On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 16:36:26 -0000, "Sir Benjamin Nunn"
wrote:


"Mike Hughes" wrote in message
...

First of all the metered fare to/from Gatwick and Surrey Quays is about
£80 which is what they would have to pay to get a fully licensed and
insured London (black) taxi.


Seriously? Is that how much it costs? Criminal.

I usually pay about £28 to book a (private hire) minicab from Zone 3 (South)
to Gatwick.

I can't imagine Gatwick to Surrey Quays would cost very much more than this,
if arranged with a Cab company based in SE London. By phoning around, you
could probably get the journey done for £35 or less.


Same here, I pay £40 to get a taxi (licensed minicab) from my house in
E13 to Gatwich which is a hell of a lot further than Surrey Quays.

However, the other way round they sting you, normally. The minicabs
do, anyway. I think they don't deserve to be licensed, some of them.
I've been quoted £60 from Stanstead to Plaistow on one of those
official minicabs.

Black cabs also charge a large surplus from airport pickups, and of
course they're more expensive than minicabs anyway