London taxi fares

A taxi from King's Cross St Pancras to The O2 picked up on Tuesday 10 November, 12:00 costs about £37.60 (6.6 mi, about 34 min). At night it costs about £46.00. From the official London taxi tariff in force since 25 April 2026, checked 31 October 2026.

The black cab tariff set by Transport for London, from 25 April 2026, with the Heathrow and London City Airport extras.

Fare calculator

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Typical fare · metered £37.60 £34.20 in light traffic · £40.00 in heavy King's Cross St Pancras → The O2 · 6.6 mi · about 34 min

At night the same trip comes to about £46.00. Show the night fare

Full fare page for this trip: rush hour, night and weekend
Pick-up charge, Tariff 1, includes the first 155.8 m or 33.6 s Taxi fares - tariffs
£4.40
Tariff 1: 2.87 mi, 24.7 min in slow traffic Taxi fares - tariffs
£29.49
Tariff 4 (over about 6 miles): 0.32 mi, 2.8 min in slow traffic Taxi fares - tariffs
£4.02
Included in the pick-up charge Taxi fares - tariffs
−£0.40
Meter steps of 0.20 (a started step counts) Taxi fares - tariffs
£0.09
Total, typical traffic
£37.60
  • Pick-up charge, Tariff 1, includes the first 155.8 m or 33.6 s · £4.40
  • Tariff 1: 2.87 mi, 24.7 min in slow traffic · £29.49
  • Tariff 4 (over about 6 miles): 0.32 mi, 2.8 min in slow traffic · £4.02
  1. 6.0 miTariff 4 (over about 6 miles) starts
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King's Cross St Pancras → The O2, Tue 10 Nov 12:00. We quoted £37.60.

We keep the trip, the amounts, your note and the receipt to check the tariff. No name or email is asked for.

  • The route is the quickest by road (OpenStreetMap data); journey times allow for the city's usual traffic.

The short version

  • The meter starts at £4.40, which is also the minimum fare, and goes up in £0.20 steps.
  • Weekdays 05:00 to 20:00 are tariff 1; evenings and weekend days are tariff 2; nights from 22:00 and public holidays are tariff 3.
  • After about 6 miles, tariffs 1 and 3 switch to the tariff 4 rate.
  • Taxis from a Heathrow rank add £1.60; a terminal drop-off at Heathrow or London City can add £6.00.
  • There's no extra charge for luggage, extra passengers or paying by card. Booking by phone or app can add up to £2.00.

Tariffs and when they apply

TariffStartDistanceTime, slow trafficWhen
Tariff 1 £4.40 £0.20 per 77.9 m£4.13 per mile £0.20 per 16.8 s£42.86 per hour Mon–Fri 05:00–20:00
Tariff 2 £4.40 £0.20 per 64.5 m£4.99 per mile £0.20 per 13.9 s£51.80 per hour Mon–Fri 20:00–22:00
Sat, Sun 05:00–22:00
Tariff 3 £4.40 £0.20 per 60.9 m£5.29 per mile £0.20 per 13.1 s£54.96 per hour Public holidays
Every day 22:00–05:00
Tariff 4 (over about 6 miles) – £0.20 per 64.5 m£4.99 per mile £0.20 per 13.9 s£51.80 per hour After 9581.7 m (about 6.0 miles) on Tariff 1
After 9622.2 m (about 6.0 miles) on Tariff 3

Below about 10 mph the meter charges by time instead of distance. It moves in £0.20 steps. The tariff in force when the trip starts runs for the whole trip. The minimum fare is £4.40.

Surcharges and extras

£1.60 Heathrow taxi rank extra

Trips starting at Heathrow Airport

Up to £6.00 Airport terminal drop-off charge (Heathrow, London City)

Trips ending at Heathrow Airport or London City Airport

May be added in situations we can't detect, so it isn't in quotes.

