Meaning
In London transport language, a black cab is a licensed London taxi, the familiar taxi category that Transport for London also describes as a hackney carriage, black cab, or cab.
How it is used
Transport for London's taxi-driver handbook says licensed London taxis are also called hackney carriages, black cabs, and cabs. Cambridge Dictionary independently defines black cab as a type of taxi associated especially with London and some other British cities and notes that it can be hailed in the street. In London conversation, the term identifies the licensed taxi category rather than private-hire or minicab services.
Examples
- “We took a black cab from the station.”
- “Can we hail a black cab here?”
- “She asked whether they wanted a black cab or a pre-booked car.”
Pronunciation
/ˌblæk ˈkæb/ · black CAB
Tone and register
Neutral, practical, and widely recognizable in London travel contexts. Black cab is conventional transport vocabulary rather than slang, and using the term does not imply that a speaker is a Londoner.
Visitor guidance
Visitors should understand black cab as a conventional name for the licensed taxi category, not as a promise that every taxi vehicle is literally black. Keep black cabs distinct from private-hire or minicab services. Fares, payment rules, booking methods, vehicle requirements, rank locations, accessibility details, licensing requirements, and other operating rules can change, so use current Transport for London guidance for live travel decisions.
Cultural context
Black cab belongs in a London language reference because the name is embedded in everyday directions, travel planning, station-area conversation, news, and official TfL material. Recognizing it helps visitors distinguish a familiar London taxi term from the wider taxi and private-hire vocabulary without treating a regulated transport category as local slang.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.