Pricing model · honest comparison
Fixed price vs meter — which costs less from Heathrow?
For long-distance (50+ mile) Heathrow transfers, fixed-price PHV beats both metered black cabs and surge-priced Ubers — usually by 30-50%. For short hops into central London, the maths flips. Here's where each model actually wins.
Like-for-like: Heathrow T5 → Oxford
Fixed-price PHV (Kings)
£90
Fixed at booking, all-in
Metered black cab
£140+
Varies with traffic, £160-180 on Friday afternoon
Uber UberX
£130-180
Surge-dependent; £200+ during peak times
What's the difference between a black cab and a PHV?
Black cabs (Hackney Carriages) can be hailed in the street and run on a meter. PHV (Private Hire Vehicles) must be pre-booked with a fixed fare agreed before the journey. The licensing models are different — TfL licenses both, but separately.
The practical implication: if you walk to the black cab rank at Heathrow arrivals, the meter starts and the fare emerges. If you book Kings the night before, the £90 fare is agreed before you fly. Different models, different use cases.
Why don't black cabs do fixed-price long-distance?
Metered economics work for short journeys, fail for long ones. A meter rewards the driver for every minute stuck in traffic — the customer pays the M25 delay as a higher fare. For long-distance trips that frequently hit traffic (Heathrow→Birmingham, Heathrow→Cardiff), this is bad for both sides.
Black cab drivers can technically agree a fixed fare for long-distance, but most won't because their business model is built around short central-London turnover. Pre-booked PHV operators specialise in the long-distance market that black cabs avoid.
How does Kings avoid losing money on traffic?
The fixed fare prices in a realistic traffic buffer. A Cardiff trip is priced for 6 hours of driving, not 4.5 — when the M25 adds an hour, the fare is the same because it was already in the model.
The trade-off: on an empty Sunday morning when the trip takes 4.5 hours, you pay the same £245. Over a year it averages out. See how every fare is built for the model.
Are "from £X" prices reliable?
No — "from" is a marketing word, not a price. Aggregator websites advertise headline numbers that change once you click through. Compare like-for-like by demanding a fixed total price before booking, and checking that price is the same on the confirmation email.
Kings publishes the actual fare on every route page — £90 to Oxford means £90 paid. All 80+ routes, all published prices.
Can the price change after I book?
With Kings: no. The fare agreed at booking is the fare paid on arrival. Card or bank transfer to the driver. The only exception is if you change the booking (different destination, different terminal, different vehicle class) — then we requote.
Watch for aggregator small print: some reserve the right to "adjust pricing in line with traffic conditions" or "apply standard airport surcharges on arrival". Read before you book.
Published fixed prices