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As a Londonder, I regular switch between black cab, uber and gett (hailing service for black cab). I wouldn't say the 'trade is dying', the quality and reliabil

As a Londonder, I regular switch between black cab, uber and gett (hailing service for black cab). I wouldn't say the 'trade is dying', the quality and reliability of London taxis are far more superior than Uber drivers (with occasional exceptions). Also I've seen and known of these little green 'sheds' but never approached them. Always thought they were a "little cult" themselves in an endearing way.

dx034 8y ago
I appreciate that Cabbies generally know their way around the city but their preference for certain routes can be a serious disadvantage. I switched to only using Uber when going to the airport as the navigation they use steers around traffic whereas cabbies will usually use the same route they always use. At busy times, that often leads to black cab traffic jams on some side roads even though the main road would've been less congested. And it's probably just me but I find the standard Toyota Prius more comfortable than the black cabs (esp due to engine noise and vibration). But obviously for quick trips within the cities they're still much faster than an Uber.
- charlesdm 8y ago
  London is probably one of the few cities where I prefer taking a cab over an Uber or something else. I can't even count the number of times where I've had Uber drivers tell me they have no clue of where they're driving (i.e. I have a better understanding of the city than them) and they used to be UPS drivers before turning to driving for Uber.
  - dogma1138 8y ago
    The problem with black cabs is that what they consider London and what actually is London is very different. I can walk to Paddington so I don’t have that much of a problem with getting cabs but if you live outside of Zone 2 it will questionable if you can get one also getting them to go outside of the center is usually near impossible despite the fact that they aren’t allowed to decline fares. If you are however disabled, have pets or a baby trolley you’ll likely have quite a bit of a problem with Uber et al. Black cabs are big and afaik all of them can accommodate wheelchairs.
- detritus 8y ago
  The flipside is that Uber drivers tend not to have preferred routes or even particularly know where they're going - instead, they dutifully follow whatever their satNav tells them, despite any logical reasons not to, better shortcuts, etc. Heck, one recalled Uber started off in the completely wrong direction, despite my protestations, getting caught in a local one-way system that took a good 20 minutes to get out of. I was not a happy bunny.
- cjrp 8y ago
  > And it's probably just me but I find the standard Toyota Prius more comfortable than the black cabs (esp due to engine noise and vibration). It's true, a lot of the older black cabs were loud and didn't have great suspension. I'm starting to see a few of these (http://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ http://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/) on the road now, which will at least be much quieter - not sure how the ride is but I'd hope it's better too.
chrisseaton 8y ago
The one thing wrong with black cabs is that they rarely take cards - either don’t at all or they say the machine is broken. I don’t want the hassle of using paper money so I can’t use black cabs. If I could reliably use my card, as I can with Uber, I’d use black cabs again.
- edent 8y ago
  That's not been the case for some time. All licensed cabs must have a working card reader. See https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/accepting-card-payments https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/accepting... They can be sanctioned by TfL if they don't.
  - charlesdm 8y ago
    I guess the problem is that some charge a 10%+ fee for card usage. That shouldn't happen, honestly.
    - edent 8y ago
      No, they can't do that either. From the TfL link above "Since 13 January 2018 it has been an offence for companies, including private hire operators, to charge their customers a surcharge, or extra, because they are paying by credit or debit card." Or see this news story. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40648641 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40648641
      - charlesdm 8y ago
        Seems to be quite a new rule. Last time I was in town was in December last year. Good improvement I’d say!
  - chrisseaton 8y ago
    They just say the machine's broken! You might say 'you don't have to pay if it's broken' or 'you can report them' but I don't want to have an argument with an aggressive cab driver! I just want to pay by card in the first place, which Uber lets me do 100% of the time without hassle.

dx034 8y ago

I appreciate that Cabbies generally know their way around the city but their preference for certain routes can be a serious disadvantage. I switched to only using Uber when going to the airport as the navigation they use steers around traffic whereas cabbies will usually use the same route they always use. At busy times, that often leads to black cab traffic jams on some side roads even though the main road would've been less congested. And it's probably just me but I find the standard Toyota Prius more comfortable than the black cabs (esp due to engine noise and vibration). But obviously for quick trips within the cities they're still much faster than an Uber.

charlesdm 8y ago
London is probably one of the few cities where I prefer taking a cab over an Uber or something else. I can't even count the number of times where I've had Uber drivers tell me they have no clue of where they're driving (i.e. I have a better understanding of the city than them) and they used to be UPS drivers before turning to driving for Uber.
- dogma1138 8y ago
  The problem with black cabs is that what they consider London and what actually is London is very different. I can walk to Paddington so I don’t have that much of a problem with getting cabs but if you live outside of Zone 2 it will questionable if you can get one also getting them to go outside of the center is usually near impossible despite the fact that they aren’t allowed to decline fares. If you are however disabled, have pets or a baby trolley you’ll likely have quite a bit of a problem with Uber et al. Black cabs are big and afaik all of them can accommodate wheelchairs.
detritus 8y ago
The flipside is that Uber drivers tend not to have preferred routes or even particularly know where they're going - instead, they dutifully follow whatever their satNav tells them, despite any logical reasons not to, better shortcuts, etc. Heck, one recalled Uber started off in the completely wrong direction, despite my protestations, getting caught in a local one-way system that took a good 20 minutes to get out of. I was not a happy bunny.
cjrp 8y ago
> And it's probably just me but I find the standard Toyota Prius more comfortable than the black cabs (esp due to engine noise and vibration). It's true, a lot of the older black cabs were loud and didn't have great suspension. I'm starting to see a few of these (http://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ http://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/) on the road now, which will at least be much quieter - not sure how the ride is but I'd hope it's better too.

chrisseaton 8y ago

The one thing wrong with black cabs is that they rarely take cards - either don’t at all or they say the machine is broken. I don’t want the hassle of using paper money so I can’t use black cabs. If I could reliably use my card, as I can with Uber, I’d use black cabs again.

edent 8y ago
That's not been the case for some time. All licensed cabs must have a working card reader. See https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/accepting-card-payments https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/accepting... They can be sanctioned by TfL if they don't.
- charlesdm 8y ago
  I guess the problem is that some charge a 10%+ fee for card usage. That shouldn't happen, honestly.
  - edent 8y ago
    No, they can't do that either. From the TfL link above "Since 13 January 2018 it has been an offence for companies, including private hire operators, to charge their customers a surcharge, or extra, because they are paying by credit or debit card." Or see this news story. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40648641 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40648641
    - charlesdm 8y ago
      Seems to be quite a new rule. Last time I was in town was in December last year. Good improvement I’d say!
- chrisseaton 8y ago
  They just say the machine's broken! You might say 'you don't have to pay if it's broken' or 'you can report them' but I don't want to have an argument with an aggressive cab driver! I just want to pay by card in the first place, which Uber lets me do 100% of the time without hassle.