A black cab in Glasgow starts at £4.50 on the meter. On the council’s fare table that works out at about £8.50 for a 1.8 mile trip and about £11 for 2.6 miles, before traffic and extras. Uber and Freenow both work in the city, but they send private hire cars, not black cabs. Bolt doesn’t, as far as Bolt’s own pages show: it lists Edinburgh as its only Scottish city. And 0141 429 7070 is the booking line for Glasgow Taxis, a big black cab firm.
Last checked: 25 October 2026.
Whose number is 0141 429 7070?
It’s the call centre number for Glasgow Taxis. Its contact page says the call centre is staffed 24/7 for telephone bookings. It isn’t a council number, and it won’t get you a cab from any other firm.
Glasgow Taxis says it works with about 750 cabs at any given time, and that Glasgow has over 1,400 licensed taxis. So plenty of black cabs on the street aren’t Glasgow Taxis ones. Account customers use a separate number, 0141 429 6666, and the office line is 0141 554 2222.
Black cabs and private hire cars
The law splits them by how you hire them. Under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, a taxi is a hire car you engage in a public place for a journey that starts there and then. Any other hire car is a private hire car.
- Black cabs (taxis). Licensed by Glasgow City Council. You can hail one in the street, take one from a rank or book one. The name’s a habit, though. Plenty of Glasgow cabs are white, and Glasgow Taxis’ own cars are yellow.
- Private hire cars. Also licensed by the council, but they must be booked first. The Scottish Government’s guidance says they aren’t available for immediate hire, and the Act bars them from showing anything that suggests they’re taxis. Uber, Freenow and local minicab firms all work this way.
The practical difference is the price. The council fixes the fare scale for black cabs and the meter works it out. A private hire fare is set by the firm or the app.
Spotting a licensed cab, and what to do if it goes wrong
Every licensed taxi has a number you can quote. The council’s own fare card says to quote the taxi’s number and, if you can, note the driver’s name from their licence and badge. Complaints go through the council’s online form or any police station.
If you’ve left something in a cab, Glasgow Taxis has a lost property form. It says it can only help if you travelled in one of its cabs, and it doesn’t store lost property itself. It also tells you to report the loss to Police Scotland.
Glasgow Taxis: app, phone and wheelchair cabs
You can book Glasgow Taxis three ways.
- Phone: 0141 429 7070, staffed 24/7.
- App: the free Glasgow Taxis app, on the App Store and Google Play. It has a price estimator, lets you track your cab, and takes Apple Pay, card or cash.
- Online: the booking page.
You can ask for a six-seater in the app at no extra cost, says Glasgow Taxis. All its cabs are wheelchair accessible, with a built-in fold-out ramp. Its disabled access page says to ring 0141 429 7070 to book one and to mention any special requirements when you do.
Uber, Freenow and Bolt in Glasgow
- Uber: works here. Uber’s Glasgow page says you can’t currently book a cab in Glasgow with Uber, but you can book UberX, and that you can request a ride 24/7. Airport trips are with a licensed private hire driver.
- Freenow: works here. Freenow launched in Glasgow in June 2025 with Saltire Private Hire, part of City Cars Group, so expect private hire cars. Freenow says it was bought by Lyft in July 2025, and the app is listed in the app stores as Freenow by Lyft.
- Bolt: not in Glasgow, going by Bolt’s own pages. Its UK cities list names Edinburgh but not Glasgow, and its UK area of operations page says the same. Bolt also says its area of operations is subject to change, so put a Glasgow address into the app. If it shows no cars, that’s your answer.
Our take: for a plain, council-set fare in the city centre, a black cab is hard to beat. For a longer trip, a private hire app can come out cheaper, but the price comes from the app and not from the council. Check it before you confirm.
Glasgow taxi fares in 2026
Glasgow City Council fixes the black cab fare scale. It changed on 13 October 2025, and a new one starts on 16 November 2026. Older fare tables you may see online are out of date.
| Charge | Now (from 13 October 2025) | From 16 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting charge | £4.50 for the first 880 yards or 2 min 45 sec | £4.50 for the first 867 yards or 2 min 43 sec |
| Each extra step | 30p per 174 yards or 37 sec | 30p per 172 yards or 36 sec |
| Waiting | 30p per 37 sec | 30p per 36 sec |
| Night hire, starting 9pm to 6am | £1.50 extra | £1.50 extra |
| Christmas and New Year | £2.70 extra | £2.70 extra |
| Fuel surcharge | None | 25p a hire, for 3 months from the start date |
The meter charges by time when the cab is standing or moving at 9.3mph or less, and by distance above that. The Christmas charge applies to hires starting between 9pm on 24 December and 6am on 27 December, and between 9pm on 31 December and 6am on 3 January. The new scale also raises the soiling charge, which only applies after an anti-social act, from £47.50 to £48.
