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Getting a taxi Payment How to apply Application forms Terms and conditions Taxi Card and your borough Statistics Contact us Site map FAQs	Cost | Factors effecting cost | Double Swiping | | Estimates | Tipping | Receipts | Payment | Cancellations | Taxi Tariff How much will my journey cost? Taxis: The Public Carriage Office sets fares for journeys made by licensed taxis. The metered fare will be shown on the Taximeter at the end of the journey. The Taximeter works on a combination of both distance and time. Private Hire Vehicles: Private Hire Vehicles have a minimum charge and then charge a fixed amount per mile. The contractor can tell you how much your trip will cost in advance. The Taxicard scheme is subsidised by local boroughs and the Mayor of London, which means you pay considerably reduced fares. For most journeys you will pay a flat fare and your local authority will pay the balance of the limit shown in the table. The Taxicard scheme is subsidised by local boroughs and the Mayor of London, which means you pay considerably reduced fares.  For most journeys you will pay a flat fare and your local authority will pay the balance of the limit shown in the table. 1. Member Flat Fare In most boroughs, members pay a £1.50 flat fare up to the fare limit - see below. 2. Maximum Trip Subsidy The maximum subsidy per trip is the maximum amount the borough will pay towards each trip. This amount is different depending on the time of day and at weekends in most boroughs (Table 1). This is because it is more expensive to travel at night and weekends than on weekdays. The boroughs of Bromley and Harrow have different rates - see Table 2 3. Fare Limit The Fare Limit is the Maximum Subsidy and Member Flat Fare added together. If the fare on the meter is less than the fare limit, you only pay the flat fare. If the fare on the meter is more than the fare limit, you will have to pay the flat fare plus the difference between the fare limit and the meter reading. Table 1 MOST BOROUGHS MEMBER FLAT FARE BOROUGH TRIP SUBSIDY FARE LIMIT From 6 AM - 8 PM MON - FRI £ 1.50 £10.30 £11.80 From 8 PM- 10PM MON - FRI & From 6 AM - 10 PM SAT- SUN £ 1.50 £11.30 £12.80 From 10 PM - 6 AM MON - SUN £ 1.50 £12.80 £14.30 Table 2 BOROUGHS AT ALL TIMES - The trip subsidy is the same at all times MEMBER FLAT FARE BOROUGH MAXIMUM SUBSIDY    FARE LIMIT BROMLEY £ 2.00 £9.30 £11.30 HARROW £ 1.50 £9.30 £10.80 The following examples are meant for guidance on how the different subsidies work. They are based on the same journey being made at different times of the day or days of the week. Each example shows the amount you could have to pay for the journey during these times. In practice, as the taxi meter works on a combination of time and distance, no two journeys, even starting and ending in the same place, are likely to cost exactly the same even during the same taxi tariff period. Table 3 Taxi Tariff Period Metered Fare Borough Maximum Subsidy Member Flat Fare Fare Limit Additional Charge (Metered Fare Minus Fare Limit) Total Cost to Member From 6 am -8pm Mon - Fri £12.80 £10.30 £1.50 £11.80 £1.00 £2.50 From 8 pm 10pm Mon - Fri & From 6 am - 10pm Sat- Sun £13.80 £11.30 £1.50 £12.80 £1.00 £2.50 From 10pm - 6am Mon -Sun   £15.40 £12.80 £1.50 £14.30 £1.10 £2.60 Notes: Metered fare - The total amount on the meter at the end of the journey Maximum Trip Subsidy - See paragraph no. 2 on previous page Member Flat Fare - See paragraph no. 1 on previous page Fare limit - See paragraph no. 3 on previous page Additional Charge - The amount you pay above the fare limit. This is the metered fare minus the fare limit. Factors that may affect the final taxi fare Travelling in the rush hours and in heavy traffic. The amount on the meter continues to increase even if you are stationary, for instance at traffic lights Waiting with the meter running Extra stops on route Keeping the taxi waiting Roadworks where drivers have to take a longer route Very bad weather conditions Annual increases to taxi fares by the Public Carriage Office Double Swiping Double Swiping allows Taxicard members to swipe their cards twice during a journey instead of once. This means that they can use 2 trips and 2 subsidies. For example, for a single trip, members pay a minimum fare of £1.50 and the maximum trip subsidy is £10.30 (for a daytime trip). If you use a double swipe you pay £3.00 and have a maximum trip subsidy of £20.60 (up to a total of £23.60 on the meter). You would also pay any balance above £23.60 on the meter. This allows people to choose whether to have fewer longer trips or shorter trips. Note: Under no circumstances can the driver swipe your card more than twice. Participating boroughs are: Barking & Dagenham Brent Bromley Camden City of London Councils Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hammersmith & Fulham Hackney Haringey Havering Hounslow Islington Kingston Kensington & Chelsea Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Richmond Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets If you live in Barnet, Bexley, Croydon, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kingston, Redbridge, Wandsworth or Waltham Forrest, the driver is not permitted to swipe your card more than once. Estimates Taxis: If you are concerned about exceeding the fare limit, please ask the contractor to give you an indication of the likely cost of your journey. It is important to remember that Taxicard journeys can be expensive if you travel longer distances. Due to the different combination of distance and time for each journey, depending on traffic conditions, the weather, route taken etc., it is not possible to give you an exact quotation. The driver will usually take the shortest route to your destination. If you have a preferred route you would like to take please tell the driver at the beginning of your journey. Private Hire Vehicles: The contractor can tell you in advance how much your journey will cost. Tipping There is no obligation to tip the driver. If you do choose to tip for good service the amount is at your discretion and is not refundable by London Councils or your borough. Receipts If you require a receipt for the amount you have paid, please ask the driver at the end of your journey. Receipts are not given automatically. Payment Note: It is important to ensure you have sufficient money on you to pay the full amount of the fare at the end of your journey. Failure to do so will result in the contractor refusing to book further journeys for you until the balance is paid. Cheques: You can pay by cheque with a cheque guarantee card as long as you have informed the operator at the time of your booking. Credit cards: The contractor will not accept credit cards for your booking. Cancellations If for any reason you decide not to travel after booking a vehicle please cancel it as soon as possible with the contractor. Note: If you do not cancel the vehicle before it is allocated by the contractor to a driver your Borough has to pay what is on the meter and you also lose a trip from your allocation. This also means that that vehicle is not available to take another Taxicard booking. This does not apply where a taxi arrives late and you choose not to travel. Taxi Tariff Taxi Tariffs are available here.