tipping taxi drivers in London

[referee]

We will be flying into Heathrow . We have not picked out a hotel yet(June 2014) but, i'm sure it will be somewhere in central London. Can we pay for the ride in advance, do the cabs take credit cards, and is a tip for the driver necessary, and if so , how much ? thanks Referee

[scubaholic]

Being English I can tell you it's not necessary to tip anyone, you can tip if you think they deserve it but the black cabs in England are expensive enough as it is, if you want to tip anyone tip the wait staff but 10% is the norm here. Hope this helps

 

 

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[eandj]

You probably will book a private car service if going from Heathrow to Central London. There are many rec's on this board. Smiths, 724,Simply Airports etc. Yes you can prepay for many companies. We didn't. As stated, residents do not tip like Americans do at home. We just rounded up a little bit...mainly due to the GDP bills and coins we had in our pockets. Not because we felt the need to. ;)

 

Our driver did have a card scanner had we wanted to charge.

[John Bull]

The scubaholic mentioned London's famous "black cabs". These are fine for the odd little journey within central London, but hailing one at Heathrow to go to central London would be at least 50% more expensive than pre-booking with one of the private hire transfer operators (sorry, don't use them ourselves so no recommendations).

Yes you can book & pay in advance, some accept payment on the day.

 

The USA's tipping policy is well-known, so unless you're pretty good at putting on, say, a German accent :D, a transfer driver will be looking for a tip from you - £5 would be plenty, zilch is fine if the guy's not worth a tip. He gets a passable wage anyway.

 

For any little hop in a black cab, rounding up to the next pound is fine, mebbe another one on top.

 

JB :)

[Bob++]

If he (private hire driver) helps with the luggage and doesn't complain too much on the drive into town, a fiver is fine. If he leaves you to do the humping, just say thanks driver.

 

If you use a black cab in London, then it is quite normal to just round the fare up to the next whole pound. I suggest that you try to have some pound coins so that you don't have to get change.

[drarill]

The scubaholic mentioned London's famous "black cabs". These are fine for the odd little journey within central London, but hailing one at Heathrow to go to central London would be at least 50% more expensive than pre-booking with one of the private hire transfer operators (sorry, don't use them ourselves so no recommendations).

Yes you can book & pay in advance, some accept payment on the day.

 

The USA's tipping policy is well-known, so unless you're pretty good at putting on, say, a German accent :D, a transfer driver will be looking for a tip from you - £5 would be plenty, zilch is fine if the guy's not worth a tip. He gets a passable wage anyway.

 

For any little hop in a black cab, rounding up to the next pound is fine, mebbe another one on top.

 

JB :)

Thanks for the info!! We already prepaid our transfer from Heathrow to the Westminster area and my husband was just asking me yesterday how much we need to tip our driver.

[LondonTowner]

As you have already booked your car service, I would agree with the 5GBP tip. However, if you take a black cab in Lon don whilst here, black cab drivers expect a tip of around 10%. It isn't unknown for a driver receiving nothing, or a measly tip to shout abuse at the passenger as he dries away.

 

Having said that, black cab drivers earn a decent wage and if you are never going to be here again, well, don't give if you don't want to.

 

Also, whilst here, if you go to a restaurant, many already add the tip to the bill when you go to pay it. You need to check this and if you feel the service has not been good, then, don't leave it. As a general rule, tipping is around 10%, but only if the service has been good. BTW, we don't tip in pubs, because you have to get the drink yourself from the bar.

[marylizcat]

I agree, black cabs expect a ten per cent tip. Obviously, not everybody will give them this - they cannot insist upon it!

 

 

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[Cotswold Eagle]

I have lived and worked in London for 20+ years and never knew there was, or found, an expectation of a 10% tip - like others have said, just round up:)

 

If any cab driver is rude, take his number and report him to the Public Carriage Office - it is a regulated service industry and demanding tips is not what is expected, and could amount to a criminal offence under the Hackney Carriages Acts.

[marylizcat]

I have lived and worked in London for 20+ years and never knew there was, or found, an expectation of a 10% tip - like others have said, just round up:)

 

If any cab driver is rude, take his number and report him to the Public Carriage Office - it is a regulated service industry and demanding tips is not what is expected, and could amount to a criminal offence under the Hackney Carriages Acts.

 

Yes, my grandfather was a London black cab driver. Ten per cent is the norm, but obviously not exactly! I was not suggesting they would be rude and demand a tip. Just saying it is not compulsory!

[Canugess]

I have to be very desperate to get a black cab in London. I tend to go everywhere on the underground. Get yourself an Oyster card at the Tube station and ride all day!

 

There is a very good site for route planning called walk it. Which will give you directions.

 

http://www.walkit.com/london

 

Really good website!

[Bob++]

There is a very good site for route planning called walk it. Which will give you directions.

 

http://www.walkit.com/london

 

Really good website!

 

I never saw that before - yes it looks great and I will certainly put it on my phone.

[RLMSLL]

I have to be very desperate to get a black cab in London. I tend to go everywhere on the underground. Get yourself an Oyster card at the Tube station and ride all day!

 

There is a very good site for route planning called walk it. Which will give you directions.

 

http://www.walkit.com/london

 

Really good website!

 

Wonderful website! Thanks for sharing. I appreciate it that it lets one know if the route is hilly in addition to quoting the walking time.

[sparky-elpaso]

I have to be very desperate to get a black cab in London. I tend to go everywhere on the underground. Get yourself an Oyster card at the Tube station and ride all day!

 

There is a very good site for route planning called walk it. Which will give you directions.

 

www.walkit.com/london

 

Really good website!

 

What a cool site - thanks. We'll be spending 3 days in London before our cruise and this will help a lot.

[Stelladoro]

I have to be very desperate to get a black cab in London. I tend to go everywhere on the underground. Get yourself an Oyster card at the Tube station and ride all day!

 

There is a very good site for route planning called walk it. Which will give you directions.

 

www.walkit.com/london

 

Really good website!

 

Agree, we stayed in London for 8 days precruise, and only used the taxi cab once - it rained and we didn't want to walk with luggage from Victoria station to our hotel. We kept our Oyster cards from a previous trip and just loaded it up. Great transportation system, including the trains!

[Canugess]

It's always worth doing a walk it route before decending the under ground if you are only doing a stop or two. For instance charing x and the embankment are next to one another. As are bank and monument.

 

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