Before you go on a night out
As a group, agree on a time to head home. When organising a group night out, have a conversation. Include an agreeable time for booking taxis home and a safe place to be picked up from. The safe space should be one where you feel okay to wait around on your own.
Pre-book ahead of time. Pre-booking a vehicle means you do not have to worry about how you will get home later on. You can enjoy your night without the possibility of struggling to book a taxi at busier times. This is especially if it is expected to be cold or raining outside.
Join a taxi rank in good time. If you don’t want to pre-book, consider joining a queue at a taxi rank at a time when you see that black cabs are plentiful. Most available black cabs will try to make it back to people waiting at a rank, but there may be a greater chance of them being flagged down closer to their last drop off. Wait times and queues at ranks will increase as the night goes on.
Pay in cash. If you are likely to be paying the driver in cash, set enough money aside for the fare home. Try to put it in a separate place to your spending money. This is especially if you don’t want to be stopping off at an unfamiliar ATM late at night or into the early hours.
Be on time. Remember that a driver may already be looking out for you at your requested time or place. They will wait for a reasonable period before treating you as a no show. Once cancelled, a driver may be allocated another job immediately at busy times. You may have to rebook. Or you might wait around longer if the operator is happy to reinstate and fulfil your original booking.
Be kind. Remember that occasionally a booked vehicle may not arrive at the time you have booked for. This can often be due to traffic and road conditions. Or less drivers than expected are available to cover the bookings of that day. So, if your driver happens to be late, treat that driver as you would expect to be treated in that situation. There is no excuse for abuse.