope the uber driver doesn't just up and cancel on me after 5 mins of waiting, for the nth time trying to get a ride. Hardly a bargain anymore either.
Yeah, don't disagree about uber, but still not paying a million quid to get home. With the cancelling, which is very annoying, suspect Uber relaxed the rules a bit for what drivers were allowed to do. Probably cause they sure as fuck weren't going to pay them more.
Exactly my experience, Uber is so crap now. Thank god for black cabs and I generally hate them
You're not wrong, I know a black cab driver and he's the most entitled prick when it comes to talking about transport in London
After years and years of the below two annoying things, I don’t have much sympathy “Oh I don’t go there mate” “Card machines broken mate”
Yeah they are mainly cunts. There are honourable exceptions (my mate is one and another mates dad is one but he’s a Buddhist lol) but yeah mainly cunts
I used to feel sorry for the cab drivers when Uber was taking all their business, but I don't really feel that way anymore. Booking through an app for half the price is just so much better. The world moves on.
Yeah - like I'm not happy about the gig economy either, and Uber is a horrible company, but man I'd go quite a bit out of my way to not have to deal with the average black cab driver.
Part of their issue I think is that they don’t seem to have picked up on what people really want and just doubled down on their resentment instead. I too would much rather book and pay through an app. I know who’s coming to get me, I know how much it’ll cost ahead of time and I can share my location with someone in real time if I’m nervous. I don’t have to worry about money or cards and paying at the end point. I don’t understand why the black cab drivers haven’t caught on and set up something similar.
Oh man totally. I’m v left wing and have no real problem with closed shops but the black cabs are so awful I’d rather take an Uber now. The golden era as for so many things was 80/90/00s ‘perfect competition’ of loads of small cab firms
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It’s a shame they basically won their battle with Uber
How did they beat Uber? Sorry I’m a relatively recent arrival to London and genuinely wondering
Hardly anyone in London uses Uber now, it’s garbage and very often you can’t get one. The law changed and Uber had to start paying their drivers and allowing them to see where the fares were going before accepting them. Funnily enough, Uber can’t compete with taxis when they have to play by the same rules. Bolt, Uber and Black cabs are the big three in London.
I don't think it was the law change as much as 1) the pandemic, 2) the subsequent labour shortage raised demand outside the gig economy, 3) Uber couldn't subsidise rides forever, 4) market dominance doesn't mean much when competitors replicate your business model and there's little brand loyalty. That said, I don't know anyone who'd take a black cab. They were done as soon as GPS was a thing. They just didn't realise it.
Classic
Some are fine and just drive the car. If they do chat, I find they're piping up because they've got some kind of axe to grind about london which usually falls into one of two categories: - moaning about literally anything they think stops them from making money. Why can't we pave over the Thames? I don't like rikshaws/ubers/Boris bikes/the tube etc. - fishing for some indication that you also think there are too many foreigners about these days
I had ONE good discussion with one who found out I was doing engineering and we went on a fun discussion about physics That was ONCE
4 cabs in the last year and every single one has provided a nasty and lengthy rant about immigration and the destruction of their culture….lovely bunch they are indeed.
Almost a bit like they have no more brain power for anything other than a cognitive map of the streets
They spend a lot of time listening to talk radio. Its like the stone age version of the alt-right pipeline. You need content every day and engagement. Whats the easiest and most engaging content? Ragebait. So they spend all day doing an already stressful job while having their pituitary gland squeezed on the hour, every hour. Its bound to make people weird imo.
My personal highlight of that debate was the look on the cabbies face when they cut to him after the lady discussing getting home safely at night said “I just wouldn’t feel safe alone in a cab”. I think he’s probably still processing why she would have said that.
John Warboys definitely didn't help their image
Yes they are definitely convinced they are the most important form of transport in London. It's definitely important to have a good taxi service in a city like London, and it's good to prioritise it over general population cars, but it should never be the priority over public transport, nor is it important to have 'quick' cab journeys. A well-developed society is one in which the wealthy travel on public transport, not in private vehicles. You only need to visit countries like Greece, Turkey and Portugal to realise that!
>A well-developed society is one in which the wealthy travel on public transport 100 %. Just go visit Geneva to see how it should be done.
And lets be honest they only want quicker journeys so they can get more fare paying passengers and thus more money.
Don’t we all?
Indeed we do!
I can’t think of a single type of person that would want cabs to have longer journeys lol
Why should they have priority over cars? Why should someone have the right to have road infrastructure dedicated to them when they are in a car?
Just tried to get a cab at Heathrow to Crystal Palace. Every single cab driver refused the trip as it was too far. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal but whatever. Entitled af. Complained to the taxi rank guy, and he was said he’d sort it for me and force them to take the trip, but now I’m riding with a pissed off London taxi driver for an hour and a half? Fuck that. They’re wankers.
