Thanks for sharing. Have you thought about doing Uber? What are you pros and cons if you have not already discussed previously. I would assume that Uber drivers do not need to take the 'Knowledge' test. Thanks in advance.
@@goutvols103 working for a platform that can remove you overnight, change their commission rate or how much they pay you instantly? No thanks. Would rather be back at Starbucks
Hey Tom, love the videos, I was wondering if you could do a video about adverts/wraps on taxis, the pros, the cons, and why you decided against it. Think that would be quite neat, anyway keep up the good work
I love this sort of content. It's fascinating to hear your reasoning and thinking re: your route planning. Me and my housemate live in London but neither of us drive and we're constantly having these sorts of discussions about bus and train routes around the city, so it's interesting to hear this sort of thing about navigating the road network in a private car. Great to see lots of familiar bits of London on the dashcam too. Nice one, Tom.
7.20 for a multi-hour wait sounds a tough way to make a living! I also love the bit about the guy wanting to stop at a newsagents. It's basically a throwaway aside in the video, but it's a big reason taxis and the Knowledge are still so relevant today.
Finishing times: sometimes I have to remind myself why I'm self-employed. Flexibility and family time is more important than earning an extra load of cash.
I once had an early morning ride to Heathrow with a cabbie who said he liked working early in the morning. He would usuually get a job out to the airport and at that time in the morning the wait for a fare back into London was not such a long one. By the time rush hour came around he said he had usually earned a good amount of money.
Tom why did you take the beconsfield I worked the fliers for 20 years at that time of night and living in S.E. London that would have been curtains for me.Due to heart disease lost my badge ,well life has its knocks ,but in my day Beconsfield was a legitimate refusal.Be lucky son
Great vid tom. My old man was a black cab driver for 35 years doing the exact stuff u doing. So great to see what his daily work routine would of been like. Going to show him your vids
I am glad you mentioned about the "local job" having seen another video about the £7.20 entry, when I got picked up at terminal 3 to go to Raddison (barth road??) I felt sorry for the taxi guy who had been probs queing for two hours for a job to then do a £14 job and then reenter at a cost at £7.20 , so gave him a £5 tip to compensate based on prior knowledge which I know now to be sort of incorrect and it would be classed as a local job thanks to your video so he would not have to repay or go to the long que again :)
@Adam. I wonder how long this “local” job rule has been going. When I lived local black cabs just refused to take you if you weren’t going into London. Yes you can force them to take you but who wants to sit in a vehicle where the driver hates you 🙄😄
this was totally fascinating. as a londoner, i never take black cabs (i was always taught to think of them as transport for tourists or the wealthy), but the expertise at play here makes me want to take a cab one day. thanks tom!
Maybe during all of these strikes it might be worth considering using the taxis instead for certain trips. IDK. I hear Britain has a lot of strikes and that the government's intervention in negotiations is making everything much worse because the government is intervening in a very anti-union way.
BTW, I am American, and we have our own screwed up politics to deal with, although apparently the Roe v. Wade decision has been worth around 5-10+% in elections based on what we have seen so far.
@@unconventionalideas5683 yes indeed the strikes need a resolution from the government, and the strikers should continue until they reach a strong deal. _AND_ yes though it doesn't seem that 5-10% margin will be enough for the Dems to keep the house, so 2023-25 will likely be 2 years of stagnation.
I haven't taken a black cab in years (and rarely use minicabs/Uber et al either), but I've always wanted a ride in the new electric-ish ones, but never have found an excuse or been able to. Maybe one day, I'll get one to just drive me around a bit 🤣
Spent 30yrs driving taxi in Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, so plenty of visits to LHR. Interesting to see the other side of the coin; I admit we always loved the ones where we ran customer up to airport, and found we'd got a booking for somebody inbound to go back! I agree with your comments about Sod's Law; it seems to work against taxi drivers everywhere!
Fascinating to me that the need is at Heathrow, it’s one of the busiest airports in Europe I imagine. And you have all those drivers queue into the tank and wait. But yet you can be waiting in excess of 2 hours to get out of the rank car park.l and get a job and start getting paid.
I worked in UK as a courier for a year in 2010, aussie here. had a great time, money was very poor but i got to see the whole place top to bottom ,east west and nthn Ireland, watching these vids is great, did a lot of London stuff . Sat nav worked pretty good. Nice one Tom.
