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Hackney carriages, also known as black cabs or black taxis, can pick up passengers who have not booked their journey in advance. Cabs, or private hire vehicles, can only pick up passengers who make a booking in advance or who visit the minicab office and pick up the cab from there.

• Only use a licensed taxi or minicab—look for a licence plate on the back of the taxi or cab. Unlicensed taxis or private hire cars may not be insured, and their drivers may not be licensed.
• If you are in any doubt that your taxi or cab driver is licensed, ask to see his or her ID badge.
• There are hundreds of taxi services and taxi numbers to choose from—restaurants and hotels will often be happy to book a reputable taxi or private hire vehicle on your behalf.
• Never get into a private hire vehicle without pre-booking (although you can do this with a hackney carriage, or black cab)—private hire car drivers doing this are breaking the law and you may not be insured for such a journey.
• If there is a large group of you needing to use the taxi service, or you have a lot of luggage, make this clear when you book a taxi so the taxi or car hire company can send an appropriate vehicle.

To find a taxi or cab near you, search Yell.com's database of taxis and private hire vehicles. Simply enter any UK location, such as London, Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds, into the search box below.