Taxis in Edinburgh are the most popular means of transportation in the city, because public transport is not always convenient to use, due to the fact that often congestion and heavy traffic interfere with their timetable. Edinburgh taxis are represented by regular passenger cars, black and mini cabs.
It is worth noting that the activities of local taxis are regulated by the City Council, so the fleet of cars undergoes a technical check every week. As for drivers, before being hired, they are asked to take a test, the purpose of which is to identify how a person behaves in the event of conflict situations, as well as a topographic test to determine how well the driver knows the area.
Taxi services in Edinburgh
If you see a car on the roof of which the ForHair sign is lit (in some cases, you can understand that there is a free car in front of you by the orange glowing flashlight on the windshield), you can try to stop it right on the street. You can rent a free car at specialized parking lots located next to some hotels, on St. Andrew's Square, at railway stations.
You can leave a request for a car by calling the dispatch service of one of the taxi companies: Airport Taxis Edinburgh: + 44 7718 751 409; Central Taxis: + 44 131 229 24 68; CityCab: + 44 131 228 12 11. If you need a car with a large capacity, contact FestivalCars (+ 44 131 552 17 77), informing the operator how many people need to be transported. Important: you need to book mini-cabs in advance, by phone, and black cabs can be stopped on the street or hired at taxi ranks.
Taxi cost in Edinburgh
Get an answer to the pressing question: "How much does a taxi cost in Edinburgh?" the information below will help with the tariffs in force in local taxis:
- when calling a taxi by phone, 0.5 pounds will be added to the amount of your trip;
- landing, which includes overcoming the first 500 m, costs 2 pounds;
- in the future, the trip is calculated at a price of 0.25 pounds / 2 km, after overcoming which, every 220 m will be charged at 25 pence;
- the second and subsequent passengers will be charged a surcharge of 40p per person.
On average, a short city trip (about 3.5 km) costs at least 5 pounds, and from the airport to Edinburgh city center - 15 pounds. Credit cards are accepted for payment in black cabs, but in any case it is worth discussing the payment method before traveling with a driver.
Edinburgh is a fairly compact city, so it is convenient to move around it on foot, but if you get tired of walking, local taxis will always come to the rescue (they are also useful for trips around Edinburgh).
