There are lots of ways to get around London on wheels. But, don't think that renting a car is a good idea. Put that madness out of your mind. You will immediately regret your life choice when you end up parking your car 5 km from where you were trying to go. Mr. Cockfosters has a London acquaintance who has to take the tube to get his car when he needs to drive. It's parked so far away from his flat that he has to commute to it. Let others do the driving.
"Others" is broken into two camps. One has "The Knowledge" and would therefore rather die than turn on their GPS and the other arrived like a month ago and relies completely on their GPS. Both have their pros and cons and both can either be a pleasant ride or make you fear for your life.
Those with "The Knowledge" are the black cab drivers. Some of them are combating the rise of Uber in the city with their own app called "GETT" You really don't have to stand on the corner and wave down a black taxi anymore and it's a fixed price ride. But, some have complained that their GETT request will often be dumped if the black taxi driver sees someone waving at them on the street or can take a metered customer that will make them more than the fixed price. They aren't really obligated to pick you up just because you requested them. So, you might have to wait longer while another taxi grabs your request and comes from farther away. If you're standing at, say Kings Cross or Paddington station, just go to the taxi stand and get in a cab. Don't bother with GETT at that point.
The benefit of the black taxis is room. The backs have more headroom and more space than a private Uber car. We hop in at Paddington station with our luggage in the back with with us and there is plenty of room. But, if you are just traveling around London with your family, there is room for 5 in that space. Two flip down seats are opposite the bench seat. It's an easy and fast "in and out". The credit card machine will be on your side of the glass. But, we find a lot of the time that they "don't work". I'm never sure if that's the truth or if they are telling us that to avoid processing fees. Ask before you get in. If you used the GETT app, you can pay just like Uber from your account.
A pro or con, depending on who you are and who you get is the personality of the driver. We have had drivers who really needed to retire because they clearly hate humanity and will bark the answer to any question you ask as if they are pondering the best way to murder you and dump your body into the Thames and we have had drivers who chatted your ears off with too much information about their life or London (assuming everyone they pick up is on their first trip). I prefer the latter to the former but I really prefer the one who can "read" you and make pleasant small talk if you act like you are up for it. "Ray" in Dublin was so pleasant that Mr. Cockfosters hired him to drive him around on the some work related errands the next day. They spent half a day together and we would hire him again.
Another pro and con is "The Knowledge" which most older drivers acquired. They are basically human GPS's - or at least in theory they are. It can pretty quickly go awry, though. It's great if you want to go to Trafalgar Square from, say, Camden Locks. They can get you there. But, if you ask to go to a hotel from Paddington Station that has changed names 3 times in the last 5 years, you might find yourself getting out your own phone to show them how to get there. The hotel we usually stay at is a Hilton brand on Bayswater Road. There is another Hilton brand hotel literally 2 blocks closer to Paddington. The drop-off means a frightening U-turn in the middle of busy Bayswater Road. We have to pay attention because if we don't notice that the U-turn is about to happen, we get stuck in traffic trying to reverse back out and do another U-turn. We have actually had to gently argue with the cab driver about that fact that it's not THIS hotel. Once they believe they are right, it's hard to convince them that "The Knowledge" failed them. Now we ask for the restaurant in the hotel we are going to. Somehow saying, "Take us to the Urban Meadow Cafe" gets us there when asking to go to the Doubletree doesn't.
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| Pretty typical of the size of an Uber car in London |
Let's contrast this to Uber - which is in the throes of trying to survive in London. They keep getting their revoked license extended for certain numbers of months. Many cities in Europe are fighting or have already banned Uber. I get it but at the same time don't get it. Some cities have mafia-like taxi unions that over-charge riders. Uber is almost MORE internally regulated than those taxi unions. Competition is good.
That being said, I will often find myself putting my head down and pretending to not notice my continual near-death experience in an Uber. The fact of the matter is that a large amount of the Uber drivers we have had do not speak much English. I often wonder how long they have actually been driving around London. When I start to ponder that, I start to get scared. I will not get into an Uber by myself. I only go with Mr. Cockfosters. I WILL get into a black taxi because there is more of a separation between myself and the driver. But, Mr. Cockfosters prefers Uber over cabs when we're together (which is usually just in the evening) so I go where he goes.
Uber is super convenient. You know who is picking you up, how long it will take and paying is a breeze from your phone. Beyond, that, I'm not a huge fan. The cars are usually TINY and Mr. Cockfosters almost always seems to put me in streetside and expects me to slide over behind the driver. So chivalrous, but the minute my rear hits the seat and I see what I have to do, it starts to feel more like a cruel torture. I have large feet and have to get my comfy shoe clad feet into a tiny foot space and then drag them across a hump to the other side using knees that are usually sore from walking and cannot bend to even 90 degrees at that point. Because the cars are tiny, I then have to insert them into the tiny slot left for me by the driver who has his seat pushed back most of the way.
Sometimes the cars are so small and the driver is so, well, "zippy" that I start to get claustrophobic and then car sick. There have been a couple of times that we arrived at our destination none too soon and I was able to get out and take a lung full of air before something unseemly happened. It doesn't help when they put 17 air fresheners in there, too, to cover up the fact that they smoke.
But, conversation is rare, often because of language barriers. Sometimes that also causes problems if you are going some place very unfamiliar to them. They have the address on their app, but you might need to be dropped off on the north side and that's where it all goes wonky.
That being said, our last Uber driver in London was in a mini-van and was the most delightful Polish man. We had an enjoyable ride and conversation. It's not all bad, but it's sometimes not good.
While black taxis don't have music (at least not that I've heard in one), Uber drivers will often have it playing. Sometimes they play to the audience - we have gotten in cars and had them flip to jazz or classical. Other times, you are going to listen to their rap or music from their own culture at too high of a volume. We have asked for them to turn it off at times - especially since occasionally Mr. Cockfosters has a business phone call in the car. These are not trained drivers. They are just kids trying to make a bit of money. That's something to consider.
Choose your ride carefully in London, but do download the Uber and GETT apps so you can decide which ride fits you. Sometimes, like us, it will be a mixture of both. If you have luggage with you, definitely choose the black cabs. Sometimes those small cars simply can't fit your large suitcase in the boot of the car and you're stuck waiting for another one to arrive.
Next time: Buses and Tubes
