London Black Cab / Taxi Advice Needed

nightswimmer

Hi

My Mum and I have to get from Victoria Coach Station to the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square (and back again). Due to health problems, walking and going by bus/tube are out of the question, so that just leaves taxis. We also need the minimum amount of waiting time/hassle as possible.

Having never been to London before I was wondering, is it best to use black cabs or are there better alternatives? With the black cabs, is it just a case of flagging one down, or can you call them to come pick you up? If you have to flag them down, roughly how long would we have to wait in these areas to get one? If there are alternatives, which companies do you recommend?

Does anyone know roughly how long that journey will take and how much it will cost? Also, what about tipping? Is a tip expected and if so how much?

Finally, if the coach journey proves too much, I may have to get a taxi to take us directly back to Gloucestershire, where my mother lives. Does anyone have any recommendations for taxi companies within London that do longer journeys (at short notice) such as these?

Any help advice would be greatly appreciated.

hartcjhart

would the train not be a better alternative and less stressfull/uncomfortable?

there are 'normally' plenty of cabs at the coach station and prowling around grovesnor square,sorry no idea of price,

tipping is down to you, but I generally round the fare up to the next full pound

Ian_W

According to TFL:

By taxi or minicab
A taxi rank is outside the Coach Station on Eccleston Place. You can also book licensed minicabs at the Chequers Minicabs desk in Arrivals.

According to this site:
The fare is £7.35

Black cabs are plentiful in central London but it can sometimes be difficult to hail empty ones between 8-10am and 4-6pm. As for tipping, it's up to you but I would do as suggested above.

nightswimmer

Thanks for your replies hartcjhart and Ian W and for those interesting links.

hartcjhart, the train would be more comfortable, but unfortunately it is much harder for us to get to and would involve much more walking. On top of that, depending on the time of day we have to go, we might have to change trains, which makes the journey even harder/longer.

The Cabwise txt service that's promoted on the TFL site Ian mentioned seems to be a good service and would allow us to easily get a cab if we can't flag one down.