I need an uber or reliable taxi or driver for a couple hours to drive me from Swansea city center to the parish church in Llangyfelach and then on to Nebo Chapel Felindre and return to Swansea on a midweek day in June 2025. Is there uber in Swansea? Does anyone have experience with hiring taxi for a couple of hours in Swansea and what rate might be? Thanks.
Posted by
NW England
672 posts
First thing about England and Wales (and possibly Scotland) is that not all "taxis" are taxis , Ubers definately are not!
A real taxi is legally a "hackney carriage" which is a pointlessly old name for a metered cab. And the meter rates are set by the local authority. They are highly regulated but have some privileges. All should have a plate on at least the back from the authority confirmg the licence and vehicles details.
The alternative is a mini-cab, which are legaly known as "private hire". These are also licenced and regualted by local authorities but not as strictly and do not have set metered rates - can you see where this is going? Ubers are private hire because they may have rates of some sort but they aren't controlled (licenced taxis do not have surge pricing!). Private hire must be booked by phone, App or going to their office - you can't hail one in street and they can't sit on cab ranks waiting for customers. They often have stickers saying things like not legal/insured if not prebooked. They usually have the authority licence on the back but those only offering executive chaufferur services might have an exemption. For what you require you should negotiate the price in advance.
And the drivers are also regulated and you should be be able to see their licence and photo to ensure it's not someone unlicenced who shares the car (in some cities Uber got into a lot of trouble over sharing because it undermines passenger safety).
Anyway, I've no idea about who to call but I know the first place I'd look, Yellow Pages !! https://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?scrambleSeed=1724605791&keywords=taxis+%26+private+hire+vehicles&location=Swansea
The official taxi rates in Swansea are https://www.swansea.gov.uk/hackneycarriagetariffs and that waiting charge is a complicated way of saying £20 per hour.