Rather than always owning a car, if you live in a city, it sometimes makes more sense financially to walk and cycle, take public transport, then occasionally hire a car or take a taxi. In London, black cabs are iconic, although they don’t always have to be black. They have tall ceilings, as they were first created when city workers used to wear bowler hats, so did not want them knocked off.
It’s a very complicated training process to become a black cab driver, as the drivers must know all the streets of London. The process take a few years, with the cab driver having to know over 25,000 roads, 20,000 landmarks and 320 routes within 6 miles of Charing Cross. If you want to hail a cab, you should stick your arm out (yelling ‘taxi!’ is actually illegal). The top should be illuminated, to show the taxi has no passengers.
Green Tomato Cars offer zero emission vehicles in London (and good safety confirmations, if picking up women beforehand). However some cabs have leather (not very cow-kind).
If you are registered disabled, Taxicard offers limited trips over a year for you and fellow passengers, if you can’t use regular public transport. How to apply is determined by your London borough. It’s also available for people with sight problems.