Schwell.. just before the panicdemic, me and family was in London. Had to take a 7 min taxiride cuz of sons ailing foot. At the end of it, I asked the driver if the expected tips/was it custom to etc. He said: Only if you want to, you dont have to mate!.Gave him the change, 1 pound or so and blessed him (In heart and mind) Edit: I knew enough to make sure it was a propper London Cabbie before we got in to it
Fascinating, I'm a Londoner who's never taken a cab/uber (easier to just walk/cycle/tube), but there's certainly a LOT more strategy, and knowledge, in running a black cab. My colleague religiously gets one daily, for a short run in the city, he knows all the cabbies now and they look after his phone/wallet whenever he leaves it in the cab
Absolutely fascinating the decisions you have to make. Well produced video! I used to work at LHR and drive past the feeder park every day and think of all the drivers
I dunno why, but it's always interesting when you're around Heathrow, hopefully you decide to do more videos of the area. I also suspect it must be where you get the most eccentric or odd looking passengers too, all the people coming from afar!
I do deliveroo & uber eats on the side and although different from driving a taxi the experience is almost identical! Even when you explained wanting to get a job in central so you can stay there and get more jobs. Ofcourse you can always just drive there but its always more satisfying to get paid to drive there. I usually float around marylebone mayfair Knightsbridge & chelsea too and go home at midnight.
Tom I like your videos and one issue you raised is when you get a job in your direction to take you home. It's a dilemma for all drivers. Keep going Tom wish you well
Interesting video about Heathrow, I've had my badge 28 years and never ranked up there as I fear getting lost if the job doesn't come back into London😟
I grew up coming to London every summer with my parents. I am the only American born in the family. We would grab a taxi from LHR to Hilton Park Lane. Now I know why they liked us and wanted the return trip reserved. But cabs would be out front of the hotel starting at 5am, waiting for us.
I live in Dublin, but my God, London what a town - maybe 10 times the size of Dublin. I lived there during the 80s. I was young at the time and I can still remember the cafes we used to eat in, my favourites were the 'Blue Sky 'just down from Nottingham Gate and another great one on Kensington High St. Still remember the pints we used to drink - Fullers 'Trophy' and 'Extra Special Bitter'. Still remember the pubs and the late night drinking clubs - the 'Brigade' on Notting hill Gate, the' Radio and Stage' in Paddington were just two of them. Always found genuine Londoners to be great, very friendly people. I still love London and return now and again.
Picked up a Will Self novel "The Book of Dave" from a charity shop and just finished reading it when magically for the first time ever I get recommended a London cabbie video. How good is that algorithm 🤨 Not normally someone interested in cab drivers or London but so interesting to watch some content on this channel after randomly reading a crazy novel based around 'the knowledge' and black cab driving in London. These guys definitely have their own special set of skills and work very hard for their income.
Hi Tom, you mentioned in one of your previous videos that you didn't think you were a good communicator. I have to say that I beg to differ. I think your videos are great and the information and style is brilliant.
There is really not much difference driving a cab in London from driving a taxi in Gothenburg other than you have a cooler Volvo ;) So many hours I have spent on Landvetter Airport in Gothenburg. But here we charge the customer for the rank fee at the airport. The fee here is sek 37 or about £3. But now I work at our main office as a planner/dispatcher. I sometimes really miss driving a taxi. It's really nice to see you working in London!
You mean because Volvo and London Taxi Company are the same now? Both owned by Geely. I like the new black cabs, but tbh I'd probably rather spend my day in a V90 or XC90 😀
Ha, I've been on the other side of all of this. being screamed at by a cabbie because the rank marshall messed up and I was sent to the "wrong" cab. but I lived right at the edge of the local zone, so usually would give a destination within the local zone and cabbies appreciated that.
Fair play. I thought it was a joke when I heard the name on rides but absolutely brilliant insight. We’re planning a London trip so have to try and catch a ride with the man
Hi there. Really enjoyed this video. I managed to catch a black cab when in Terminal 5 once or twice, but the most recent time we did so was just this past June and it was staggeringly dry and hot and we - me and my parents - chucked ourselves in the back with all our bags and went our way. It was about a 1 hour journey from there to Kingston in the end with all these roads blocked up. But I am enthralled by the whole system and that our own black cab had to do all that queuing in spots that I completely recognise (thanks to all the car rentals and travelling in transit vans)!
Hi Tom. Remember that you can refuse a job going outside the Metropolitan Area. Beaconsfield is way out, and you could have refused it. It's a great job for those working the airport, but it's a killer if you want to just get back to London. Also, those jobs like Beaconsfield have a fix price. To find out the price for the out of the Met you can either use the price list which is at every terminal or you can get a booklet from the LTDA office at the canteen. See you around
Thanks Francesco, I definitely live and learn. Huge learning curve at Heathrow and takes a few times to learn how to not get burnt. I had a Stratford from LHR, but when he realised the price, the guy decided to bail on me on the Bath Road. I thought no dramas, I'll just go back to the terminal and the rank marshall will know it's a local. Nope... apparently you have to go back with the passengers to get it authorised as a local. Lesson learnt, back to the feeder I go. That little bit of Knowledge has since saved me in a similar situation.
