Payment

 In this section:

How much will my journey cost?

The Taxicard scheme is subsidised by the London boroughs and the Mayor of London, which means you pay considerably reduced fares. You will pay a flat fare for each journey and your local authority will pay the balance shown in the tables below.

All London taxis have a minimum initial charge of £3.80 on the meter when it arrives to pick you up or if you have hailed the taxi in the street.

Pricing for Taxicard journeys

On 1 January 2019 we introduced a maximum fare guarantee. When you make a booking, you will be given a maximum fare for that journey based on a price per mile. At the end of the journey, if the fare on the meter is lower than the maximum fare then your contribution will be based on the metered fare. If the fare on the meter is higher, you will be charged the maximum fare given to you when you booked. 

The table below shows how much you will pay dependent on the borough you live in. The move to a maximum fare guarantee will have several customer benefits: 

  1. You will know the maximum fare contribution in advance and will not have to worry about this costing more while in the vehicle. 
  2. The same journey will always have the same maximum fare contribution no matter what day or time of the day you travel.

As well as delivering more cost certainty that members asked for, we estimate that, on average, most members will make savings because of this change. You may not notice any difference for journeys up to two miles in a taxi where a minimum contribution will still apply. It is possible some longer fixed price trips, even with the subsidy, may be more expensive than a private hire alternative outside of the scheme. If you consider that this could be the case, you may wish to make your trip outside of the Taxicard scheme. The provision of a maximum price at the time of booking will at least allow you to make more informed choices about the most cost-effective way to travel.

From 1 August 2021 the minimum member contribution is increasing by 50p. We are doing this for several reasons. While taxi tariffs have increased year on year (including the introduction of a new tariff for journeys over six miles), there have been no increases applied to the member contribution or borough subsidies. The effect of this has been contained during the Covid-19 pandemic when journey volumes were low. However, with the recovery from the pandemic underway, and increased pressure on the Taxicard budget, it has been necessary to ensure that the cost of the scheme reflects increased taxi tariffs.

Most boroughs have agreed to increase the minimum member contribution by 50p and to increase scheme contributions (the subsidy) by 50p. It is likely that over the coming months all boroughs will change their pricing in a similar way.

From 29 Apr 23, TfL taxi tariff are increasing by 7.61% while the minimum fare remains at £3.80. Taxicard fixed pricing by distance is reflecting the London Taxi rate increase and hence is increasing the member’s minimum fare across all London boroughs to £3.80 and the maximum subsidy varies from (£10-£11.50)

The fixed price by distance are increased in an average of 7%, slightly lower than the TfL taxi tariffs

The biggest change most members will see is the increased member contribution at the start of the journey, especially for the members whose contribution increased from £2 or from £2.50. Any Taxicard members that are concerned about the affordability of the new prices (particularly for longer journeys) should note that all Taxicard members are eligible for TfL's Dial-a-Ride scheme.

Taxicard fares

The following fare information has been structured within tables according to the borough in which you live and outlines how much you pay for a Taxicard journey and how much discount (subsidy) you will receive depdendent on the number of miles you travel in a single journey. 

There is a fixed maximum rate per mile so you will always know in advance the most you will have to contribute towards the journey.

To increase supply, a small proportion of journeys are provided by Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs). Different rates apply and these are available in Table 5.

If you wish to know the exact fare of your journey you can ask at the point of booking, either by phone, online or via the Taxicard Booking App. If you hail a taxi from a rank or in the street the driver can tell you how much your journey will cost. If the metered fare is less than the maximum fare shown in the table, your contribution will be based on the lower amount (the metered fare). 

The Taxicard subsidy is funded jointly by Transport for London (TfL) and the London boroughs. If your borough allows double-swiping (using two subsidies and two trips from your monthly or yearly allocation in one journey) you can decide if wish to use it. Further information on double swiping is provided later in this article. 

Locate the borough in which you live from one of the table headings below and following the link provided for further information. 

Table One

Barking & Dagenham / Barnet / Bexley / Brent / Bromley / City of London / Ealing / Enfield / Greenwich / Hackney / Hammersmith & Fulham / Haringey / Havering / Hounslow / Islington / Kensington & Chelsea / Kingston Upon Thames / Lambeth / Lewisham / Merton / Redbridge / Richmond / Southwark / Sutton / Wandsworth / Westminster

If you live in one of the boroughs above this table will show the maximum that Taxicard members will pay for journeys in taxis depending on the number of miles travelled.

