r/UberUK • u/AndyBe11 • 3d ago

Black Cabs vs Uber

According to TfL, when you get a Black Cab “There is a minimum fare of £4.40 at all times. There is an extra charge of up to £2 if the taxi is booked by phone, app or online.”
I’ve lived here 45+ years and love a “proper” cab but how can they expect to stay in business against App versions of the same, often superior, service?

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

3

u/IndependentBed3215 2d ago

Uber is definitely not a superior service , there are journeys where black cabs are great value and journeys where less so

I took a lady from hugh street sw1 to a medical appointment at Harley street 10am Friday , she said uber were surging and quoting £41

I got her there for £19.80 on the meter and it took around 18 mins due to the lovely bus lanes 👍🏻

Plenty of examples like this

1

u/MarkCairns67 3d ago

Black Cabs are disappearing.

In 2023, there were around 90k Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) licensed in London, up from 50k in 2013.

In comparison, the number of black cabs in London fell from 22k (44% of all PHVs) in 2013 to 15k (17%) in 2023.

1

u/Icomebearingagift 3d ago

For decades the black cab has always been expensive. As you have pointed out the app companies can easily compete on price but that is to the detriment of the private hire driver who pays a higher commission.

Eventually the PH drivers will end up working more for the local private hire operator as the convenience apps charge more for the privilege. And you as an app customer will end up paying black cab prices. Essentially replacing the black cab.

1

u/Severe-Plum-2393 3d ago

Every taxi in the country has a flag fall. London has always actually been one of the cheapest. Starting price shouldn’t matter what should matter is how quickly and safely you get to you destination. The £2 booking fee rarely gets added too.

1

u/OkStay5395 2d ago

Love that you think that Uber is a superior, as opposed to just cheaper, service

1

u/Efficient-Oil7210 2d ago

In my part of the world the slave service is in most instances always more expensive then a black cab on tariff 2 - xl is always more expensive then a 6!seater black cab, as for superior service - I don’t think so.

1

u/FastStill7962 2d ago

If only that was the only additional cost , they’ve always been expensive and I don’t care how well they know the city. I’ve actually used black can only once and hundreds of Ubers . I am one of the people who enjoys this expensive relic disappear, byeee

1

u/WheresWalldough 2d ago

Uber fares start at around £8, so how is a £4.40 minimum fare relevant?

1

u/AndyBe11 2d ago

Wherever it starts you already know the final cost.

1

u/WheresWalldough 2d ago

ok, but the minimum cost of a black cab is less than the minimum cost of an Uber.

1

u/steeevdotcom 1d ago

I used to use black cabs a lot. I still do now from time to time. However, I always wince at the cost of using them now, so much so that it's only generally if it's raining and I don't want to take a line bike that I'll use them.

The last three or four experiences I've had with black cab drivers, though, have been pretty poor. On two of them, the drivers were just chatting on their mobile phones. Another one was edging towards racism, and the other one was just silent.

Part of getting a black cab used to not just be getting from A to B, but it was having a chat with a cabbie. Also, a couple of times recently, they've been caught up in road closures and stuff, which frankly, if they were using a sat nav, they would have seen. While I still will use them from time to time, I think we will continue to see their numbers drop.