Brilliant video mate and really informative. I was always a bit worried attempting to work Heathrow because guaranteed I’d balls it up. That’s put a lot of light on it. Thanks mate!
Great to see you Rosh, hope you are well! I've had a few blunders, took a Stratford off T2 late night, young Aussie lad. He asks how much it might be and I give an estimate. As we exit the tunnel road he asks if we can pull over somewhere as he's due to meet a mate (he's on the phone trying Uber). Of course I oblige, he pays what the meter got to but as it wasn't down as a local, I had to go back through the feeder park. Literally live and learn.
I have just discovered your channel today and I find it really interesting leaning about the life of a black cab driver. Just gets me wondering if you have ever gone to any of the places in Central London that I know. My dad used to work for a mini cab company when I was young so he was always doing nights. Me myself I live in Sutton just outside Croydon so South Central London but still inside M25. Grate videos, please keep going.
I read an article years ago that said most New York taxi drivers get their strategy wrong, and you seemed to do the same. The correct strategy is if you are having a bad day, you should cut your losses early, i.e. after the Beaconsfield job you should have gone home. If you are having an extra good day, maybe when there is a problem on the tube or something, keep working as late as you can. You'll make enough money that evening that you can afford a lie in the next day. Don't stop early thinking I've made enough money today. When it's busy and going well for you, people need taxis more, so work longer.
That’s an interesting way of looking at it. My other mental model is: a bad start doesn’t mean a bad ending. I’ve times where I’ve got off to a bad start and felt the need to chase it and it’s turned the day around. Likewise, having a good start can mean I step off the gas a bit and I do less as a result. Only takes one job to turn your day around!
I worked with a guy who lived in Hounslow who had an almighty row with the taxi driver who objected to the short run. I was quite surprised what constitutes "local". Not quite sure why the driver chose to be so aggressive when on his return to the airport he was able to jump the queue.
it's one of the great mystery of this Trade which I still haven't found an answer for: why some drivers hate locals so much whenever I get many locals I have a great day if you work the airport locals are a money spinner either locals or a Manchester or similar. I have been waiting for my Manchester for 23 years and I believe it may never happen, so i will stick with my locals to make a good day.
Another great video as per. I was studying my blue books on a flight to Belfast this week and the guy next to me noticed this and as we got talking it transpired he was also a fan of your videos… (hello if you’re reading this!)
Just to say Heathrow Airport Ltd charging £7.20 for you just to pick up a fare is outrageous. It would be reasonable say if the wait time was say 15 minutes but 2 hours. Nah.
I did 33 years didn’t use Heathrow after they started charging never ever missed it and made a very very good living and still living of my savings after 21 years 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
Tom - until first week of September RAH will be hosting BBC proms - these hardly finishes before 9.30, but on everyday post the show there will be jobs as a lot of people hail taxi home
What amazes me, as an American, is the enormous amount of time, study and money you spend to become a taxi driver in London. what is it called? "The Knowledge Test?" Required to know every street and the best route to get from anywhere to anywhere else in your head!
Great Video Tom! I drive a taxi in Spain ( Palma de Mallorca) we got the airport and a cruiseship terminal, best job would be: Airport to cruiseship….. go in the queue , and luckily get a trip back to the airport ! I would love an LEVC in spain but: are they anygood for like 50 mile motorway journeys? Cheers
You sometimes mention picking up a job from the "taxi app" - could you talk more about that on a future video or if you have in a previous one, post the link here - thanks
Im surprised theres no black market developing outside heathrow where cabs go to an informal location outside heathrow to pick up passengers which would be win win
I guess like most big airports, it’s difficult to find anywhere nearby to stop. It’s like when the airportcharge for drop off, someone will find a sneaky place to drop off, but then it becomes an inconvenience for people so they just pay the fiver to drop.
I imagine the most long trips into the city are from the international travelers. Most overseas flights arrive in the morning. I recon your best chances of getting the long trips are from these folks. Why fly from LA to London only to stay at the Marriot near the airport?
LHR is often used as a layover stop. Connects America’s to Europe or Africa and vice versa. A bit like Paris Charles De Gaulle. So difficult to know if people are on a stop or coming in. Sometimes look at the arrival boards for terminals but it can’t really be calculated in the same way a train station can’t yield a probable destination for a passenger
What’s stopping you from going to whatever terminal you’d like if you haven’t joined the rank at Heathrow. Could you realistically just go straight to a terminal and not pay the taxi rank fare?