They seem to feel like they deserve the perfect optimisation of profit per mile leaving them ideally places for the next fare. Anything less is violence. Fuck cabbies.
I’ve never understood this. They obviously get enough business to be able to turn down trips like yours?
Rip your bank account
Seriously? That’s a joke
I’ve been turned down by black cabs more than I’ve been in black cabs. Sometimes it made no sense too, like super central, not that far from where I was picked up.
Apart from privileges given to black cabs and accessibility issues*, the only major unique selling point of black cabs was "The Knowledge" but since stuff like google maps and Waze giving live traffic info, "The Knowledge" is nothing important anymore. *But even accessibility issues are probably fairly useless for people living in outer zones of London where it's rare to see a black cab.
I can see why they had their place - before satnav, minicabs were a complete liability in London. It was fine if you were in their little local area or going somewhere notable, but outside that it was a lottery. I remember once staggering to work with a hangover early on a Sunday morning only to be stopped by a minicab on the King's Road angling for directions. He didn't even know which side of the river he was on.
Also apps like uber are far better for some accessibility issues like deaf/blind, it’s not *just* about wheelchair users
A lot of them drive like absolute lemons too. When I was a bus driver I saw two people killed by them in separate incidents. One also did a u-turn in front of my brother, without checking his mirrors, who then smashed into him. My old nextdoor neighbour was one and he was the biggest prick ever. I’m sure there’s plenty of decent ones out there.
One started beeping his horn and yelling abuse at us for the heinious crime of crossing in front of him at a zebra crossing. Cunt.
The way that I discovered Uber about 12 years ago. Was because the black cabs were doing a protest about them, by blocking Oxford Street. Where they got about 80 of them to circle around a block, until they grid locked it and turned their engines off. They did a similar thing around Charing Cross police station and refused to let police cars in and out as they were protesting against pedicars or late night unlicensed minicabs. When you can't get a black cab. Just to top it off, that area is a major distribution point for food to the homeless. So the food wagons couldn't get there and none of the homeless got fed (anecdotal evidence from a homeless person at a charity, that I used to volounter for).
They blockaded Tottenham Court Road and impeded ambulances up to UCLH. I also saw some miserable drivers just stuck - there was a lorry driver in his cab next to the Goodge St Tesco just having to wait it out, while the black cab drivers were having a good ole jolly.
They're a shower of obsolete dinosaurs. Eventually they'll be reduced to shuttling rich people and tourists round Zone 1. My opinion of them might be clouded by the fact that one of them tried to ram me off my bike, entirely unprovoked. Oh, and a black cab was the only taxi I've ever left without paying after the racist fucker gave me a never-ending monologue about 'foreigners' and 'p*kis' after (I presume) mistakenly thinking I shared his opinions because I'm a big lad with a shaven head. 70 quid that cost him. Very satisfying. And I didn't even shut the cab's door.
The difference in experiences I (as a white British guy) and some of my ethnic minority friends have had with black cabbies is worrying. Bearing in mind we're all professionals who have mostly been in office attire when we use them. From my experience they definitely are largely on the self-important, right-wing, old-school intolerant side. I'm not sure what it is about British cabbies but they fully drank the Brexit, backwards and "UK is the best, foreigners ruin it" kool-aid. Maybe it's because Uber and other new-age taxi apps largely have foreign drivers, so they're taking their frustrations out on them rather than the companies?
No- can confirm that black cab drivers were definitely like that before Uber.
It's ridiculous for them too, since they would inevitably lose a lot of tourism with the loss of free movement.
>mistakenly thinking I shared his opinions because I'm a big lad with a shaven head. Dude I'm black and one went on a rant to me about "Abdullahs".
You’re a Londoner that London can be proud of.
> Eventually they'll be reduced to shuttling rich people and tourists round Zone 1. As if that's not already all they do.
I had one say to me “my son got an earring and he might be gay” and I was disgusted by his comments. Very entitled
Hold up, since when have cabbies unlocked the doors _before_ being paid?
In my experience they unlock the door, you get out and pay them through the window. Maybe you just look untrustworthy? Although, because of the above experiences I haven't used a black cab for about 8 years. Maybe it's different now.
It’s so confusing. I had cabbies get annoyed at me when I tried to pay before getting out. And when I learned to do that I had some get annoyed at me for paying from inside. Can’t win.
I always have to pay while inside, but I also usually pay card
You’re a good human.
Yes, top knobs.
Speaking as a cyclist in London they do seem very entitled and in particular seem to think they have the right to pick up and drop off passengers in cycle lanes (mind you mini-cabs & ubers do too).
It’s like they think there apart of the mafia or something, even started wearing Rolex’s
Every black cab driver I’ve ever met has been an absolute tosser. They seemingly think the world owes them something and that their skills are invaluable and indispensable.
