Taxis

The taxi service in Liverpool is fast, reliable and most of all cheap. It’s been estimated that there are more taxis in Liverpool per head of population than any other city in the UK, so there are more than enough to go around.

If you call a taxi at 9.30pm on a Saturday night wanting to be in town for 10pm chances are you’re going to be late.

Pre-book if you need to get somewhere urgently (if you’re catching a plane or train, etc) and allow yourself an hour’s grace. Planes and trains won’t wait for you, so it’s better to arrive early. Never call more than one firm and jump in the first car that arrives. This may work a few times but your address will soon be blacklisted by the taxi firms meaning that you will have either a lower priority or no priority at all. If the embarrassing situation of two taxis turning up arises both will leave and you will be stranded.

SEATBELTS

Always wear your seat belt, even if you’re in a hackney cab. If there is an accident not only does it reduce your chances of serious injury but not wearing a seat belt will affect your ability to claim accident compensation afterwards. Never pick up a private hire taxi from the street without pre-booking it. Not only is it illegal but you will also be uninsured.

ACCIDENTS

We all have a few too many drinks from time to time. But what happens if you are sick in a taxi? Well, you shouldn’t be driven to the nearest cashpoint and relieved of £100+ for ruining their night!

There’s a standard fee, usually about £35, which covers the cost of cleaning the taxi.

BLACK TAXIS

You can pick up a Hackney cab at designated ranks or you can hail one off the street. If a black taxi has its orange light on the driver is obliged to pick up anyone who flags the cab down. Some cab drivers use busy periods or bad weather to try to negotiate with potential customers before a journey. This is illegal and should be reported – you can find their plate number on the back of the taxi.

FARES

On the top left corner of a black cab’s meter you will see the number (or “Trap”) 1,2 or 3. These numbers are very important. They represent the speed of the price change on the meter: 1 being the slowest and 3 the quickest rate of change. Trap 1 is the daytime rate, Trap 2 the night time rate (after midnight) and Trap 3 the out of town rate. Some drivers might try and switch to a rate that increases your fare, especially if you are a bit drunk.