Google algorithm pointed me to your channel, and I am pretty chuffed that it did. Thanks for the great video, and showing how knowledgeable you are of london roads.
Thanks Tom for the upload , it's true working at the airport is all about luck , but the punters are friendlier than the ones in town especially late at night
you give me idea ,next time im in london . and i know steve parry or holmes are working and its near the end of their shift .i will get em to drive me long way south of london . ha ha
I remember getting a taxi and wanted to go to town a similar distance to Beaconfield the cabbie said “sorry can’t do it” first of is that allowed? But now I understand why he said no so thank you for the video
@@TomtheTaxiDriver thank you makes a lot of sense now I often used to fly into city airport from Ibiza had no idea how long cabbies were waiting. They should have separate lines for passengers one for long distance/short distance so it’s fairer on you guys
Hey Tom - love the videos. I'm a cabbie in Edinburgh and recently we have been authorised to add the £4 airport charge to the fare. I'm assuming London don't allow it?
Im a taxi driver too! Randomly discovered your channel after my RUclips app signed me out for some reason. The biggest difference between us is I'm in a 2015 Passat and I'm the opposite side of the country to you, most of the way east along the A40 in Carmarthen, west Wales. It's interesting to see the operational differences in other areas. Yes the core of the job is the same, but I've always been curious as to how Heathrow taxis operate. Thanks for the insight. +1 subscriber! Mind how you go mate 😁
I put on at terminal 5 punter comes up and says “Ere take us to standstead.” No probs I sez. Get to standstead and then he goes “soz mate wrong airport. I meant Gatwick. Tell you wot I’ll give you clock and a half so that you don’t loose out getting back to the port.” I sez “yeah cheers pal.” Gotta luv working the port
It always annoys me you can't get q black cab from Heathrow Hotels to the ternimals the hotel always call a private car service which charges sky high prices
GET YOUR yFood HERE! 👉 - bit.ly/tomthetaxidriver_yfood_tp
How are you keeping up with the rising cost of petrol.
Thanks for sharing. Have you thought about doing Uber? What are you pros and cons if you have not already discussed previously. I would assume that Uber drivers do not need to take the 'Knowledge' test. Thanks in advance.
@@goutvols103 working for a platform that can remove you overnight, change their commission rate or how much they pay you instantly? No thanks. Would rather be back at Starbucks
so its basically Huel right?
Tom Scott brought me here. Glad he did!
I had such a fan boy moment reading his email! Couldn’t believe it! Thanks for joining 🙌🏻
@@TomtheTaxiDriver Tom Scott is a RUclips institution
All about having the right mental attitude, so respect for that.
As always loving the ride along videos, keep them coming, stay safe tom
Hey Tom, love the videos, I was wondering if you could do a video about adverts/wraps on taxis, the pros, the cons, and why you decided against it. Think that would be quite neat, anyway keep up the good work
That would be wicked
Yeah I agree
I’ve been wanting to know about this also! Please do one tom
I think he’s already done a video about that might not be clearly labelled as that in the title but I’m sure he has
@@cuppaht161 you gotta give us more than that. Give us a link or summit?
I love this sort of content. It's fascinating to hear your reasoning and thinking re: your route planning. Me and my housemate live in London but neither of us drive and we're constantly having these sorts of discussions about bus and train routes around the city, so it's interesting to hear this sort of thing about navigating the road network in a private car. Great to see lots of familiar bits of London on the dashcam too. Nice one, Tom.
7.20 for a multi-hour wait sounds a tough way to make a living!
I also love the bit about the guy wanting to stop at a newsagents. It's basically a throwaway aside in the video, but it's a big reason taxis and the Knowledge are still so relevant today.
Finishing times: sometimes I have to remind myself why I'm self-employed. Flexibility and family time is more important than earning an extra load of cash.
difficult to argue that
I once had an early morning ride to Heathrow with a cabbie who said he liked working early in the morning. He would usuually get a job out to the airport and at that time in the morning the wait for a fare back into London was not such a long one. By the time rush hour came around he said he had usually earned a good amount of money.
I’m a driver in Glasgow and like to start 4-5am for that exact reason. Traffic is much lighter for a few hours so can get a clear run for fares
Tom why did you take the beconsfield I worked the fliers for 20 years at that time of night and living in S.E. London that would have been curtains for me.Due to heart disease lost my badge ,well life has its knocks ,but in my day Beconsfield was a legitimate refusal.Be lucky son
I'm recovering from illness and watching a lot of RUclips. This is a wonderful channel to come across.
