Taxis

It's always a good idea to have some taxi phone numbers in your phone as soon as you've got one. Bus and train services often stop running after midnight--though there are some special bus routes which operate at nighttime, usually designated with "N".

Taxis are handy if there's 3 or more of you, if it's early/late in the day, if you're running late for something, or if you've just missed a bus and the next one isn't for an hour. Or, simply, if you just can't be bothered.

For international students, there are two different types of taxi service:

Black Cabs are taxis that are allowed to wait at taxi queues, and pick up passengers wherever they are hailed. They all look the same (and not all are black). They look like a special kind of car, that you never see elsewhere, whereas private hires are regular cars with taxi licenses on them. Black cabs arrive quickly, are almost always available, and are more expensive. Expect about a £15 fare from City Centre to Anniesland, at least.

Private Hire: means you must phone and book ahead with the company and wait for the car. They usually call or text you when it's close by, and you confirm with your name to pick it up. You cannot hail these cabs on the street, since it's illegal for them to pick you up unless you hired them. The best part about private hires is that their fares are MUCH cheaper than Black Cabs. Expect to pay around £8 from City Centre to Anniesland. Sometimes you may be waiting quite a while, though, and at 3AM after a night in city centre, one often opts for the waiting Black Cabs.

Some Common Taxi Companies:

Glasgow Taxis (Black Cabs) 0141 429 7070

West End Taxis (private hire) 0141 954 2000

Network Private Hire 0141 557 1110

Allander Cabs (private hire) 0141 942 9000

Note: many of these private hires will allow you to book a taxi in advance (e.g. for a certain time) and have flat fees to and from the airport. Call them when you arrive in town instead of haggling with the bus or spending twice as much on a black cab driver which will take you on a longer route to charge you more!

Transport This page is part of the collection 'Glasgow'.

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