Where Are the Most Expensive and Cheapest Cities to Take a Taxi in the UK?
According to a recent study, you could be paying up to £1 more each mile in some UK cities to ride in a black cab.
If you are planning to take a black cab ride in Coventry, be prepared to shell out around £3.11 per mile, which is relatively expensive compared to the £2.15 per mile charge in Liverpool. This means that passengers in Coventry must pay an extra 96p per mile for their ride. It is worth noting, therefore, that if you are looking for a more affordable option, you may want to consider independent taxi firms instead of black cabs. So, which cities have higher black cab prices, and where can you find cheaper rides?
A recent private number plate firm study aimed to uncover the disparity in costs of black taxi service across the UK. To achieve this, the firm analysed local authority data and used it to rank the prices of black cab rides for 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-mile journeys across 25 cities in Britain. The research findings were nothing short of surprising, as they revealed a significant difference in prices across cities, with some towns even having higher prices than the capital city, London. The study also debunked the common assumption that London black cab prices are the highest by identifying four cities with higher prices than the English capital.
Study Findings
The cost of getting a black cab can vary depending on your city. According to recent research, Coventry is the most expensive city to get a black cab, with a cost-per-mile price of £3.11. Following closely behind are Leeds with a price of £3.06 per mile, Oxford with £3.04 per mile, and Cambridge with £3.03 per mile. London is in fifth place with a cost-per-mile price of £2.99. Bristol comes in at number six with a price of £2.90 per mile, followed by Southampton with £2.89 per mile. Birmingham is in eighth place with a cost-per-mile price of £2.82, Manchester is ninth with £2.81 per mile, and Stoke-on-Trent comes in tenth place with a cost-per-mile price of £2.72.
The Cheapest Cities to Hire a Black Cab
The black cab prices vary across different cities in the United Kingdom. According to recent research, Liverpool is the cheapest place to get a black cab, costing £2.15 per mile. Edinburgh follows closely with a rate of £2.22 per mile. Brighton, Kingston-Upon-Hull, Swansea, and Belfast are among the top five cheapest places to get a black cab, all costing £2.45 per mile. Additionally, Sunderland, Bradford, Leicester, and Nottingham are in the top ten cheapest places to get a black cab. With the emergence of ride-hailing companies like Uber, traditional British cabbies are facing tough competition and are under pressure to offer competitive pricing. Many local taxi companies, like the Virtual Taxi in Swindon, offer something different to attract customers to stand out. For example, The London Taxi Company (LTC) launched a new factory last year, where it plans to manufacture 5,000 electric black cabs by the end of this year, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and innovation in the industry.
