BB FANS

I'm off to London next week for new year- I've never been before.

I will be staying around Canning Town. Do you now roughly how much a taxi is likey to cost from Canning Town to, say, Big Ben, please?

Thanks.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/tax ... /1140.aspx
http://www.londontaxicabs.net/
http://www.londonblackcabs.co.uk/

Hope these might help.

Is it true that there is a maximum taxi fare of £20?

I'd be interested to hear if that was the case! Doubt it, somehow, especially for 'New Years'.

Edit: If the Tube was running, it'd only take 19 mins to get from Canning Town to Westminster on the Jubilee line, but methinks you might be staying out a bit after midnight.

Hope you have a lovely time, anyway.

I would reckon on at least £25 for that ride, maybe more as there are lots of roadworks at the moment and there tend to be backlogs because deluded people are driving in to town in the early evening to see the pitiful attempt at Christmas lights. Be prepared for it to cost more. Also, if you know the traffic is bad, I would get a minicab rather than a black cab and ask the fare at the office before you start, then at least that's guaranteed. If you hit bad traffic and you're sitting in a black cab with the fare counter ticking away, you could be paying a fortune.

There is no such thing as a maximum fare in a taxi of any sort. Particularly on New Year's eve when after 6pm they'll be charging double fare.

All in all, I'd get the tube. It'll be packed, but probably good humoured, and some company or other sponsors free travel (maybe after 10pm but check that).

Here it is:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/6574.aspx
All public transport is free from 23.45 to 04.30

Normally I'd say get the bus (you could, in theory walk up to Charing Cross and get the 15 which sometimes is an old Routemaster bus, and that would take you all the way back to Canning Town) but there'll be diversions because of the large number of people at Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square.

Personally, I think you're a bit barmy! Why not stay in in the warm?

I aggree with the minicab/traffic thing, but would just like to point out that a Black Taxi doesn't double their fare on Christmas and New Years like minicabs do, there will be and extra £4 added to the meter as soon as you get in, which in some cases could work out cheaper.
Just bigging up the Black Taxis as my other half is a black taxi driver.
Only technically his taxi is silver and he isn't black either!

I also think you're mad, or perhaps just young as I have reached an age where I couldn't bear to be out and about New Years. Bah Humbug. I will be having fun though, we have 4 new Singstar games and always plenty of booze leftover.

Thanks for the tips.

There has, however, been a change of plan. We've decided that it will be mayhem in London at New Year, so we will now be going in a few weeks once things are back to normal.