Thanks Talha! Wishing you a speedy recovery ❤️
Great vid tom. My old man was a black cab driver for 35 years doing the exact stuff u doing. So great to see what his daily work routine would of been like. Going to show him your vids
I am glad you mentioned about the "local job" having seen another video about the £7.20 entry, when I got picked up at terminal 3 to go to Raddison (barth road??) I felt sorry for the taxi guy who had been probs queing for two hours for a job to then do a £14 job and then reenter at a cost at £7.20 , so gave him a £5 tip to compensate based on prior knowledge which I know now to be sort of incorrect and it would be classed as a local job thanks to your video so he would not have to repay or go to the long que again :)
So your fare was £14 from terminal 3 to Renaissance but then want to check in and then go back to Heathrow to take Heathrow Express.
@@robwhitley7902 what are you on about ? Where is there any mention of the Heathrow express 🤷♂️
@Adam. I wonder how long this “local” job rule has been going. When I lived local black cabs just refused to take you if you weren’t going into London. Yes you can force them to take you but who wants to sit in a vehicle where the driver hates you 🙄😄
Always love the Heathrow ones! You actually passed by my mini bus
this was totally fascinating. as a londoner, i never take black cabs (i was always taught to think of them as transport for tourists or the wealthy), but the expertise at play here makes me want to take a cab one day. thanks tom!
Maybe during all of these strikes it might be worth considering using the taxis instead for certain trips. IDK. I hear Britain has a lot of strikes and that the government's intervention in negotiations is making everything much worse because the government is intervening in a very anti-union way.
BTW, I am American, and we have our own screwed up politics to deal with, although apparently the Roe v. Wade decision has been worth around 5-10+% in elections based on what we have seen so far.
@@unconventionalideas5683 yes indeed the strikes need a resolution from the government, and the strikers should continue until they reach a strong deal. _AND_ yes though it doesn't seem that 5-10% margin will be enough for the Dems to keep the house, so 2023-25 will likely be 2 years of stagnation.
I haven't taken a black cab in years (and rarely use minicabs/Uber et al either), but I've always wanted a ride in the new electric-ish ones, but never have found an excuse or been able to. Maybe one day, I'll get one to just drive me around a bit 🤣
racist
Spent 30yrs driving taxi in Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, so plenty of visits to LHR. Interesting to see the other side of the coin; I admit we always loved the ones where we ran customer up to airport, and found we'd got a booking for somebody inbound to go back! I agree with your comments about Sod's Law; it seems to work against taxi drivers everywhere!
Fascinating to me that the need is at Heathrow, it’s one of the busiest airports in Europe I imagine. And you have all those drivers queue into the tank and wait. But yet you can be waiting in excess of 2 hours to get out of the rank car park.l and get a job and start getting paid.
I worked in UK as a courier for a year in 2010, aussie here. had a great time, money was very poor but i got to see the whole place top to bottom ,east west and nthn Ireland, watching these vids is great, did a lot of London stuff .
Sat nav worked pretty good.
Nice one Tom.
You went back to Aus after? How comes, if u did
Schwell.. just before the panicdemic, me and family was in London. Had to take a 7 min taxiride cuz of sons ailing foot. At the end of it, I asked the driver if the expected tips/was it custom to etc. He said: Only if you want to, you dont have to mate!.Gave him the change, 1 pound or so and blessed him (In heart and mind)
Edit: I knew enough to make sure it was a propper London Cabbie before we got in to it
We need more of the daily work videos in London picking up jobs
I actually prefer these videos the most out of everything you upload lol
Trying to do more in real life stuff! Plenty more to come
Brilliant, as ever! All the best. Be safe Tom.
Fascinating narration as ever Tom! Living up in Yorkshire it’s great to see the hustle and bustle of the capital - on my iPad 😉
Fascinating, I'm a Londoner who's never taken a cab/uber (easier to just walk/cycle/tube), but there's certainly a LOT more strategy, and knowledge, in running a black cab.
My colleague religiously gets one daily, for a short run in the city, he knows all the cabbies now and they look after his phone/wallet whenever he leaves it in the cab
Absolutely fascinating the decisions you have to make. Well produced video! I used to work at LHR and drive past the feeder park every day and think of all the drivers
14:19 looks like Jeremy is having some late night fun in the P50
haha saw you in victoria two days ago and was sooo psyched when you smiled and waved at me !!
Good to see you! Hope you had a great day
Local tickets are great until it’s Ealing or Hampton Wick at 5pm, and that’s you done.
I dunno why, but it's always interesting when you're around Heathrow, hopefully you decide to do more videos of the area. I also suspect it must be where you get the most eccentric or odd looking passengers too, all the people coming from afar!
