Comparing taxi companies properly takes about ten minutes and comes down to five checks: verify the licensing and insurance, understand which pricing model they use, look at their track record, establish their flight tracking and waiting time policy, and test how they handle your enquiry. The headline fare tells you very little. Two firms quoting the same figure can differ substantially once waiting time, airport charges, and card surcharges are included. Dot2Taxi has operated across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire since 1986 and confirms every one of these in writing before travel.
Most people compare taxi firms on price alone, which is the one variable that is least reliable at the quotation stage. This guide covers what to compare instead, in the order that actually matters.
Check Licensing and Insurance
This is the first filter, and anything that fails it can be discounted immediately regardless of price.
What to verify:
- Which local authority licensed the operator. Ask directly. A firm that cannot answer this quickly is not one to book.
- The vehicle displays a licence plate, usually on the rear exterior, stating the maximum passengers it may carry.
- The driver carries visible identification showing their name, licence number, and expiry date.
- Hire and reward insurance is held. Any vehicle carrying passengers for payment must have it. Standard private motor insurance does not extend to it, and a claim would be refused.
The rule that catches out unfamiliar bookings. For private hire, the operator taking the booking, the driver, and the vehicle must all be licensed by the same authority. An operator licensed by one council cannot dispatch a vehicle plated by another. If you are comparing a firm you have not used before, asking which authority licensed each of the three is entirely reasonable.
Driver vetting. A professional operator confirms without hesitation that drivers hold enhanced background checks appropriate to carrying passengers, including children and vulnerable adults. Vagueness here is a reason to move on.
Immediate disqualifiers:
| Warning sign | What it means |
|---|---|
| No licence plate on the vehicle | Not licensed for private hire |
| Driver cannot show identification | Not properly licensed or not the assigned driver |
| Vague about the licensing authority | Worth verifying independently before booking |
| Offers to be hailed on the street | Private hire cannot legally accept this |
| No mention of hire and reward cover | Insurance may not cover you as a passenger |
Compare Pricing Models: Fixed vs Metered vs App Surge
This is where most comparisons go wrong, because the three models are not directly comparable at the point of quotation.
| Fixed fare | Metered | App with surge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price known before travel | Yes | No | Estimate only |
| Changes with traffic | No | Yes | Sometimes |
| Changes with demand | No | No | Yes |
| Regulated by council | No, operator sets it | Yes, for hackney carriages | No |
| Predictable for repeat routes | Yes | No | No |
| Suitable for expense claims | Yes | Partially | Variable |
| Protection if the route is longer | Yes | No | Partially |
Fixed fare. The price is agreed before travel and does not change. Best for airport runs, repeat routes, business travel, and any journey where traffic is a variable. Since private hire fares are not council regulated, the written quote is your only protection if there is a dispute.
Metered. Applies to hackney carriages taken from a rank or hailed in the street. The tariff is set by the council, which provides a form of protection, but the final figure is unknown until you arrive. On a short clear run it can work out cheaper. In traffic it does not.
App with surge. Convenient, but priced dynamically. Demand rises at exactly the moments you are most likely to need transport: Friday night, bad weather, the end of an event. That is when surge pricing peaks.
How to compare fairly. Ask each firm for a fixed written quote for the same journey, and specifically ask what is included. Two quotes of £45 are not equivalent if one includes the airport drop-off charge, sixty minutes of free waiting, and card payment without surcharge, and the other includes none of them.
The itemisation checklist:
- Total fare, fixed rather than estimated
- Mileage allowance and the rate beyond it
- Free waiting time and the rate afterwards
- Airport charges, including the £7 Heathrow terminal drop-off charge
- Card payment accepted and any surcharge disclosed
- Return leg, priced separately or included
- What happens if the journey overruns
Read Reviews and Track Record
Reviews are useful but need reading properly, and track record often tells you more.
How to read reviews usefully:
- Look at the pattern, not the extremes. Every operator has one furious review and one glowing one. What matters is what the middle of the distribution says.
- Check the recent ones. A firm with excellent reviews from three years ago and mediocre ones from the last six months has changed, and not for the better.
- Read the negative reviews specifically. What went wrong, and how did the company respond? An operator who replies constructively to a complaint tells you more than one with no complaints at all.
- Watch for recurring themes. One person mentioning a late arrival is noise. Five people mentioning it over three months is a pattern.
- Be sceptical of perfect profiles. A firm with hundreds of reviews and no criticism at all is unusual enough to warrant a second look.
Track record signals worth more than star ratings:
| Signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Years trading in the same area | Demonstrates the business has survived demand cycles |
| A physical trading address | Easier to hold accountable than a mobile number |
| Named account contact available | Indicates proper business infrastructure |
| Willingness to quote in writing | Confidence in their own pricing |
| Clear answers on subcontracting | Transparency about who actually arrives |
Longevity in this industry is genuine evidence rather than marketing. An operator trading in the same area for decades has weathered fuel price shocks, licensing changes, app competition, and seasonal demand swings that see newer entrants come and go.
Ask About Flight Tracking and Waiting Time Policies
For any airport journey, this is where two apparently similar quotes diverge most sharply.
Flight tracking: the specific questions
- Is tracking automatic on every booking, or applied on request? It should be automatic.
- Does the pickup adjust to actual landing time without me contacting anyone? That is the entire point of it.
- Are early arrivals covered as well as delays? A flight landing forty minutes early is just as disruptive as one landing late.
- What is the process if my flight is diverted to another airport? There should be a defined answer rather than an improvised one.
