Can I Pay Cash for a Taxi?
Despite the drive to move towards a cashless society, we recognise that cash is still an essential form of payment for many people. Older people in particular feel happier and more secure knowing that they have good, hard cash in their pockets, and often save up their shrapnel to help them pay for cab journeys for special occasions. For this reason alone, we will never completely do away with the ability to pay cash. So, in answer to your question, can I pay cash for a taxi? Absolutely, you can.
Do I Have to Tip the Taxi Driver?
There is absolutely no obligation to tip any of our taxi drivers. Unlike the States, where tipping is a social obligation and is expected whenever a service is performed, tipping in the UK is at the discretion of the customer, and they should never feel pressurised to do so. We certainly expect all our drivers to behave to a certain standard and that includes not placing an expectation on the client to pay a tip.
However, we certainly hope that our drivers perform their duty to those extremely high standards and provide a service that clients consider worthy of tipping. This is a private arrangement between you and the driver.
When deciding whether or not you want to tip your driver, consider this: Have they given you a personal service, carried bags/luggage, opened doors, provided you with simple essentials such as water, adjusted the heating to your comfort, chatted amicably with you (or remained silent as is your preference), and generally given you a comfortable, smooth and seamless experience? If so, feel free to tip your driver accordingly.
How Much to Tip a Taxi?
If you are paying cash for your journey, chances are, a simple round up of the fare is a usual acceptable rate for shorter journeys. For example, an £8 fare could be paid by a ten-pound note (keep the change), or a £17.50 fare could be rounded up to £20.
Online payment systems or in-cab card machines tend not to allow for a tip, so what you tip your driver is totally at your discretion. Keep a few pound coins in your pocket and aim to pay between 10 to 15 percent of the total fare.
Other Taxi Etiquette Expectations
At Place2Place, we expect high standards from our drivers, but we also want to make sure they can expect the same degree of respect from our passengers, too, so we ask the following taxi etiquette expectations from you:
- Be kind and courteous to your driver. We do not tolerate any bad or abusive language, slurs, or insults, nor matching behaviour.
- Do not distract the driver in any way during the journey.
- Be respectful to the vehicle in which you are travelling. Do not spill drinks or drop rubbish and take any waste away with you.
- If traffic is heavy, avoid getting stressed and taking it out on the taxi driver. Usually, they try and plan ahead to avoid any traffic jams, roadworks, etc., but sometimes hold-ups are unavoidable.
