A Bath hackney carriage (the black cabs you hail at a rank) starts at £3.40 for the first 330 yards on weekdays before 8pm, rising to £3.90 in the evening or on Sundays, and £4.50 overnight. These are Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council's maximum legal meter fares; private hire cars booked through an app or by phone usually quote a fixed price upfront instead.
The official hackney carriage tariff
B&NES Council sets a maximum table of fares for licensed hackney carriages. Drivers can charge less, but not more. The current published tariff is:
| When | Initial 330 yards (or 1 min 38 sec waiting) | Each extra 155 yards (under 5 miles) |
|---|---|---|
| Mon-Sat, 6.01am-8pm | £3.40 | £0.20 |
| Mon-Sat, 8.01pm-midnight | £3.90 | £0.20 |
| Sunday, 6.01am-midnight | £3.90 | £0.20 |
| Daily night rate, 12.01am-6am | £4.50 | £0.20 |
On public holidays, Easter Sunday, New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve, the initial fare rises to £4.70, with each extra 155 yards at £0.30. On New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, it rises again to £6.30, at £0.50 per extra 155 yards. Once a journey passes 5 miles, the distance for each 20p or 30p increment shortens to every 127 yards rather than 155. Waiting time is charged at 30p per extra minute beyond the initial 1 minute 38 seconds, on top of the distance fare. There are additional set charges for extra passengers and some types of booking; B&NES publishes the full table, including those extras, as a downloadable PDF on its taxi tariffs and fares page.
Taxi ranks in Bath
Ranks operate all day at the Abbey (Orange Grove), Bath Spa Station, Henry Street, Queen Square and Westgate Buildings, plus night-only ranks (9.45pm-6am) on George Street, Southgate Street and Walcot Street, for the areas with the most evening traffic.
Booking a taxi
V-Cars, part of the Veezu group, describes itself as the largest taxi firm in Bath, with more than 300 partner drivers, bookable through the Veezu app or by calling 01225 46 46 46; the same app covers Bristol (01179 25 26 26) and Chippenham (01249 65 65 65) if you're travelling between cities. Abbey Radio Cars and Bath Taxis are two other established local firms. Only pre-booked private hire cars should be used; unlike hackney carriages, they aren't legally allowed to pick up passengers who simply hail them on the street.
Hackney carriage vs private hire: what's the real difference
A hackney carriage runs on the council's metered tariff above, whatever firm or driver you get. A private hire car, booked through an app like Veezu or by phoning a local firm, usually quotes you a price before you get in, which can be cheaper or more expensive than the metered fare depending on demand, time of day and how far ahead you book. If you want price certainty before you travel, especially for a longer trip such as to Bristol Airport, ask for an upfront quote rather than relying on the meter; see our Bath to Bristol Airport guide for that specific route.
Accessible taxis
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are part of Bath's licensed taxi fleet. Request one specifically when you book by phone or app rather than assuming any car in the fleet can accommodate you; our accessible Bath guide covers wheelchair and mobility access more broadly.
Other ways to get around
A taxi is rarely necessary for central Bath itself, since the historic centre is compact and walkable; see our getting around Bath without a car guide for buses, walking routes and the Park and Ride, or our Uber in Bath guide if you're comparing ride-hailing apps against a traditional taxi. Taxis are most useful for late-night journeys, luggage-heavy trips to the station, or reaching attractions just outside the centre.
Why we're not quoting a single "typical fare"
It's tempting to work out a rough total for a common trip, like Bath Spa Station to the Royal Crescent, straight from the table above. We've left that out deliberately: the council's tariff is a formula, not a flat fare, and small roundings in how a meter calculates part-distances mean our own arithmetic could easily be a few pence off what the meter actually shows. For an exact fare before you travel, ask your driver for an estimate, or use a private hire app that quotes a fixed price upfront.