London Taxis and Taxi Cabs
Guide to London Taxis
There are two cities in the world that are famous of their taxis – New York and London. New York, thanks to hundreds of movies, is renowned for its fleets of yellow taxis cabs, but 
London is arguably more famous for its 'black cabs', due to their distinctive bulky shape.
London has over 23,000 black cabs and are easy to spot and hail due to their bowler hat-esque shape. The black cabs are an intricate part of the capital city as are the taxi drivers who are famed for 'The Knowledge'.
'The Knowledge' is an exam that all London black cab drivers must take and reportedly involves two years of study and memorising over 25,000 locations in and around Central London, as well as the best routes to get there. On top of that, they must know where every train station, hospital, theatre, restaurant and hotel is, so you can see why 'The Knowledge' is such a big deal for potential taxi drivers.
As well as black cabs, London has a number of minicabs that can hold up to five passengers. They are often unmarked and not as distinctive as black cabs and have to be ordered, rather than hailed. Also be aware of unlicensed and uninsured 'gypsy cabs' which charge high fees and are not authorised to act as taxis in the city.
In terms of rates, London fees can be quite steep so it is a good idea to share a cab. Prices also get higher after 8pm with a 60p surcharge being added. This goes up to 90p after midnight. Tipping is also expected, but not compulsory.
Back to London Transport.