£2.00 Phone, app or online booking (up to)

Trips booked for now or booked in advance

£4.00 Christmas and New Year extra

24 Dec 20:00 to 27 Dec 06:00, 31 Dec 20:00 to 2 Jan 06:00

Airports

Airport trips use the meter. The extras that apply are listed under surcharges.

Popular trips

Zone map

London City AirportHeathrow AirportTariff 4 (over about 6 miles) starts
  • Greater London (taxi service area)
  • Airports
  • Your route

The tariff covers Greater London. For a trip to somewhere outside it, the fare may be agreed with the driver before you set off; with no agreement, it can't be more than the meter shows.

Example fares

Tuesday 12:00 · 2.0 mi, about 15 min

Trafalgar Square to King's Cross

£15.20
  • £4.40Pick-up charge, Tariff 1, includes the first 155.8 m or 33.6 s
  • £11.16Tariff 1: 0.17 mi, 14.6 min in slow traffic
  • −£0.40Included in the pick-up charge
  • £0.04Meter steps of 0.20 (a started step counts)
Tuesday 12:00 · 16.0 mi, about 45 min

Heathrow to Trafalgar Square

£83.80
  • £4.40Pick-up charge, Tariff 1, includes the first 155.8 m or 33.6 s
  • £25.68Tariff 1: 5.27 mi, 5.4 min in slow traffic
  • £52.33Tariff 4 (over about 6 miles): 8.90 mi, 9.2 min in slow traffic
  • −£0.40Included in the pick-up charge
  • £0.19Meter steps of 0.20 (a started step counts)
  • £1.60Heathrow taxi rank extra
Tuesday 23:30 · 6.0 mi, about 30 min

King's Cross to Canary Wharf, late evening

£41.80
  • £4.40Pick-up charge, Tariff 3, includes the first 121.8 m or 26.2 s
  • £37.56Tariff 3: 3.06 mi, 23.3 min in slow traffic
  • £0.12Tariff 4 (over about 6 miles): 0.01 mi, 0.1 min in slow traffic
  • −£0.40Included in the pick-up charge
  • £0.12Meter steps of 0.20 (a started step counts)

Why was my fare higher?

It was evening, a weekend or a holidayTariff 2 or 3 runs at a higher rate than tariff 1.
Traffic was slowBelow 10.4 mph the meter adds £0.20 every 16.8 s on tariff 1.
You started at HeathrowJourneys from a Heathrow taxi rank add £1.60.
You were dropped at an airport terminalHeathrow and London City drop-off zones can add £6.00.
You booked the cabPhone, app and online bookings can add up to £2.00.
It was Christmas or New Year£4.00 extra from 20:00 on 24 December to 06:00 on 27 December, and from 20:00 on 31 December to 06:00 on 2 January.

Tariff history

  1. Minimum fare up from £4.20 to £4.40, and tariffs 1, 2 and 3 up 2.88%. New £6 drop-off extra at London City Airport.

    Verified

London taxi questions

What is the minimum fare for a black cab?

£4.40 at any time of day.

Do I pay more for luggage or extra passengers?

No. TfL allows no extra charge for luggage, additional passengers or paying by card.

Can a driver refuse a long trip?

Unless there is a good cause, drivers must accept a hiring of up to 12 miles (20 miles from Heathrow), or up to an hour, if the destination is in Greater London.

What happens after six miles?

Tariffs 1 and 3 change to the tariff 4 rate after about 6 miles. Tariff 2 already runs at that rate.

Sources

London Taxi and Private Hire Notice 04/26, Taxi fares and tariffs update Transport for London · official · retrieved 30 Oct 2026
Taxi fares - tariffs Transport for London · official · retrieved 30 Oct 2026
Transport for London taxi fares from 25 April 2026 (fare card) Transport for London · official · retrieved 30 Oct 2026
UK bank holidays (England and Wales) GOV.UK · official · retrieved 30 Oct 2026

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