London taxis, Uber, and the Heathrow transfer.

The one rule to know: only black cabs (hackney carriages) can be hailed on the street or picked up from a rank. Uber, Bolt and minicabs (private hire, including Addison Lee) are booking-only by law and cannot legally take a street fare, so at the airport or a station you open the app and walk to the designated pickup point. Black cab drivers pass a famously tough test (the Knowledge) and run a regulated meter, with no haggling.

On price, for a typical 3-mile central journey a black cab runs about 12 to 18 pounds, while Uber or Bolt are about 9 to 14 pounds off-peak, though they surge at busy times and now add 20% VAT on every London fare. Black cabs take card and can be hailed instantly, which is worth something when you do not want to wait for a booking. For a quick hop you cannot lose much either way, so compare the app quote against the convenience of just flagging a cab.

This is where the wrong choice costs the most. From Heathrow, a black cab to central London is roughly 75 to 110 pounds (more evenings and weekends), and Uber or Bolt run about 45 to 95 pounds depending on surge. The trains undercut both by a lot: the Elizabeth line is a flat fare of about 12 pounds (contactless or Oyster) into central London in 30 to 45 minutes, and the Piccadilly line Tube is the cheapest at about 5.90 pounds, if slower.

The Heathrow Express is the fastest, 15 minutes to Paddington, but pricier at about 25 pounds walk-up (from around 10 pounds booked ahead). So the honest ranking for a solo traveler or couple with normal luggage: the Elizabeth line for value, the Heathrow Express for speed to Paddington, and a car only if you are a group with heavy bags going door to door, in which case a pre-booked fixed-price minicab (around 55 pounds) beats a metered black cab.

From Gatwick, the Gatwick Express is about 21.50 pounds to Victoria in 30 minutes, far cheaper than a 90 to 130 pound cab. Stansted and Luton also have express trains or coaches that beat a taxi on price. As a rule across the London airports, the train or coach is the value option, and a car makes sense mainly for groups or late arrivals.

Around town, you rarely need cash or a paper ticket: just tap a contactless card or phone on the Tube, buses, trams and most trains, with an automatic daily fare cap, so no Oyster card is needed. For how cards and cash work more broadly, see cash or card in the UK, and the UK money guide.

Tipping a cab is light in the UK: rounding up to the nearest pound, or adding roughly 10% for a good black-cab driver, is plenty, and app fares are settled in the app where a tip is optional. There is no expectation to tip on public transport.

At the airport, ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal offering a taxi or a lift; licensed black cabs wait at the marked rank and Uber or Bolt are booked in the app. An unbooked stranger with a car is not a deal, so follow the signs to the official rank or the rail station.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on United Kingdom

The little money things nobody warns you about.

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