Meaning
In London transport language, a minicab is a private-hire vehicle that is booked in advance rather than hailed in the street, making it a different category from a London black cab.
How it is used
Transport for London distinguishes taxis or black cabs from private-hire vehicles, commonly called minicabs, and states that minicabs must be booked in advance through a licensed private-hire operator. Cambridge Dictionary independently records minicab as a British term for a taxi that is ordered rather than stopped to collect passengers in the street.
Examples
- “We booked a minicab for the trip home.”
- “Is that a black cab or a minicab?”
- “They arranged a minicab before leaving the restaurant.”
Pronunciation
/ˈmɪn.i.kæb/ · MIN-ee-cab
Tone and register
Neutral, practical, and ordinary in British and London travel contexts. Minicab is transport vocabulary rather than slang, and using the word does not indicate that someone is a Londoner.
Visitor guidance
Visitors should keep minicab distinct from black cab in London: the terms refer to different taxi/private-hire categories. The durable vocabulary distinction is useful, but booking methods, operators, licensing checks, prices, payment arrangements, safety guidance, vehicle requirements, and other current rules can change, so use current Transport for London guidance for live travel decisions.
Cultural context
Minicab belongs in a London language reference because everyday directions and transport guidance routinely contrast taxis or black cabs with private hire or minicabs. Recognizing that vocabulary helps visitors understand what kind of service is being discussed without treating a regulated transport category as slang or a marker of local identity.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.