I do deliveroo & uber eats on the side and although different from driving a taxi the experience is almost identical! Even when you explained wanting to get a job in central so you can stay there and get more jobs. Ofcourse you can always just drive there but its always more satisfying to get paid to drive there. I usually float around marylebone mayfair Knightsbridge & chelsea too and go home at midnight.
Cheers Tom - exactly answered the question I was wondering: what happens if you queue up 5 hours and just get a local run... Now we know!
Excellent as always Tom, clearly a very clever guy!
Tom I like your videos and one issue you raised is when you get a job in your direction to take you home. It's a dilemma for all drivers. Keep going Tom wish you well
Congrats on getting a shout-out in Tom Scotts newsletter!
Interesting video about Heathrow, I've had my badge 28 years and never ranked up there as I fear getting lost if the job doesn't come back into London😟
That is a reality! Completely different job out there!
I grew up coming to London every summer with my parents. I am the only American born in the family. We would grab a taxi from LHR to Hilton Park Lane. Now I know why they liked us and wanted the return trip reserved. But cabs would be out front of the hotel starting at 5am, waiting for us.
I live in Dublin, but my God, London what a town - maybe 10 times the size of Dublin. I lived there during the 80s. I was young at the time and I can still remember the cafes we used to eat in, my favourites were the 'Blue Sky 'just down from Nottingham Gate and another great one on Kensington High St. Still remember the pints we used to drink - Fullers 'Trophy' and 'Extra Special Bitter'. Still remember the pubs and the late night drinking clubs - the 'Brigade' on Notting hill Gate, the' Radio and Stage' in Paddington were just two of them. Always found genuine Londoners to be great, very friendly people. I still love London and return now and again.
Thanks for the upload Tom love the vids!!!
You right a lot of luck involved in fares ✌️❤️
love these videos with a passion
Came from Tom Scott’s newsletter. Wasn’t disappointed. So interesting! Nice one dude.
Picked up a Will Self novel "The Book of Dave" from a charity shop and just finished reading it when magically for the first time ever I get recommended a London cabbie video.
How good is that algorithm 🤨
Not normally someone interested in cab drivers or London but so interesting to watch some content on this channel after randomly reading a crazy novel based around 'the knowledge' and black cab driving in London.
These guys definitely have their own special set of skills and work very hard for their income.
Hi Tom, you mentioned in one of your previous videos that you didn't think you were a good communicator. I have to say that I beg to differ. I think your videos are great and the information and style is brilliant.
There is really not much difference driving a cab in London from driving a taxi in Gothenburg other than you have a cooler Volvo ;)
So many hours I have spent on Landvetter Airport in Gothenburg. But here we charge the customer for the rank fee at the airport. The fee here is sek 37 or about £3.
But now I work at our main office as a planner/dispatcher. I sometimes really miss driving a taxi. It's really nice to see you working in London!
You mean because Volvo and London Taxi Company are the same now? Both owned by Geely.
I like the new black cabs, but tbh I'd probably rather spend my day in a V90 or XC90 😀
I work in the new build office overlooking the Heathrow taxi feeder park. So cool to now know how it works around Heathrow!
As someone form a prairie city in Canada, this is insane to watch. It's just so different. 14:00 for example: someone would get killed here.
You're such a lovely bloke.
Ha, I've been on the other side of all of this. being screamed at by a cabbie because the rank marshall messed up and I was sent to the "wrong" cab. but I lived right at the edge of the local zone, so usually would give a destination within the local zone and cabbies appreciated that.
Fair play. I thought it was a joke when I heard the name on rides but absolutely brilliant insight. We’re planning a London trip so have to try and catch a ride with the man
Love the sound of the traffic.
Hi there. Really enjoyed this video. I managed to catch a black cab when in Terminal 5 once or twice, but the most recent time we did so was just this past June and it was staggeringly dry and hot and we - me and my parents - chucked ourselves in the back with all our bags and went our way. It was about a 1 hour journey from there to Kingston in the end with all these roads blocked up. But I am enthralled by the whole system and that our own black cab had to do all that queuing in spots that I completely recognise (thanks to all the car rentals and travelling in transit vans)!
Hi Tom.
Remember that you can refuse a job going outside the Metropolitan Area.
Beaconsfield is way out, and you could have refused it.
It's a great job for those working the airport, but it's a killer if you want to just get back to London.
Also, those jobs like Beaconsfield have a fix price.
To find out the price for the out of the Met you can either use the price list which is at every terminal or you can get a booklet from the LTDA office at the canteen.
See you around
Thanks Francesco, I definitely live and learn. Huge learning curve at Heathrow and takes a few times to learn how to not get burnt.
