London Mumsnetters - AIBU to think it won’t cost a fortune to get a black cab…

[MimiGC]

From Victoria station to the Old Vic theatre? I don’t live in London and have theatre tickets for a Saturday matinee . I’ve busted my knee and won’t be able to manage public transport across London. I don’t want to waste the ticket, but also don’t want to spend a fortune on a black cab to and from the theatre…any idea how much it might cost?
Thanks in advance.

Ubers I've been in have been excellent and far less road ragey than some black cab drivers

I had surgery on my ankle and found buses better than cars (uber) cos not enough room, and black cabs because really quite hard to get into one.

If you can get a mobility scooter (can hire them) you should be able to drive straight onto and off the bus too

My son is a black cabbie so I get a bit defensive x

Black cabs are really expensive and The Knowledge is completely outdated now. Ubers are much better in every way.

@MyKingdomForACat as I said I use both Black Cabs and Uber. I like both.
I tend to be travelling from Zone 3 so I don't really see Black Cabs around my way.
Plus I'm Sarf of the River which is where the dragons are or something 😂😂😂😂

Ha! Yeh! “I don’t go Sarf of the river”. We are in S E London x

The last few Black cabs I have used in London have had their GPS switched on and have followed that map. Not sure why if they supposedly have the 'knowledge'. The very last one still managed to get lost and made me get out 100m from my destination because he couldn't figure out the one way system.

Uber or Bolt will be cheaper and set fare. Download the app.

Plus most don’t talk which is a massive plus. No interest in hearing someone rant about road closures, uber, politics etc as I’m just trying to get somewhere

Dont understand why a black cab, is a treat or superior? Its just really expensive compared to an Uber.

Ugh I use both Uber and black cabs and think it's fine to have a preference but I can't stand when black cab supporters attack uber (unsafe, bad drivers) as a way to make their point. Whenever they do that, I can't help but look at the demographic of Uber drivers and the demographic of black cab drivers and draw the conclusion it's more likely prejudice.

Also all black cab drivers seemingly use GPS now and tbh I don't really care whether it's them or the GPS guiding the way... We all have to move on with technology, and history is littered with jobs that technology replaced, I don't see why black cab drivers assume special treatment or protection. As for superior vehicle... LOL!! the suspension in a black cab is horrendous. You often get a smoother ride in an Uber. I've tried delivering cakes in both and would never actively choose a black cab for a better ride. I'd choose it if I had lots of suitcases/large items perhaps, and it's more sociable for a group. But not a "superior vehicle"

Oh and the other major plus for black cabs is that they can go in the bus lane... Depending where youre travelling can shave a lot of time off, and therefore money, sometimes making them the cheaper option (again, dependent on route). I've purposely used them for that reason in the past.

Uber and Bolt can go in bus lanes too.

No they can't drive in bus lanes.

I was about to suggest changing at Clapham Junction. If you go out of the right exit at Waterloo (no.2, I think, and there's an escalator), The Cut is extremely close.

A black cab driver told me about this Facebook group which might be useful.
"London black taxi - Get me to work - Get me homediscounted" https://www.facebook.com/groups/178257579345943 - 8.8k members.

The overall intention is to match London cabbies coming off a shift and heading home with passengers heading in the same direction who can then get a discounted journey, but any journey can be requested and if someone's free they'll contact you. Seems to work fine (though I generally pick up cabs directly from a cab rank so haven't tested this out myself).

I see one of the admins there is also recommending the 'jump' app for black cabs.

Jo

@Westfacingi didn’t know that! And I’m a Londoner born and bred 😂😂 I still wouldn’t pay black cab prices though.

I like Uber, they offer a valuable service in a user friendly way. For the first time I'm more comfortable getting a cab than walking after dark.

They're reliable, you know what you'll pay, they're reliably available and the drivers, often foreign (which in common with anything else service related is generally a plus!) are polite and friendly to the extent of their English, and overwhelmingly positive, don't feel the need to rant about how bloody awful everything is. They also don't feel the need to dis the competition all the time.

Black cabbies like to go on about how much safer they are (which I'd dispute anyway) but it can be very uncomfortable for a lone woman to be stuck with a man who wants a rant.

I'm afraid if Black Cabs are feeling threatened by Uber they've brought it on themselves.

How does that work when they send you the driver's photo? In common with all the other ways the black cab supporters are determined to knock Uber, it's nonsense.

If they want to continue to compete they need to look at their own offer, not knock everyone else.

I’m coming from Kent and the train doesn’t go to Clapham Junction or Waterloo, unfortunately.

It’s all nonsense, and only cabbies and their relatives still spout this. And it’s nothing to do with safety, it’s to try to keep their own profits up. Unfortunately, the uber business model is so successful, that all they have is trashing them, and trying to make out their service is somehow classier, safer and superior.

In reality, everyone I know gets Ubers and loves them. The knowledge is obsolete now.

Can you also get a Charing cross train as that will stop at Waterloo East which id right there

If it’s TW, Sevenoaks etc, you could change at Orpington to a Waterloo East train. A few minutes walk through the station and then another 5 minutes to the theatre.

You don’t have to hail black cabs now. I use FreeNow, all the advantage of an app

There don’t seem to be any Charing Cross trains on a Saturday, though I think there are during the week, or there certainly used to be.