In message

..net, at 09:27:47 on Fri, 27 Apr 2012, Neil Williams
remarked:
But if you aren't familiar with the territory, it's after dark and
raining, and your destination is quite some trek from a tube station,
Taxis can be quite useful.

So can cars . And no-one will take advantage of your lack of knowledge to
rip you off (more of an issue in other cities than London, admittedly).

If you are from out-of-town, using your own car in Central London isn't
very practical. All a taxi is, at the end of the day, borrowing someone
else's car (and driver) for ten minutes, after which you don't have to
worry about finding a parking space.
--
Roland Perry