I had a Stratford from LHR, but when he realised the price, the guy decided to bail on me on the Bath Road. I thought no dramas, I'll just go back to the terminal and the rank marshall will know it's a local.
Nope... apparently you have to go back with the passengers to get it authorised as a local. Lesson learnt, back to the feeder I go. That little bit of Knowledge has since saved me in a similar situation.
Always enjoy your vids Tom. Keep them coming fella.
I'm genuinely surprised that Wraysbury isn't on the 'local' list - it's like 20 minutes away!
Discovered your channel today. Found it mesmerising. Love London but traffic is crazy.
Thanks and welcome!
This video was actually pretty interesting, even though I've never been to the UK.
This is really interesting! Don’t live in London anymore buts is great to see the perspective of a cabbie. Subscribed 👍🏻👍🏻
Interesting video and I like how you seamlessly added the promo bit!
😉
Tom loved the video and now subscribed. Nice job
Brilliant video mate and really informative. I was always a bit worried attempting to work Heathrow because guaranteed I’d balls it up. That’s put a lot of light on it. Thanks mate!
Great to see you Rosh, hope you are well!
I've had a few blunders, took a Stratford off T2 late night, young Aussie lad. He asks how much it might be and I give an estimate.
As we exit the tunnel road he asks if we can pull over somewhere as he's due to meet a mate (he's on the phone trying Uber).
Of course I oblige, he pays what the meter got to but as it wasn't down as a local, I had to go back through the feeder park. Literally live and learn.
I have just discovered your channel today and I find it really interesting leaning about the life of a black cab driver. Just gets me wondering if you have ever gone to any of the places in Central London that I know. My dad used to work for a mini cab company when I was young so he was always doing nights. Me myself I live in Sutton just outside Croydon so South Central London but still inside M25. Grate videos, please keep going.
I read an article years ago that said most New York taxi drivers get their strategy wrong, and you seemed to do the same. The correct strategy is if you are having a bad day, you should cut your losses early, i.e. after the Beaconsfield job you should have gone home. If you are having an extra good day, maybe when there is a problem on the tube or something, keep working as late as you can. You'll make enough money that evening that you can afford a lie in the next day. Don't stop early thinking I've made enough money today. When it's busy and going well for you, people need taxis more, so work longer.
That’s an interesting way of looking at it.
My other mental model is: a bad start doesn’t mean a bad ending.
I’ve times where I’ve got off to a bad start and felt the need to chase it and it’s turned the day around.
Likewise, having a good start can mean I step off the gas a bit and I do less as a result.
Only takes one job to turn your day around!
I worked with a guy who lived in Hounslow who had an almighty row with the taxi driver who objected to the short run. I was quite surprised what constitutes "local". Not quite sure why the driver chose to be so aggressive when on his return to the airport he was able to jump the queue.
it's one of the great mystery of this Trade which I still haven't found an answer for:
why some drivers hate locals so much
whenever I get many locals I have a great day
if you work the airport locals are a money spinner
either locals or a Manchester or similar.
I have been waiting for my Manchester for 23 years and I believe it may never happen, so i will stick with my locals to make a good day.
I love Heathrow. I went plane spotting there once
I just started at Heathrow fixing lifts and it's always mental with traffic
Great video as always mate!
Interesting to learn about how it works from your point of view.
I still don’t know the ins and outs. In many ways it’s a completely different job to working in town
i work as private hire driver i understand thes challanges thats nice to see i working 2 shifts morning nap and aftrenoon tik 8pm
Yet another great video Tom, loved it.
Thanks again!
Another great video as per. I was studying my blue books on a flight to Belfast this week and the guy next to me noticed this and as we got talking it transpired he was also a fan of your videos… (hello if you’re reading this!)
wow the heathrow system is very interesting, like playing the lottery, great insight, thank you
Oh my gosh, even the cabs politely queue!
Love these videos Tom keep the the great work 👌🏻
Love these videos mate
Thank you for watching 😊
Great Video 👍 I also like that you have the non-existent Terminal 1 on your thumbnail 🤣
How do people who only work at the Heathrow taxi rank make money? I just don't understand how waiting for 2 - 4 hours for a fare is cost effective
Yes especially when paying £7.20 for the fare on top.
They should make a virtual waiting line..
Because taxi prices are crazy expensive, a 10 mile job from there will be £50-60
Is it worth spending all that time there surely there's more work in town lol
Can utilise the downtime and all depends on luck. Sometimes town is better, sometimes Heathrow works in your favour
I have no idea why I watch this but it's great
Really enjoy the Airport videos, some new ones would be good
all coming soon!
Just to say Heathrow Airport Ltd charging £7.20 for you just to pick up a fare is outrageous. It would be reasonable say if the wait time was say 15 minutes but 2 hours. Nah.
