In message , Adam Smith
writes
I'm a student due to start my first job in the City next month (I'm
terrified, I've only ever been to London 5 times!!).

Can anyone give me any advice on how to get around London late(ish) at
night? From, say, Bank station to Hanger Lane. How safe is the tube at
about 11pm? Does anyone local know how much a cab to the Hanger Lane
area from the City would cost?

Depends exactly where you are going but it should be somewhere in the
region of £30 to £40, but that is the same cost for 5 people as for one.

One major word of warning.

Do not be tempted to get in to a 'minicab' unless you have phoned them
first. Whilst there are more and more registered private hire vehicles,
any one that picks up from the street without a prior booking is NOT
INSURED, no matter if they have a a 'hire & reward' insurance, as this
precludes picking up from the street.

Each year there are some alarming figures for *reported* rapes and
indecent assaults by alleged 'minicab' drivers - and it is believed that
at least 5 times that number are not reported. Get a traditional 'black'
(mines red but you know what I mean) cab, make sure there's a meter in
it and you should be safe.

Any advice really would be much appreciated,

Adam

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England