The Single Subsidy = £10.00 and Taxicard Minimum Member Fare = £3.80

You can double swipe your card if you live in one of these boroughs. You can find out more about double swiping later in this article. 

Table Two

Camden and Hillingdon 

If you live in one of the boroughs above this table will show the maximum that Taxicard members will pay for journeys in taxis depending on the number of miles travelled.

The Single Subsidy = £11.00 and Taxicard Minimum Member Fare = £3.80

You can double swipe your card if you live in one of these boroughs. You can find out more about double swiping later in this article. 

Table Three

Tower Hamlets

If you live in Tower Hamlets this table will show the maximum that Taxicard members will pay for journeys in taxis depending on the number of miles travelled.

The Single Subsidy = £11.50 and Taxicard Minimum Member Fare = £3.80

You can double swipe your card if you live in Tower Hamlets. You can find out more about double swiping later in this article. 

Table Four

Croydon / Newham / Waltham Forest 

If you live in one of the boroughs above this table will show the maximum that Taxicard members will pay for journeys in taxis depending on the number of miles travelled.

The Single Subsidy = £10.00 and Taxicard Minimum Member Fare = £3.80

You cannot double swipe your card if you live in one of these boroughs.

Table Four / A 

Harrow

If you live in Harrow this table will show the maximum that Taxicard members will pay for journeys in taxis depending on the number of miles travelled.

The Single Subsidy = £10.50 and Taxicard Minimum Member Fare = £3.80

You cannot double swipe your card if you live in Harrow.

Table Five

Private hire vehicles (mini cabs) charge a fixed amount per mile, but these are different to the charges in a taxi. This table shows the mileage rates in private hire vehicles in most boroughs.

Double swiping 

Double swiping allows Taxicard members to use two trips rather than one trip on a single journey. This means that they can also use two subsidies. This allows people to choose whether to take fewer longer trips or shorter trips.  If applicable, you will be advised what the costs of a single / double swipe are at the point of booking / street hailing.

Double swiping is allowed in the following boroughs only: Barking & Dagenham / Barnet / Bexley / Brent / Bromley / Camden / City of London / City of Westminster / Ealing / Enfield / Greenwich / Hackney / Hammersmith & Fulham / Haringey / Havering / Hillingdon / Hounslow / Islington / Kensington & Chelsea / Kingston Upon Thames / Lambeth / Lewisham / Merton / Redbridge / Richmond Upon Thames / Southwark / Sutton / Tower Hamlets / Westminster.

For example, for a two-mile single trip, members pay a minimum of £3.80 and the maximum journey subsidy is £8.70

If you use a double swipe you pay £7.60 and have a maximum journey subsidy of £17.40

If you live in any other London borough, double swiping is not currently permitted.

Price quotations

Taxis

Please ask the ComCab London to tell you the cost of your journey if you wish to know in advance. It is important to remember that Taxicard journeys can be expensive if you travel longer distances. The driver will usually take the shortest route to your destination. If you have a particular route you would like to take please tell the driver at the start of the journey.

Payment

For journeys costing more than £2.00 you can pay by cash or credit card, you cannot pay by cheque.
You must have the sufficient money with you to pay 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 outstanding balance is paid. 

Cancellations

If for any reason you decide not to travel after making a booking, please cancel as soon as possible with the contractor. If you do not cancel before your trip has been allocated to a driver, your council has to pay a cancellation charge and you also lose a trip from your allocation. Once the driver arrives at your location the vehicle will only wait approximately ten minutes. They will try to contact you during this time. However, if they are unable to contact you, they will consider the booking cancelled. If the taxi arrives outside the contractors' target performance times you will not lose a trip if you decide not to travel. 

Receipts

Ask the driver at the end of your journey if you require a receipt for the amount paid, particularly if you wish to query the fare. Receipts are not given automatically. 

Tipping

There is no obligation to tip the driver. If you choose to tip for good service the amount is at your discretion and is not refundable.

Taxi tariff

For taxi tariff estimates please see the TfL information on taxis and minicabs