I did 33 years didn’t use Heathrow after they started charging never ever missed it and made a very very good living and still living of my savings after 21 years 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
Sorry I’m retired 👻
This is a good advert to do the knowledge 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿 I’d love to be back in the saddle 🤪
I always wondered how the taxis worked at Heathrow...🚖👍
Tom - until first week of September RAH will be hosting BBC proms - these hardly finishes before 9.30, but on everyday post the show there will be jobs as a lot of people hail taxi home
Epic video once again!
What amazes me, as an American, is the enormous amount of time, study and money you spend to become a taxi driver in London. what is it called? "The Knowledge Test?" Required to know every street and the best route to get from anywhere to anywhere else in your head!
Tom you do realize you didn’t have to take that job as it’s outside the M25
I live and I learn haha!
@@TomtheTaxiDriver every days a school Tom lol be lucky
Great Video Tom! I drive a taxi in Spain ( Palma de Mallorca) we got the airport and a cruiseship terminal, best job would be: Airport to cruiseship….. go in the queue , and luckily get a trip back to the airport !
I would love an LEVC in spain but: are they anygood for like 50 mile motorway journeys? Cheers
You sometimes mention picking up a job from the "taxi app" - could you talk more about that on a future video or if you have in a previous one, post the link here - thanks
Im surprised theres no black market developing outside heathrow where cabs go to an informal location outside heathrow to pick up passengers which would be win win
I guess like most big airports, it’s difficult to find anywhere nearby to stop.
It’s like when the airportcharge for drop off, someone will find a sneaky place to drop off, but then it becomes an inconvenience for people so they just pay the fiver to drop.
I imagine the most long trips into the city are from the international travelers. Most overseas flights arrive in the morning. I recon your best chances of getting the long trips are from these folks. Why fly from LA to London only to stay at the Marriot near the airport?
LHR is often used as a layover stop. Connects America’s to Europe or Africa and vice versa. A bit like Paris Charles De Gaulle. So difficult to know if people are on a stop or coming in.
Sometimes look at the arrival boards for terminals but it can’t really be calculated in the same way a train station can’t yield a probable destination for a passenger
What’s stopping you from going to whatever terminal you’d like if you haven’t joined the rank at Heathrow. Could you realistically just go straight to a terminal and not pay the taxi rank fare?
Heathrow tag. You have to scan it as you arrive at each terminal.
the other cabbies might spot that you're a queue-jumping Judas and beat the S out of you
oh mate those heathrow jobs, bloody hell, i feel for you
Good advice
Google algorithm pointed me to your channel, and I am pretty chuffed that it did. Thanks for the great video, and showing how knowledgeable you are of london roads.
Thanks Tom for the upload , it's true working at the airport is all about luck , but the punters are friendlier than the ones in town especially late at night
you give me idea ,next time im in london . and i know steve parry or holmes are working and its near the end of their shift .i will get em to drive me long way south of london . ha ha
I remember getting a taxi and wanted to go to town a similar distance to Beaconfield the cabbie said “sorry can’t do it” first of is that allowed? But now I understand why he said no so thank you for the video
Yea he can refuse as it’s outside of the metropolitan London area. I didn’t know that at the time of this video
@@TomtheTaxiDriver thank you makes a lot of sense now I often used to fly into city airport from Ibiza had no idea how long cabbies were waiting. They should have separate lines for passengers one for long distance/short distance so it’s fairer on you guys
Hey Tom - love the videos. I'm a cabbie in Edinburgh and recently we have been authorised to add the £4 airport charge to the fare. I'm assuming London don't allow it?
They add £2.80 I think
Im a taxi driver too! Randomly discovered your channel after my RUclips app signed me out for some reason.
The biggest difference between us is I'm in a 2015 Passat and I'm the opposite side of the country to you, most of the way east along the A40 in Carmarthen, west Wales.
It's interesting to see the operational differences in other areas. Yes the core of the job is the same, but I've always been curious as to how Heathrow taxis operate.
Thanks for the insight.
+1 subscriber!
Mind how you go mate 😁
I put on at terminal 5 punter comes up and says “Ere take us to standstead.” No probs I sez. Get to standstead and then he goes “soz mate wrong airport. I meant Gatwick. Tell you wot I’ll give you clock and a half so that you don’t loose out getting back to the port.” I sez “yeah cheers pal.” Gotta luv working the port
If a passenger asks you to go through a McDonald's or other fast food restaurant drive-thru are you happy to oblige on the way to their destination?
It always annoys me you can't get q black cab from Heathrow Hotels to the ternimals the hotel always call a private car service which charges sky high prices