Your experience is quite typical of many who hail a taxi in Central London
and want to go to the suburbs. Although most green badge taxi drivers
know Central London extremely well, many are out of their depth in the suburbs,
particularly the outer suburbs. It's one of the reasons taxi drivers sometimes
refuse to take passengers to the leafy suburbs. (The other main reason,
of course, is that they are unlikely to get a fare back into the middle)

Your other point is also valid. Many minicab drivers know their patch
very well indeed and have no difficulty finding alternative routes when
the main routes are congested.

Hello ! for those who travel to london airport, I have an usefull information. If any wants London Airport Taxi Transfer Service than they can try https://mkltransfer.co.uk/ and they also provide 10% discount when you book online. I have used the company a couple of times and they seem very helpful and cooperative.

MKL Transfer goes beyond conventional transportation. With a vast fleet and professional drivers, we ensure you reach your destination promptly. We take pride in our versatile vehicle options, including saloons, estates, MPVs, minivans, and minibuses, catering to various travel needs. Plus, our competitive prices and exclusive discounts make us the cost-effective choice.

Thanks

I suppose you're referring to Addison Lee. Their prices are far higher
than those of a typical minicab firm. Most minicab firms' minimum
charges are between £3.50 and £5.00. By the way, anyone can
drive down Oxford Street after 19.00 hours, even minicab drivers.

In message , at 16:27:31 on Fri, 8
Jun 2012, Robin9 remarked:
If a minicab is
involved in an accident, is his insurer going to
investigate if the journey had
been pre-booked?

If doing so avoids paying out to that passenger, of course they will!
--
Roland Perry

do not have to take any additional driving test;

Nor do Taxi Drivers.

I am not now and have not ever been a cabbie but know there used to be
an additional taxi driving test (separate from the written and interview
"knowledge" tests). Has that really been dropped ?

--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

In message , Robin writes
do not have to take any additional driving test;

Nor do Taxi Drivers.

I am not now and have not ever been a cabbie but know there used to be
an additional taxi driving test (separate from the written and interview
"knowledge" tests). Has that really been dropped ?

No. it's still a legal requirement. The person who wrote the above does
not seem to be very well informed.

The danger is that this lack of information may lead to conclusions that
are, at best, simply wrong, but at worst can seriously affect judgement
when it comes to hiring 'minicabs'.

The best know one is - or should be - that PH vehicles are only insured
for pre-booked jobs, yet people will still get into a vehicle that is
not booked. If the drivers are prepared to break the law on hiring, ask
yourself what other laws they are prepared to break.

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England
Interested in American trains real and model?
Look here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikehughes2011/

I suspect this consideration is theoretical only. If a minicab is involved
in an accident, is his insurer going to investigate if the journey had been
pre-booked?

On 2012\06\07 01:46, Paul Cummins wrote:
We were about to embark at Dover, when (Mike
Hughes) came up to me and whispered:

For those who don't know about such things, you will often find
that many PH companies

Lets test these claims...

use drivers who have not taken the extensive 'knowledge' test;

But are often training for it while earning and learning as TfL licensed
PH Drivers

do not have to take any additional driving test;

Nor do Taxi Drivers.

may in fact be driving without a UK driving licence

Unlikely, as a part of the licensing process is to check the driver is
legal to drive in the UK, and has valid licence, insurance and CRB.

CRB only really covers time spent in the UK. Since many minicab drivers
are fresh arrivals from the third world, a clean CRB tells you nothing.

As for valid licence and insurance, "Further inquiries into the rapist's
firm revealed that each of its 32 drivers was working illegally in some
way - either through their immigration status or by claiming benefit
while working." See
http://www.blackedoutwindows.com/ind...dge-speaks-out

Hi there, i don't suppose you know of any cab services in the area surrounding London? i live Mk way and i have just moved here and need an airport run in the next few weeks and have no idea of which service to use? the most recent place i have seen for airport taxis in Milton Keynes is form those chaps, but i want to compare a few prices before booking the service.

cheers
Flacks

hi there... probably the best idea would be check with them on their website, www.247airporttransfer.co.uk I think that they offer transfer from milton keynes, why not ?