A pre-booked alternative to London black taxis, covering all 33 boroughs. See your price before you book — get an instant quote to compare.
If you are searching for a black taxi in London, you are likely after a licensed, professional, no-surprises ride. CabsOn is not a black cab operator — we run TfL-licensed private hire vehicles (PHVs) as the pre-booked alternative. Same regulatory framework for driver licensing and vehicle safety, but a different pricing model: black cabs run on a meter that reflects time and distance as you travel, while CabsOn shows you the price for your journey before you confirm the booking.
This page is honest about the difference so you can pick the right option for your journey. Black cabs make sense in certain scenarios; pre-booked private hire makes sense in others — and the only way to know which works out better for your specific route is to get a quote and compare.
| Black Cab (Hackney) | CabsOn (PHV) | |
|---|---|---|
| How to get one | Flag on street or rank | Pre-book online in under a minute |
| Pricing | Metered — runs on time and distance as you travel | Quoted before you book, so you see the price up front |
| Driver qualification | The Knowledge (3 to 4 years study) | TfL PHV licence + topographical exam |
| Vehicle | TX, TX2, TXE black cab body | Saloon, estate, executive, MPV, chauffeur |
| Wheelchair access | Yes (built-in ramp) | On request — our WAV-flagged vehicles |
| Cost over identical route | Depends on traffic and time — the meter keeps running | Get an instant quote to compare |
| Best for | Spontaneous rides, central London | Pre-planned trips, airport runs, price certainty |
The Knowledge required for hackney licensing takes 3 to 4 years to complete and is one of the hardest licensing exams in the world. PHV licensing is rigorous too — DBS check, medical, topographical exam, vehicle inspection — but does not require the full Knowledge. The result is more drivers and a wider range of vehicle classes, from saloon and estate through to our Executive People Carrier and 8-seater minibus, run on a pre-booked model that lets us tell you the price before you travel.
While not every CabsOn vehicle is wheelchair-accessible, our WAV-flagged vehicles can be specified at booking. See our wheelchair-accessible taxi London page for details.
Default choice for solo travel, couples and pairs heading to the airport. Modern petrol-hybrid or fully electric saloons across the fleet.
Choose this when bags outnumber people. A standard family of four with full check-in luggage fits cleanly in an estate where a saloon would not.
Business class transport for corporate travellers, visiting clients and hotel transfers. The default for premium-postcode airport runs.
Single-vehicle transport for groups of up to 8. Common on hen and stag bookings, sports teams, family airport runs and corporate group transfers.
Flagship class for VIP travel, weddings, premium events and corporate visiting directors. Hourly hire from 4 hours minimum or fixed-route.
Pickup time auto-adjusts to actual landing. No driver-side panic if your flight runs late.
Plenty of buffer for immigration, baggage claim and customs at the busiest airport hours.
The £5 forecourt fee at every UK airport is in the quote, not added at the kerb. Same with London congestion charge and ULEZ.
Driver waits at the terminal arrivals exit with a name board. No extra charge.
Pay how you want. Corporate accounts get monthly invoicing with PO numbers and VAT receipts.
Available on request, fitted before pickup. Confirm seat type at booking so we match the right vehicle.
No. CabsOn operates TfL-licensed Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs), which are the pre-booked alternative to black cabs (hackneys). PHVs and hackneys are the two licensed taxi categories in London.
It depends on the route and how much traffic you hit. Black cabs run on a meter, so the fare grows with time and distance as you travel. CabsOn shows you the price before you book, so there is no equivalent uncertainty — but we do not publish a fixed comparison figure, since it varies journey by journey. Get an instant quote to see your price.
CabsOn drivers hold a TfL PHV licence, which requires a topographical exam rather than the full Knowledge. The PHV framework relies on GPS routing and dispatch coordination rather than memorised street layouts.
For a one-off central London sightseeing ride where you want the iconic experience, yes. For airport transfers, pre-planned trips, or any journey where you want to see the price before you travel, pre-booked private hire is usually the better fit.
Use our online booking form. Enter pickup and destination, see your price, confirm in under a minute. SMS confirmation with driver name and vehicle arrives immediately.
