I love taking black cabs ( and pink ones and Mars Bar ones ) and have always had a positive experience encluding the time the driver refused to "put us down" near Highgate Cemetery when he thought it was getting too late in the evening. Has anyone ever had a bad experience with their journey in a black cab? Have you ever felt cheated by a driver?
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Dont recall any bad experience. They are tested heavily before they are licenced. Also they dont want to lose their licence. Been using them many many years
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
I have never had a bad experience in a black cab. Never. That's in travel to London stretching back to the late Cretaceous! The drivers have always been lovely and helpful. I'm surprised to hear of a driver refusing to put you down. I wonder if anyone else wil reply to this question, with another bad experience....
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
The only time we used a cab in London was on 7-7- the day of the bombings. We were to fly to Hong Kong out of Heathrow that night and had planned to take the Heathrow Express. No trains running, no tube, no buses... Got a cab. Crazy ride- wrong way up one way streets due to security road blockades as they dealt with the crisis. He got us to the airport though and we tipped him well. Later, as we watched the TV we saw the roads into the airport were so clogged that people were abandoning their cars and walking miles to get there. Glad we left the hotel when we did. I have a fond spot in my heart for our cabbie.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2804 posts
Love, Love taking black cabs!!! Have always had fantastic drivers who would tell lovely stories.
Posted by
La Crescenta, California, USA
361 posts
We took one from Gatwick to London Heathrow and the driver was fast, safe and chatty.
Posted by
NC, United States
970 posts
I've always had good experiences with black cab drivers. Everyone has been fair and courteous. They're a magnitude ahead of their American counterparts. I wonder if the business at Highgate happened because the driver was aware of a specific threat? Anyone know if London cabbies are cautioned about leaving passengers in areas of known risk?
Posted by
OP
Arlington, WA
993 posts
Remember I said my experiences have been positive encluding the driver who refused.... Around the cemetery is not a great neighborhood, that is to say it was not a great neighborhood and as it starting to get a little late, he decided it was unsafe to leave us there. He took us to the nearest tube stn. Archway. It was only I read somewhere someone said they felt cheated thinking the driver had taken them the loooong way. I'm glad none of you have had bad experiences either. J.C. that's an interesting thought. Clearly we were not from around there and he decided to use his better judgement.