London taxi tipping

Are you visiting London? Using a taxi can be a relaxing and convenient way to get around London, to your London hotel, and to the airport. They’re so convenient that more than 300,000 taxi rides are made every day in London. If you’re taking a taxi, you should understand the tipping etiquette when using a London taxi. That’s where we come in with our London taxi tipping guide.

Taxis are a great, responsible way to get around after enjoying a few pints at one of the many pubs in London. With 21,000 licensed black cabs and 87,900 private hire vehicles/minicabs in London, it isn’t hard to hail a black cab or book a private hire vehicle to take you wherever you want to go. If you want to hail a black cab, there’s a yellow ‘Taxi’ sign that’s illuminated are available to pick you up. If you prefer to take a private hire vehicle/minicab, you’ll need to call ahead to do so.

Do you tip taxi drivers in London?

No, tipping London taxis is not required and the taxi drivers don’t expect you to tip. Of course, tips are always appreciated so if your driver was friendly or provided special services, feel free to tip.

How much do you tip London taxi drivers?

While you don’t have to tip your taxi driver in London, you might still want to leave a tip. If you do decide to tip your taxi driver, just round up to the nearest pound to leave a tip for good service. That’s what someone living in London would give so follow the local taxi tipping culture and do the same.

If the driver provided a special service, such as helping you load and unload many heavy bags, you could leave a couple of extra pounds at your discretion.

How do you pay for the tip?

You can leave a cash tip by rounding up a pound when paying your fare or by rounding up the credit card bill.

Do London taxis take credit cards?

Yes, all black cabs in London take credit or debit cards without any additional service charge. This is a welcome feature that’s notably lacking in taxis in some other European capitals.

That said if you want to pay by credit card you need to ask your black cab’s driver if the credit card machine is working before you get in the taxi. It’s common for drivers to claim their machine is broken at the end of the ride and ask you to pay in cash. Even if you didn’t ask if the machine was broken before hand, insist that all you have is a credit card and the machine will magically begin working. Taxi drivers prefer to take cash over cards as there is a credit card interchange fee that cuts into their earnings.

If you run into a problem with a black cab driver trying to force you to pay in cash, take note of their details and report them to Transport for London.

Are London’s black cabs wheelchair accessible?

All black cabs are both wheelchair accessible and service animal friendly.