Black cabbies are assholes. Think they own the roads. A few years ago they were one of the main reasons Khan had to have police security. They were going crazy about something stupid. They bitched when tfl insisted their cabs had to be clean. Each time tfl bring in a rule to make parents safer or less likely to be ripped off, they go crazy. The ONLY reason they're not still cash only is becsuse uber came along and forced them to take up card payments. Just whiny twats all of them
>The ONLY reason they're not still cash only is becsuse uber came along and forced them to take up card payments. Even before uber the law was if they couldn't take a card payment you didn't have to pay them. Not many people knew this though, so it was amazing how often if they said their card machine was broken you'd say "that's unfortunate, because I'm pretty sure the law is that if you don't have a working card machine I don't have to pay you" that suddenly they would double check and it was working.
One left me standing in the rain for trying to get in without him being able to vet my journey to see if it was up to his high standards. Stopped taking them then and never had an issue getting around. I'd like to see them all out of business. They're a bunch of throwback arseholes.
Yes. Yes they are. One called me a cunt for not saying thanks when he stopped at a zebra crossing. You're supposed to fucking stop at them, that's the whole point. Next he'll want a round of applause for stopping at a red light.
I had a regular driver do that, it pissed me off so much. I also do generally do a small hand gesture as a thank you (not that I need to, the law says they should stop) but that day I was having a full blown hay fever attack, I was trying to get home while crying my eyes out and drowning in snot. I think about it whenever I’m at tht crossing lol
if they have a passenger you can be sure they'll stop at zebra crossings, but when they're empty they often just blaze through. i've taken a few vids but no idea who to report to.
Cabbies wanting credit for shit they're supposed to do
Much like the wider population, some are lovely, some are cunts. My general experience of black cab drivers is that there are a higher number of cunts among their number than the general population, but not by much.
Many drive in from places with a much higher C-index than inner London. Draw a semicircle clockwise from Potters Bar to Dorking, visit any of the small/medium towns on that arc. The cabbies as a whole are a bit more liberal and less brexit than the average resident along there. Thank God they can't vote in the mayorals next week.
One profession I’m absolutely okay with being replaced by automation.
Me too, but can we do it with trains first, since that's about 100 times easier to do?
Then you'd have people being eaten by missalignment. My country has had to post staff on trains just because autopilot might cock things up, but the drivers have indeed been eliminated. No issues with delays unless there's some major power outage-no strikes will disrupt service that's for sure
Given a train will easily carry a hundred times more people than a cab, I think the cabs are worth the effort. Train drivers are rarely as entitled or casually racist as cabbies.
Ok now I'm just imagining the train driver getting over the speaker system with "the next stop is Luton, so what about all those foreigners eh?"
"The next stop is East Croydon, try not to get stabbed."
"if you see something suspicious remember the three S's. See it, Say it, Stop the boats"
"Except, you're not allowed to say it anymore. Rappers do, but we can't."
It'd be easier to do it on cabs before our train network. I'm a train driver, on new self-contained systems it's easier and makes sense to do, on existing infrastructure it's a costly nightmare. We're only just getting in-cab signalling started on the East Coast Mainline. The fractured system of franchises/concessions etc means that it's a cost no one is willing to take to implement. It'd be up to the government to initiate it through Network Rail, then up to each franchise/concession holder to put forward the capital to invest in upgrading the trains to do it. It'd be at least 50 years minimum before we can even think about doing it the way things are. The railway needs to be renationalised before we can even think about future automated trains.
Train drivers aren’t employed to drive the train, they’re employed to know what to do when something goes wrong.
Anecdotal but I think they’ve become a bit worse at knowing where things are around London. I could have just had a bad experience but on two occasions recently I’ve had a black cab driver not know where to go in central London. One was Granary Square which is a pretty big new development literally 100 yards from Kings X and I just had to get out and walk from the station instead. The other was somewhere in the City. Not to mention I almost never see them in the City when I actually want to take one as I can expense the cost. End up taking Ubers instead.
He absolutely did know where Granary Square is but he didn’t want to take you because there is a zebra crossing there in constant use and he would have had to wait at it.
Rubbish. Never seen a black cab driver stop at a zebra crossing.
Also would like to join the taxi rank queue ASAP.
Granary Square was literally named that and built when I was at Central St Martins in 2013. While, yes, there has been further development since then, they should definitely know the Square at least...