The council’s notices are here: the October 2025 fares and the November 2026 fares, which the licensing committee agreed on 23 September 2026. The council’s papers say any taxi operator can appeal to the Traffic Commissioner, and that an appeal would suspend the new scale until it’s settled.
What that works out at
These are our own meter estimates from the table above, before extras and traffic. We measured the road distances with OpenStreetMap routing, so they’re not official figures. The old and new scales give the same answer for all three.
| Trip | Road distance | Meter estimate |
|---|---|---|
| George Square to Glasgow Central | About 0.4 miles | £4.50 |
| George Square to Kelvingrove | About 1.8 miles | About £8.50 |
| Glasgow Central to Shawlands Cross | About 2.6 miles | About £11 |
Add £1.50 if the hire starts between 9pm and 6am, and 25p from 16 November for three months. Sitting in traffic adds to the meter, because it charges for time once you’re crawling. If a driver agrees to take you beyond the city boundary, the table says they can charge more than the meter, but only if they tell you how much extra before they set off and you agree.
Taxi ranks in Glasgow
You can hail a cab or walk up to a rank. The main ranks we could check are at the stations.
- Glasgow Central: Network Rail lists three ranks, on Gordon Street, Hope Street and Union Street. Taxis can pick up and drop off at all three.
- Queen Street: National Rail lists taxis among its transport links, but doesn’t say where the rank is. Check the station map when you come out.
Ranks get long queues late on a Friday or Saturday night. If you’re in a rush or it’s pouring, booking through the Glasgow Taxis app can save the wait.
Taxis from Glasgow Airport
Glasgow Airport is in Renfrewshire, not Glasgow, so its rank taxis are licensed by Renfrewshire Council and use its fare table. The airport’s taxi page says a fleet of 180 white taxis waits outside the terminal and you don’t need to pre-book.
The airport doesn’t publish a fare to the city centre. Renfrewshire’s fare notice says a driver isn’t obliged to accept a hire that ends outside Renfrewshire, and that the rate is agreed at the time of hire. So agree a price at the rank before you get in. The University of Glasgow’s arrivals guide says the fare to Glasgow averages £30 to £50, depending on where in the city you’re going. Uber’s own page shows UberX averaging £25 over the past 12 months, and its pick-up page puts it at £29 over the past month. Uber says those aren’t fixed prices.
Renfrewshire Council published a notice on 3 July 2026 proposing a new scale from 12 October 2026, with a £4.80 starting fare for up to half a mile and an airport pick-up and drop-off charge of £7, up from £5.50. We couldn’t find the final scale on the council’s website, so we can’t confirm it went ahead.
If you’d rather have a booking, Glasgow Taxis takes airport bookings. Its page talks about “standard airport taxi fixed price fares” but doesn’t list them, so ask for the price when you book. Pre-booked pick-ups meet at the taxi meeting point in car park 2, Zone D, and you get £5 off the return pickup if you book both journeys. Our Glasgow Airport to city centre guide compares the bus, Uber and taxis.
Driving to the airport instead of taking a cab? It’s worth comparing parking prices before you book.
Getting around without a taxi
Taxis are good for late nights and luggage, but they add up. The Glasgow Subway covers the centre and the West End, and our bus guide and train guide cover the rest. If you’re heading to a match or a gig, see how to get to Glasgow’s big venues. Driving? Read driving in Glasgow first.
FAQ
How much is a taxi in Glasgow?
A black cab starts at £4.50 on the meter, which covers the first 880 yards (half a mile) or 2 minutes 45 seconds. After that it’s 30p for each extra 174 yards or 37 seconds. Our estimate is about £8.50 for 1.8 miles and about £11 for 2.6 miles, before traffic and extras. Add £1.50 for a night hire.
Does Bolt work in Glasgow?
Not according to Bolt. Its UK cities list names Edinburgh but not Glasgow. Put a Glasgow address into the app to check. Uber and Freenow both work here.
Whose number is 0141 429 7070?
It’s the Glasgow Taxis call centre, staffed 24/7 for telephone bookings.
Can you hail a taxi in Glasgow?
Yes, a licensed black cab. Private hire cars, including Uber and Freenow ones, have to be booked.
Is Uber a black cab in Glasgow?
No. Uber says you can’t currently book a cab in Glasgow with it, only UberX, which is a licensed private hire car.
Are Glasgow black cabs wheelchair accessible?
All Glasgow Taxis cabs are, with a fold-out ramp. Ring 0141 429 7070 to book one.
How much is a taxi from Glasgow Airport to the city centre?
There’s no published fare. The University of Glasgow says it averages £30 to £50 depending on where you’re going, and Uber’s UberX averages £29 over the past month and £25 over 12 months. Agree a price at the rank first.
How do I complain about a Glasgow taxi?
Use the council’s online taxi complaint form or any police station, and quote the taxi’s number.
Fares and figures here are guides only. Check the council’s notices and the operator before you travel.
