# Is one still expected to tip taxi drivers in Britain? If so, how much?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-one-still-expected-to-tip-taxi-drivers-in-britain-if-so-how-much/653321>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 19, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-one-still-expected-to-tip-taxi-drivers-in-britain-if-so-how-much/653321 "2013-03-19T01:44:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-one-still-expected-to-tip-taxi-drivers-in-britain-if-so-how-much/653321/21 "2013-03-21T23:01:00Z")

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10% unless they do something egregious, sometimes more if they’re really good. It’s really not that great a job at times, and with fuel going up by the day and fares fixed, I’ll keep tipping as long as I can afford to keep taking taxis. Waiting staff are also paid a (more) sensible wage here - some of your arguments would seem to imply that we shouldn’t tip them either, e.g.

> [@Codgerone](#):
>
> Giving someone more money than is required simply for doing their job does seem a bit odd

but I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t.

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**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-one-still-expected-to-tip-taxi-drivers-in-britain-if-so-how-much/653321/22 "2013-03-22T06:09:13Z")

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I had him keep the change, which was 60p on a £16.40 fare. He seemed a bit surprised and genuinely grateful.

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**Author:** ![codgerone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@codgerone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codgerone)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-one-still-expected-to-tip-taxi-drivers-in-britain-if-so-how-much/653321/23 "2013-03-22T15:29:04Z")

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> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> **codger** , are you in London? If not, do cabbies outside London have to demonstrate The Knowledge?

No I’m not in London, I work in a fairly rural part of the country.

We do have a knowledge test but it’s fairly basic stuff, a few questions on shortest routes between two places, location of schools, hospitals etc.

The knowledge that the London guys do takes years to learn.

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