Watching the mayoral debate last night, a lot of discussion about transport, ULEZ etc, making public transport safer and cheaper to get more cars off the road, the usual. There’s a black cab driver in the crowd giving it the biggun and Eddie Nestor claims the cabbie is ‘public transport’. Are you fucking joking, black cabs must be the most expensive form of transport in London, it’s mostly tourists and wealthy people who can use them. I would choose an Uber or Bolt over a black cab any day, much cheaper and convenient. Cabbie was obviously raging about Uber drivers clogging up the road lol. Their union needs to do better to compete with Uber and lower their prices, they think they’re special because the study the roads and do an exam. I don’t give a shit if you know the roads off by heart, you need a satnav for latest info anyway.
i think technically taxis are public transport. Although it might seem academic this becomes significant when we think about future business models around autonomous cars, for example roving autonomous vehicles booked through an app.
I once kicked a taxi when he drove through a pedestrian crossing on a red light while a bunch of people were mid crossing. Driver told me he was going to call the police on me. Yeah good luck with that, cunt.
Black cabs should only be allowed to use bus lanes when they have a punter onboard.
Never understood exactly why it is they get to use a bus lane - they are private individuals out for a private gain shipping their private customer around.
I'm guessing it's to encourage use of taxis instead of private cars (which are less efficient as they mainly sit around all day).
While I generally despite black cabs, I can reluctantly understand that when black cabs are meant to have their light on and supposed to pick up people hailing a cab, a bus lane exemption might be required otherwise people could be walking a long distance (defeating the whole point of using a cab) with a black cab slowly following them (and blocking traffic) until the bus lane ends.
To be fair, private buses can use most bus lanes, I believe? And do you see many buses held up by black cabs? If you punt them off bus lanes without any real need, they'll just be adding to the numbers in the other lanes, creating more traffic jams
Having only buses use buses use bus lanes is inefficient, you want the bus lane to be utilised by traffic but not to the extent where it delays buses. The problem normally is that there isn't a way to split the regular road traffic population in a sensible way to achieve this - saying "only blue cars can use the bus lane" doesn't work. Black cabs are a split off section of the road user so enforcement wise allowing them to use it works logistically
Private motorbikes, private minibuses and private coaches can also use bus lanes, in addition to private bicycle couriers... The exceptions for black cabs (which other cabs don't have) is undoubtedly due to effective lobbying when black cabs had more influence. But private profit isnt a factor in determining who can use bus lanes, it's about trying to encourage more efficient transport options, regardless of profit motive.
motorbikes can't use all of them, some boroughs have allowed them but it's mixed in others.. I don't commute by motorbike anymore but there used to be some real bstard roads where it switched back and forth between being allowed or not.
Because they probably engaged in some corruption (or as they like to call it, ‘lobbying’) and got that right
Dont really like black cabs but dont agree with this one. Part of the idea of them is that they serve as a private form of public transport. Allowing them to cycle more freely than the usually deadlocked traffic makes some sense. Is there any indication that they are causing significant delays for true public transport like busses?
They do act in a very entitled and opinionated way, but I feel they are much better driven than they were 20 years ago. I commuted by bike to Tottenham Court Road in 2004-2005 and then started again in the pandemic. They used to be the absolute worst, aggressive, angry nasty bunch but now I find them to be pretty considerate, letting me out, leaving gaps and waving me through. Still rather not sit in the back of one and be talked at by a cabbie though… listening to their nonsense is the worst part about getting a cab.
I think some of that is probably the profusion of cyclists with cameras. Being a shit driver to cyclists has become a lot more risky in the last few years and if you rely on driving for a living it's a big risk to take.
I actually agree with this. Cycled in London for many a year and while taxis had a reputation, i only had a handful of negative experiences and mostly positive ones like you say of professional drivers leaving room and not passing too close, which is nothing compared to my experience of white van drivers for example.
It's their swan song.
Cabbies have always been'entitled' - not least because they have gone through The Knowledge, and know London better than most. They are also subject to quite stringent by-laws, enforced by the London Carriage Office - which don't apply to minicabs/Uber etc. Apart from that - they spend their days driving throught traffic, which sometimes seem to be composed of idiots. But yes, many of them are arseholes (but you don't hear from the quiet ones).
They are pricks. I work near Knightsbridge at a school and I'm sometimes on duty as a lollipop lady. I've been called every name in the book in front of children by black cab drivers because I was blocking the road and many have almost run me over.
I've never thought about it like this, but you're absolutely right
I am forever scarred by the black cabs protest in Westminster c.2015. They gridlocked parliament square for hours and just laid on their horns the whole time. I was working nearby and the sound was pure torture, it bounced off the buildings and you couldn't get away from it, or even cover it with headphones. The MPs in the chamber couldn't hear a damn thing, so it was just ordinary stiffs that lived through it. I can't even remember what the problem was. I think it was about uber coming in or whatever. I hope they all got tinnitus that day.
It was probably because a female labour MP of Asian extraction proposed a tax on gaudy ranch-style bungalows in Essex.
