Be aware of unlicensed taxis!!

I'm not so rich. Therefore, I seldom use a taxi while travelling in England. Moreover, when I have used a taxi, I think that I've almost always had some trouble. Probably, because of that, I don't like using taxis.
It was on my third trip to England that I used a taxi for the first time. My friend and I used the underground because it was the cheapest way to get from Heathrow Airport to the center of London. However, when we left England, our luggage had become much heavier than when we arrived. Even so, I wanted to use the underground again, but my friend wanted to use a taxi even if she paid the fee by herself. We should check in for the flight 2 hours before we leave England, so we had to take the tube(underground) to Heathrow at seven o'clock. However, a receptionist at our hotel said that the underground didn't run so early in the morning, so we asked him to call us a taxi.
In London, a special license is necessary to become a taxi driver. I heard that it was much more difficult to pass the examination to get the license than it is in Japan. In London, it never happens that a taxi driver doesn't know the place their customer wants to go. Moreover, they should know all of the roads and the quickest route to the destination. Therefore, that time, I thought that using a taxi was more comfortable than in Japan, but in reality, it wasn't!
Actually, the receptionist called for a Benz, an unlicensed taxi. "Oh? This car doesn't have a meter.", I thought. However, we never doubted because we were young, so we got into the car. On the way to Heathrow Airport, the taxi driver was talking to us in a friendly manner. But when he asked our occupation, probably we shouldn't have answered honestly. I said, "She (this is my friend) is a banker." I don't remember what else we talked about. When we got out of the taxi, although my friend gave him fifty pounds, he gave her only twenty pounds change. Currently, if the taxi fare from central London to Heathrow Airport costs thirty pounds, it isn't expensive at all. However, it was more than ten years ago. In those days, the underground cost was one pound ninety. It was only half the present day amount. If a taxi cost becomes double similarly, the previous thirty pounds is equivalent to about the present sixty pounds! When we said to him, "Oh? The hotel receptionist said that we only have to pay twenty pounds", he answered, "No, it costs thirty pounds." When we said that we had already paid five pounds as a commission, he gave us back five pounds saying, "The receptionist is a bad man!" Thinking later, the underground should run at seven o'clock in the morning! The receptionist was probably hand in glove with the taxi driver!!
However, in those days, I couldn't speak English very well, so I couldn't say anything and watched the taxi leaving. I went Dutch with her because I couldn't bare my friend having to pay such an expensive taxi fare.
When I travelled to England with Akiko for the first time, we used a taxi from High street Kensington to Victoria station from where we could take the underground direct to Euston. We were going to visit the Lake District. We asked the receptionist of our B&B to call a taxi. However, again, an unlicensed taxi came. I anticipated some trouble might happen, but I felt relaxed because I were with Akiko who could speak English better than me. As I had expected, when we got out of the car, the taxi driver asked us for twelve pounds fifty although the receptionist said that it would cost seven pounds fifty. However, Akiko didn't say anything. After the taxi was leaving, I asked her, "Why didn't you complain about the fare?" She ansered, "If I had said something, he might have driven off with our luggage in the boot."
Some people say that when you quarrel with somebody in a foreign country, it might better to speak fluently in Japanese rather than to speak in broken English.
However, neither Akiko nor I could do so. Maybe, whether you can domplain or not depends on your character.
Last year, I stayed at a hotel near Bayswater station on my last night. I heard that a shuttle bus to Heathrow Airport would come to each hotel in Bayswater to pick up travellers, so I planed to use the service. When my friend and I came back after having our last dinner in London, I asked the receptionist to call the bus for the next morning. He said, "It was too late. You should book it one day before by 10 o'clock at night." "Really? Are you sure?"Is there a way to call for the bus?" "No way!", he answered. I finally decided to go to Paddington and use the Heathrow Express. Paddington isn't far from Bayswater, but my luggage was so heavy. The thought of carrying my suitcase in one hand and a big bag in the other hand sicked me. I gave up the idea of walking to the station and asked the receptionist to call me a taxi. However, I carelessly forgot to say, "Black cab, please.", so again, an unlicensed taxi came! Wow!! When I saw the driver's face, I felt I might have some trouble, but I thought that it was OK because Paddington station was very near. It was wrong! After I said good bye in front of the hotel to my friend who was going to stay in London for three more days, I got into the taxi feeling very alone. Soon after, the driver asked, "Are you going to go to Paddington?". I answered, "Yes." He began to give a stupid line.
"The Heathrow Express doesn't run today because of a strike. Do you want to go to Heathrow Airport by taxi?" I was very suspicious. I couldn't believe his words! I thought, "If I found out that the train really didn't run when I arrived at Paddington station, probably, I may catch the underground or the shuttle bus from the station.". Therefore, I said to him, “Please go to Paddington station.” I felt it took a very long time to arrive at the station. While all the driving, I watched which direction he was going in carefully, because I didn't want to be taken in by him. I sometimes said, "Is it the correct way to go to Paddingon? Paddington should be very near." I expressed wariness over him. Then, the car arrived at the station. Although it was very near, he asked me for seven pounds! I glared at him with enraged eyes and paid just seven pounds without a tip. When I entered the station, I found out that the train was running as I had thought. I think it was a piece of luck because I didn't go to the airport in his car.
Of course, I didn't always have some trouble when I used a taxi. Last year, I stayed at a house at Loughton, at the edge of London, which my friend used to stay when studying English. Their house was quite a long walk from the station, so we used an unlicensed taxi when we came back at night. However, we never paid through the nose. Moreover, the same year, when we visited to the Hever Castle, the taxi fare to the castle was the same as the fare which the driver had said when we got into the taxi. He was an honest man. The year before last, when my friend and I went to Thornbury Castle, the taxi driver who took us there was a very friendly young guy, so we were happy to use his cab.
Furthermore, I have used some black cabs!
In my experience, if you ask the receptionist of cheap hotels and B&Bs to call for a taxi, an unlicensed taxi will usually come. Therefore, firstly, when you ask, you should say, "Black cab, please!" Secondly, you'd better have many ten poud notes and one pound coins when you use a taxi to give the driver the exact fare including a tip. My English teacher, John P., said, "Never give a fifty pound note to a taxi driver!"
According to John P., when you pay the fare, you should see the driver's eyes and say how much you pay, for example, "Ten pounds." If you do so, they can't cheat you.
For this reason, everyone, be aware of taxi drivers! Never use an unlicensed taxi!!

(2004.10.2)

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