LONDON WEEKEND BREAKS - London Taxi Cabs

If you travel to London on your weekend break by train, plane or ferry, you may decide that the easiest and most convenient way to get to your hotel is by taxi.

You will find taxi ranks (waiting points) at all of the main railway stations, airport terminals and tube stations and they reduce the amount of time and effort required to carry cases from train to train, or tube to bus etc.

Taxi's are of course far from cheap and they also prove very slow (and consequently expensive) during busy times of the day when the roads are congested.

Using taxi's for sightseeing purposes is rarely economic in time or expenditure. However, if you do want to do this, then London is the only city in Britain where you can flag a taxi down on the street. The other big plus with London taxi cabs is that, unlike the private hire cabs in other cities, the drivers of these taxis really do know their road network and have to take an exam, commonly known as the "Knowledge", in order to get their licence.

If you use a taxi in London, make sure that it is a legitimate licensed cab and beware of fakes and impersonators at main rail stations and airports. If somehow you do end up with one of these illegally operating cabs, just refuse to pay them, they are breaking the law and cannot charge you.

Useful London Taxi cab information

London taxis have been around for over 300 years and are checked by the licensing authorities. Taxis should have child seats and wheelchair facilities on board.