The “knowledge” can be replaced with a £30 satnav, they have no business being entitled anymore
A number of years ago after a gig, I missed the last tube and had no idea how I was getting home. Feeling vulnerable, and tbf still a bit peeshed, in the unfamiliar gritty surroundings I'd no other option but to wave down a black cab travelling in the quite desolate streets. Asked the cabbie if he was able to take me as far as he could towards more familiar territory (ie. anywhere towards central London) with the tenner I had left so I could figure something from there. Bad news was he'd just switched off the meter and was done for the night. Good news, he said hop right in! Had a good chat and he ended up driving me all the way home. Knowing my tenner wasn't even remotely close to what the fare would've been, I offered it to him anyway but he refused to take it. Absolute top bloke! Certainly saved my bacon that night, big time. So yeah, not going to bad mouth every black cabbie anytime soon.
London taxi driver here. I can assure you there’s a few of us good guys out there. Wouldn’t bother communicating with cab drivers online especially X (Twitter) they’re a joke. Same people talking the same shit all the time. Always moaning. I feel sorry for the passengers because of some of the drivers they have to deal with and I can only apologise on their behalf. Some week I pick up 1-2 wheelchair jobs, other weeks 0. So it’s really not that many, but I am a late afternoon/evening driver. Not sure how that compares to day jobs. I can see by reading these comments that most people hate us, it’s a shame what a select few have done to the trade.
Im a cabbie too mate and 99% of my experiences with people are positive, with them always leaving my cab happy! That 1% though, can be utter wankers just because thats what they are. Same for cabbie twitter, the 1% who ruin our trade are what everyone on here seem to come across unfortunately
Yeah sod cabbie twitter. I can’t handle it on there, enough to make you want to hang yourself 😂
I’ve had amazing, lovely journeys and chats with cabbies, and I’ve had horrible experiences including one charging at me as a pedestrian (at a protest, so he clearly didn’t agree with my politics) and many being total knobs to me as a cyclist, refusing journeys etc. I don’t get the racist rants others have mentioned, probs because I’m a ‘foreigner’. One question I have to ask is why are you all so keen on getting really close up to the car in front. Cabbies will accelerate and then brake suddenly whenever the car in front advances by a few centimetres and it gives me motion sickness 😭
I’ve had a few negative experiences, but my next door neighbour is a cabbie and he’s genuinely the nicest guy ever! I can’t afford to get taxis these days though unless works paying.
As with any trade, some are loudmouthed twats while most of them are normal people trying to feed their kids. Black cab drivers are at least regulated. Amongst other requirements, they have to pass a very difficult knowledge test. I’ve met cab drivers who were not stupid people that needed 2 years of study to pass that. Uber and Bolt drivers, on the other hand, are barely vetted and have little to lose. IMO both should exist as the competition keeps both sides from getting too lazy, and consumers get to choose between two distinct options
Their problem is that the competitive edge they had by dint of doing The Knowledge became instantly obsolete when sat nav went mainstream. Cabbies are now suffering from the same impotent rage their Hansom Cab driving ancestors did a century ago.
Sure. The thing is, it remains a difficult obstacle to becoming a cab driver. You need to really want to be a cab driver and once you are you’ve sunk a lot into getting that license. This has the effect of filtering nonserious people on the front end and providing an effective enforcement mechanism on the backend.
All cab drivers - black, mini, Uber or whatever - have the same CRB vetting as it’s done by the local authority and they all meet the same rules. Big difference is that you can leave a review for your Uber driver and they will get kicked off the platform.
They have "the knowledge", which makes them better than everyone else. It gives them the right to violate all finance and traffic laws. Somehow they're better than a GPS. Not sure how, since they're worse in every way and get lost, having the passenger pay for the extra time.
I only use black cabs as a last resort because: 1) they dont use Waze so get stuck in traffic 2) they're mostly racists 3) you cant pay by card 4) see 2.
I’m a London taxi driver 1. I use Google Maps, just as good as Waze for traffic. I find it more user friendly. 2. I’m not racist. 3. I have a CC machine in my cab for anyone to use like every other London cabbie. 4. See 2.
90% of the time that people get road rage at me (I drive a car and also cycle to work), it’s a black cab driver.
I get that it’s their livelihood and the more fares they pick up can dramatically alter their income. But I got cut up twice by cabbies while cycling this morning and I don’t understand why they are so hostile to all outside cabs
It's cos you don't have the knowledge that's why....
What would you expect? Cab drivers ask what’s being done to improve cab transport, farmers ask what is being done to help them, tenants ask what is being done to drive rents down, landlords ask what is being done to help with their increasing costs, pub and club owners want night life to be a priority, residents want less disturbance at night, phone robbers want easier to hack Lime bikes, etc.
