Still want to be a London cabbie?

https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/08/08/still-want-to-be-a-london-cabbie

by helsinkiandrew • 11 months ago

11 16 11 months ago

economist.com

helsinkiandrew• 11 months ago

https://archive.ph/FxojC

danpalmer2• 11 months ago

The article mentions Waymos and other self-driving taxis, but I think this is also a generational issue.

I would never consider getting a black cab because my perception is that they are expensive, opaquely priced, and with little oversight. I'd instead get an Uber where I know the price up front, it's cheaper (I think), and I can get in touch with someone if there's an issue.

My parents though got black cabs for years so would probably consider it over Uber, or at least alongside Uber as an option.

Uber killed the black cab, it just takes decades to change the habits of millions of people.

jonwinstanley2• 11 months ago

It’s not yet guaranteed that Uber will kill off black cabs but who knows.

I read that all Uber rides are subsidised by the huge amount of investment they’ve received as they try to gain market share. Maybe at some point prices will return to similar to cabbies?

Also I find Uber to be sometimes manipulative, they regularly lie about how long it will take for your car to arrive and how surge pricing is enforced.

I’m not saying I don’t use Uber, I do, but I’m not certain Uber is definitely going to win long term.

danpalmer2• 11 months ago

I think this was all true 10 years ago, maybe still 5 years ago, but Uber is a public company now, their pricing has gone up, they're not necessarily subsidising anymore (although this fluctuates and depends on the region as they try to balance the marketplace).

p0w3n3d• 11 months ago

I've been to London recently and was prepared to take the cab but we failed to understand that the blue light is "occupied" and the yellow is "free to hire". Getting to the airport it's easier and cheaper via Uber than a train/bus when you're a 4 ppl family. I would never consider cab to airport, because I don't know how much is it. And the luggage...

izacus• 11 months ago

Last time I had to use Google Maps to manually guide the cabbie to my hotel in central London. Then they charged me a ludicrous fee for the drive.

Sooo... no thank you, getting Uber next time. At least there the driver uses a nav app.

tomsto• 11 months ago

In defence of the black cab, if there is any sort of surge pricing in Uber, the black cab is typically cheaper if you can find one. Apps like Gett solve the ‘not knowing the price upfront’ problem, prebooking and hailing.

I think black cabs are a lot easier if you have lots of luggage, or especially if you have a pram/stroller. Rearward facing seats are safer for kids and cabs seat six comfortably. And the final big advantage: in London, black cabs get to use the bus lanes which can save inordinate amounts of time at rush hour.

I still use Uber all the time but I just thought I would add some balance!

thinkingemote2• 11 months ago

If there's a group of you and it's one or two journeys, taking a cab is often cheaper than the London Underground or a bus.

There is a graph of number of passengers and price and distance and often if it's over 3 or 4 people, taking a taxi may well be cheaper than public transport more times than not. A black cab can usually seat about 5 people with luggage. (Of course it doesn't apply if everyone has already paid for their public transport tickets via a pass, and does depend on distance and time of day etc etc)

This also applies in many other cities and towns, even more so because the taxis are cheaper and the roads less busy and the distances smaller. I particularly recommend it for families with children and luggage where the tube is a night mare, or for groups of friends going out at night. Of course private hire (e.g. uber) will be cheaper still.

arethuza• 11 months ago

Here in Edinburgh, I cancelled an Uber recently and hailed a passing black cab because it was obvious from looking at where the Uber car was that it was effectively lost - I gave up when I could see it going in a circle.

Uber is a great service but their navigation tech seems pretty bad - if I get an Uber home I have to correct the driver because the route Uber wants to take tries to go up a farm track to get to my house. I've reported this problem to Uber but they don't seem to care.

Edit: Edinburgh is a nightmare to drive in at this time of year because of the festival closing a lot of roads - but normal taxi drivers don't seem to struggle?

cozzyd• 11 months ago

The problem is that Uber drivers (and app delivery drivers) often would have no idea where they're going without satnav, which doesn't always work well everywhere.

devilbunny• 11 months ago

I've had to personally direct a handful of Uber drivers through the (entirely correct in every case) directions showing on the app in the US.

Like most nav systems, the ideal combination is to be at least moderately familiar with the planned route and use the nav only to identify unforeseen traffic problems, road closures, etc.

Xss3• 11 months ago

In london black cabs are cheaper, safer (better regulations, less fake IDs), happier people in general (they chose cabbing as a long term goal rather than being forced into ubering on the weekend to keep up with rising cost of living), and actually know where they're going, or alternative routes, or even alternative destinations if you arrive to find your destination closed.

deathanatos• 11 months ago

Students are discouraged from using satnav. “Google Maps is full of errors and often calculates routes which are the quickest,” says Gert Kretov, an instructor at the Knowledge Point School. “We must learn the shortest route.”

… ??? But … why? Who is interested in the shortest route? I can see a customer caring about their time (and thus, would want Google Maps' quickest route) or their wallet (and would thus want the cheapest route — which is not necessarily the shortest as prices are based on time, as well as distance, traveled). TFA never elaborates.

thinkingemote2• 11 months ago

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-fares/tarif...

Taxis charge by distance or by time whichever is reached first.

It might be that the distance is more of a factor than time or the other way around, or it could be that the rules just say that shortest is best as that's usually the quickest (in the days before traffic).

LargoLasskhyfv• 11 months ago

Mutants! :)

Still want to be a London cabbie?

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