- Will I receive driver details before landing? Standard practice at good operators.
Waiting time: the question that costs money
Ask when the free waiting period starts. There are three definitions in common use across the industry:
- From scheduled arrival time, regardless of when the aircraft actually lands
- From actual touchdown, as recorded by flight tracking
- From when you clear customs and reach the arrivals hall
On a long haul flight the gap between the first and the third is routinely over an hour. On a short journey, that difference can exceed the fare itself.
Also confirm:
- How much free waiting is included, and whether international arrivals get more than domestic
- The rate beyond the free period, and whether it is billed hourly or in smaller increments
- What is charged if the passenger does not appear at all
Airport charges
The Heathrow Terminal Drop-Off Charge has been £7 per entry since 1 January 2026, with a ten minute maximum stay. Some operators include it in the quote. Others add it at the kerb. Unpaid charges become an £80 penalty notice, reduced to £40 within fourteen days, so ask who bears that if a payment is missed.
Test Their Booking and Communication Process
The final comparison is the most revealing and costs nothing: judge each firm on how they handle your enquiry.
What a good enquiry response looks like:
- They answer quickly, or return your call promptly
- They ask the right questions about passenger count, luggage, terminal, and timing rather than just quoting a number
- They confirm in writing without being asked
- They explain what is included rather than leaving you to work it out
- They give a named contact for the day itself
What a poor one looks like:
- A verbal quote with no written follow up
- No questions about luggage or terminal on an airport booking
- Reluctance to itemise what the price covers
- No clear answer on what happens if the vehicle has a problem
- A general enquiry line with no direct number for the day
The contingency question. Ask directly: what happens if the assigned vehicle develops a fault two hours before my pickup? A properly resourced operator has a replacement and a process. A single vehicle business usually has neither, however good their intentions. That answer tells you the depth of the operation faster than anything else.
The subcontracting question. Ask whether the journey will be handled by their own vehicle and driver, or passed to another firm. Subcontracting is common at busy periods and is not inherently a problem, but it means the standards you were quoted may not be what arrives. Ask which company will actually be coming.
Booking channels. A firm accepting phone, email, and messaging gives you a written record when you want one and speed when you need it. Email confirmation is particularly useful when arranging travel on behalf of someone else.
The Ten Minute Comparison Checklist
Run these seven questions past each firm you are considering. The answers will separate them faster than any price comparison.
- Which authority licensed your operator, drivers, and vehicles?
- Can I have a fixed price in writing with everything itemised?
- Is the airport drop-off charge included or added afterwards?
- Is flight tracking automatic, and when does free waiting time start?
- Will this journey be subcontracted, and if so to whom?
- What happens if the vehicle develops a fault two hours before pickup?
- Is card payment accepted, and is there any surcharge?
An operator who answers all seven clearly has thought about their service. One who deflects has told you something useful.
Why Choose Dot2Taxi
Dot2Taxi has operated across Maidenhead, Windsor, Slough, Marlow, and High Wycombe since 1986, and every item on the checklist above is standard rather than exceptional.
- Fully licensed and DBS checked drivers on every journey
- Fixed pricing confirmed in writing with all charges itemised
- The £7 Heathrow drop-off charge included in the quoted price
- Automatic flight tracking on every airport collection
- Waiting time terms defined in writing rather than left ambiguous
- No journeys subcontracted to an operator you did not choose
- Vehicles maintained and inspected to a consistent standard
- 24 hour availability, seven days a week
Nearly four decades in the same area means the practical detail is already understood rather than worked out on the day.
Conclusion
Comparing taxi companies on price alone is the least reliable method available, because the headline figure is the variable that changes most between quotation and payment.
Compare the licensing first, since anything failing that check is out regardless of cost. Then compare the pricing model rather than the number, because a fixed fare and a metered estimate are not the same thing. Then look at track record rather than star ratings. Then, for any airport journey, establish the flight tracking and waiting time policy, which is where two similar quotes diverge most.
Finally, judge them on how they handle the enquiry itself. An operator who is vague before you have paid will not become precise afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check before booking a taxi company?
Verify the licensing authority for the operator, driver, and vehicle, confirm hire and reward insurance is held, get a fixed price in writing with everything itemised, establish the flight tracking and waiting time policy for airport journeys, and ask whether the work will be subcontracted.
Is a fixed fare or a metered fare better?
A fixed fare is better for airport runs, repeat routes, business travel, and any journey where traffic is a variable, because the price is known and protected. A metered fare can occasionally be cheaper on a short clear journey but offers no protection if the route takes longer than expected.
How do I read taxi company reviews properly?
Look at the pattern rather than the extremes, check that recent reviews match older ones, read the negative reviews to see how the company responded, and watch for recurring themes. Be sceptical of profiles with no criticism at all.
When does waiting time start on an airport pickup?
It varies by operator, which is why it must be confirmed in writing. The three definitions in common use are scheduled arrival time, actual touchdown, and the point you clear customs. On a long haul flight the gap between them is routinely over an hour.
Should I ask whether my journey will be subcontracted?
Yes. Subcontracting is common at busy periods and is not inherently a problem, but it means the vehicle and driver standards you were quoted may not be what arrives. Ask which company will actually be coming.
What is the most revealing question to ask a taxi firm?
What happens if the assigned vehicle develops a fault two hours before pickup. A properly resourced operator has a replacement and a process. A single vehicle business usually has neither, and that answer reveals the depth of the operation faster than anything else.