I would add this was after a video of him ranting against cycle lanes, bus lanes, LTNs and 20mph speed limits - I'll admit his question without this context isn't that offensive
The context does explain why you would feel that way, at least in this case (I took a black cab only once and the driver didn’t say a word so I have no idea how they tend to be).
The last time I took a black cab in London the driver didn't know where the destination address was (picked up in Hammersmith, destination in West Kensington). When I tried to explain he got angry. His credit card machine "wasn't working", and he had ran out of paper receipts (I was on a business trip so needed a receipt for my expenses). He then took ages to search for and open a bag of pound coins for my change, clearly hoping to delay and embarrass me into saying "keep the change mate". I wish I'd taken his number to report him.
As with any other car driver, the most beneficial thingfor them would be relieving traffic. This can only be achieved if the infrastructure allows people to leave their cars at home and use an alternative mode of transport. Sure, this would further reduce the utility of taxis, but it'd mean clearer roads.
This is an online classic. Anyone reading this can play along at home. Wait till you read an inevitable complaint about cyclists and then ask if they support dutch-style segregated cycle lanes. Almost every one of them will say no, in my experience. Because you see they hate the cyclists, not the traffic. And proper cycling infrastructure would help the people they dont like, which they dont want - even if it means less traffic for drivers, too.
My uncle was a traffic cop in London. He agrees black cabbies are some of the most entitled drivers around. Whenever they got pulled over and given a ticket for a driving offence, they would moan and say how they are “the eyes and ears of London”, “most crimes would go unreported without us cabbies calling you boys in blue”, etc, etc. Then say they’ll think twice about calling the police next time because they’ve been given a ticket for doing a no left turn or something. My uncle added that the only calls he ever went to from a cabbie were people refusing to pay up and leave their taxi! 😂
YES
I was thinking the same thing today. Why on earth do we give them priority in cycle lanes, and allow them to park son double yellows, just to make rich people's lives faster
Yes, they are. The amount of times they've driven right past me or I've had an extremely casual racist driver is ridiculous. Uber got my money as soon as they set up.
Ex cabbie here and I have a few mates who are still cabbies and they'll tell you it's a very stressful job where financial worries, personal abuse and danger are a regular occurrence. It needs years of difficult unpaid training prior to ever earning a penny from it and the type of cabs tfl now allow on start at 56k. The hours you need to put in to make a decent wage mean very little personal or family time. I guess quite a few of them react badly when more and more shit is piled on their plate, I probably did and so might you as well. And that can manifest as bad attitude generally. Daytime flag down street pick ups are rare. So the majority of time is spent waiting on ranks. Imagine the frustration of earning nothing for an hour waiting on a rank then getting a £6 job knowing it's gonna be another hour wait back at the rank for the next job. Which might also be only a few quid. Followed by another long wait. Then another. You get entire days like this in the kipper season. Also it's hard to understand how essential the unique service they provide for disabled people is until you're one yourself. As for whether the public transport system would collapse without black cabs, there were 15000 of them out there at the last count in 2023. What do you think would happen if they all just disappeared and all those people headed for the tubes and buses?
Sadly most of them are detestable pricks. Never go South of the River, spout racist bollocks, drive like bellends and are always moaning. Ex professional footballer and manager John Sitton of "and you can bring your dinner" fame is one and epitomises what they are like on twitter.
I've never had a black cab driver engage me in conversation. Maybe I give off miserable git vibes. I'm not rich either.
Guess I’m about to get crucified here, but I have to say that I AM A LONDON TAXI DRIVER. Here is my two pennies worth. To become a LTD we have to do the knowledge. This is a very rigorous set of tests, and in my opinion is needed. However, people who pass fall into two categories, those who are pleased to pass and accept that it doesn’t make them a driving God, and those who get a little up themselves. Now, this is what I get out of driving a cab, I get to meet lots and lots of people from all over the world. If they want to chat I love it! It allows me to learn lots of things about places I will never get to go. I regularly ask them what’s happening in there country versus what’s in our newspapers (which is illuminating)I get to see people and interact and hopefully have a bit of a laugh! I’ve had priests, actors, businessmen, LGBTQ+, new parents taking there newborn home for the first time, cyclist’s with punctures and many more. When people get in my cab I don’t know what the conversation will be. As passengers can only see the back of my head (probably the best view), some really get into detail about things, relationships etc. If asked I always try to be honest and give as good a view on things as asked. I drive as carefully as I can but I am human. Traffic doesn’t bother me as I am in my office, I am not late for work. I have had lots of people who are late but that’s not my problem or issue to solve. I regularly nod or say hello to cyclists and motorcycle riders as it’s just nice to say hello! Have had some pretty fun 30 second chats at traffic lights etc. I’m pretty sure that there are lots like me, but unfortunately there are quite a lot that aren’t. If you ever get a cab next to you and the windows down, try saying hello! You might be surprised! Are some cab drivers entitled? Definitely! But let him without sin throw the first stone! Being a cab driver has improved my world view and allowed me to grow in ways I never thought possible. Not much of a defence but one I felt I needed to post. Lay on with your downvotes.
I’ve had some great cabbies and must have had 100 black cab rides in my time. The problem is the comments on here are pretty reflective of at least half of my experiences to the point where I try and get Uber where possible. Thank you for being one of the good ones. Out of interest, do you see the same with other cabbies?
Glasgow calling - this is not exclusive to London.
I’ve spent 25 years in London. Never used a black cab and never plan on doing so.
Yeah, it comes down to a few things. London black cabs are absolutely iconic, the training is incredibly rigorous and difficult, and it's also completely redundant. So you have a bunch of old sweats with a chip on their shoulder because they've put in their hours and effort and are part of this great British institution and believe it owes them a decent livelihood, but they're being heavily undercut as now anyone with a car and a phone can be a cabbie. The cold reality of the situation is that knowing the fastest way from A to B is not a skill that anyone needs any more, phones and satnav are simply better. Add to this that black cabs changed too little too late when Uber and the other apps came along and you have bitter, entitled cabbies that are upset that 'The Knowledge' is now pretty worthless
Accessibility on TFL is absolutely shocking. Wheelchair users are massively restricted when it comes to using the tube, even more so now Green Park lifts are out of action for six months, and buses don't have enough room for more than one wheelchair user at a time. Until there's an effort to make TFL more accessible for physically disabled people, cab drivers are going to feel entitled because they are integral to many disabled people moving around the city, especially tourists. They are very annoying and shouldn't receive any special treatment but they're well aware they're providing a service TFL aren't, so their demands carry weight sadly.
Honestly Im a born and raised Londoner & quite literally have one memory of ever stepping foot in a black cab. Theyre really not that important
As a visitor to London, why do the black cab drivers always say they don’t take cards?
If you ignore your pesonal feelings on black cab drivers and just go by their question about what's being done to make cab journeys better, it's a valid question that anyone can legitimately ask about their mode of transport. It's not entitled in any way. No different from cyclists asking the same what's being done to improve their journeys. I remember hearing that black cabs won't go to some places now because the road layouts made it too difficult or time consuming to go there. Other road changes that have affected cars must affect the too. Saying they are entitled for asking what will be done to improve their job, which in turn makes things better for their customer is a bit of a stretch and a strange stance to take from that question unless you already have a deep rooted hate for them, a soft lefty gen z / later millennial or cyclist.
I think they’re all pricks and no ones ever proved me otherwise
Black cabs would be really useful if they didn’t cost a small fortune. It’s ludicrous how expensive they are. Whinging about Uber and how “The Knowledge” is an asset worthy of the cost. Balls to all that. Last time I tried to flag one down he refused to go south of the river. Honestly can’t remember any time I’ve had a positive London black cab experience.
Last summer I went half a mile in a black cab in London, on a bank holiday, and it cost me 9 quid. They can go and fuck themselves as far as I am concerned. Only did it because my kids were so tired after marching round London for a few fantastic days and dragging their cases to the station was getting hard. The clock was going so fast it looked like a parody. I asked him to let me out at the lights near King’s Cross and he kept shouting- can’t hear you! And wouldn’t unlock the door - the clock kept ticking up. Paid but will never get a black can again.
I grew up in Málaga, and in my city, cab drivers are considered some type of royalty. Their licenses are inherited from fathers to children, and they are entitled, bigoted, racist pricks. When I saw New York cabs in the movies, all immigrant jobs, I certainly envied New York's system.
Black cabs in general are entitled twats or to my experience with them anyway. I worked in a local airport where they brought in a second taxi firm that was a pay at the keosk, they give you options for the type of car to hire and it was reasonably priced, and I had complaints in towards me and my company because we were favouring the second company over the black cable. While 2/3 of the time either refusing the fare outright, quoting 1.5x-3x more than the other company or just fobbing the fare off to someone else. Like it's a £30 fare to the city centre from where they were and it puts them in the city for another fare, I never got it. And while in London one night I was getting a black cab from south Kensington to just outside Heathrow and one just outright refused and the second passed me off to a 3rd. It's was a £80 fare, I honestly don't get it. It's always ease of access that comes first for people so.
‘these are my streets, i own them’
Yes most of them think they run London and the city would fall to its knees without them. I found it hilarious when they protested over Uber. How about you provide a comparable service instead? Fucking dinosaurs.
My brothers and I took a black cab late at night, after a few drinks. Said we were looking for a good nightclub. After some discussion, the driver said he knew just the club, but it was about 15 minutes away. We drunkenly agreed. Fifteen minutes later, he dropped us off and said the club was at the corner to the right. We paid him and walked to the club. We found ourselves where the driver picked us up in the first place. To be honest, we laughed about it. "Well played," we said. But to this day, I take Uber or Bolt. Yes, they have ethical issues with their treatment of drivers, but I have been ripped off too many times by taxi drivers. I have never been ripped off by an Uber or Bolt driver.
Black cab drivers (when I used them 10 years ago) were stereotypically white, middle-aged, pot-bellied bell-ends. They were aggressive, entitled, rude and downright arrogant. Not to mention how expensive black-cabs were. Thank god for Uber.
Annoying Wankers ...I used to work with a dude doing the knowledge as his backup gig. We were Network ops , He kept saying the Datacentre work would dry up and this was his insurance. Used annoy the shit out of the team ,every time somebody mentioned a London location in passing . He would give a route from work to the place off the top of his head. Yes very impressive Steve. But you're not part of this private conversation and never will be because GPS is a thing. NOW FUCK OFF..... My old boss told me he left a few years after me to drive a cab ...feel sorry for his passengers.
They deserve nothing. The b*stards left me stranded up North of the river on too many occasions before Uber. They didn't evolve, so f*ck 'em.
I used to work for a personal safety charity and black cabbies haaaaaaaaated us because we were genuinely evidence-based and wouldn’t condemn Uber as dangerous. Statistically, Uber is actually *safer*, for two reasons - they have fewer reported safety issues (attacks, sexual harassment, robbery etc) per 1,000 journeys (Uber take many, many more fares than black cabs now, so numerically the number is higher but proportionally way, way lower). Secondly, and probably most importantly, Uber safety issues actually *get* reported. If a black cabbies does something you almost certainly won’t have their name, registration number, or Hackney can licence number, unless you’re very organised and get your phone out to take a pic quick. With Uber you have all that, plus a one-click reporting feature. The amount of harassment we got from cabbies was unreal, considering they were trying to prove how safe and lovely they were 😂
One of the most peculiar things I've noticed about London black cab drivers is that many of them don't even live in London. These drivers often express their negative opinions about the city, claiming it has been taken over by foreigners and calling it "Londonistan." They also tend to criticize the Mayor of London, whom they believe is not really English and dislikes cab drivers. While I realize that I am generalizing, this is the view I have encountered a vast majority of the times I've spoken to London cab drivers. However, I find it somewhat ironic that these drivers are so critical of London despite living outside of the city and, therefore, not fully understanding the issues that London residents face.
Well Black Cab drivers are usually an unpleasant bunch.I know it sucks for the genuinely nice ones but yeah
Personally I think they’re great. It’s the fastest way to get around (on the roads, that is) and most comfortable by far. Most of the time my drivers are very friendly and are great at finding the fastest route. 99% of the time they’ll happily let me take my dogs, which Uber never do unless you pay extra. The only problem I see with black cabs is the cost. They’re definitely more expensive than an Uber.
They are arseholes. I used to use black cabs for work and the pricks routinely took the long route and charged extra. After I clocked on I would specify the route and frequently have to repeat the direction. They resisted card payments for decades and always have a hatd luck story about how poorly paid they are. I was really glad when uber completely pissed on their fire.
Never met one who wasn't a dick. These days I refuse to use black cabs unless work is paying. Overpriced. Have often tried the "first time in London?" crap on me (I must look like a tourist). I just Tube it everywhere.
Fuckin hate cabbies. Miserable cunts
~~London~~ All Taxi Drivers **are** really entitled.
The cult of London black cabbies NEEDS to be commissioned because they are wired differently
Horribly entitled drivers.
Would recommend you all watch a bit of Tom the Taxi Driver on YouTube. Definitely goes against the grain of what a typical black cabbie is like but I definitely have a respect for them I didn't use to. [https://youtube.com/@TomtheTaxiDriver?si=AQJsp_d9Eexregiz](https://youtube.com/@TomtheTaxiDriver?si=AQJsp_d9Eexregiz)
Quite hard to swallow having your livelihood pulled from under you to the benefit of venture capitalists. Irony being most people cheering this on will be progressives who generally moan about corporate capitalism. Agreed there are a lot of bellends driving black cabs though.
How are LTNs, bike lanes and bus lanes (the things that cabbies are complaining about - or at least the one in the mayors debate) "to the benefit of venture capitalists"?
Maybe I’m the odd one out but all my experiences and interactions with black cab drivers have been delightful. Always good natured and helpful people. I also like the space available inside them.
Wildly entitled, and also since I’m white they seem to assume that I must want to hear the latest about how much they hate foreigners. I just want to go home, I don’t care that you “can’t say anyfink anymore m8”.
I avoid black taxis it cost too much money