On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 17:48:12 GMT, mookie89 wrote:

The extra money is, to me, worth it rather than spend the increased
time and frustration on the Hoppa.

Out of interest, roughly how much extra are we talking about?
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9767288.html
(Gatwick Express, Mark 1: 4VEG unit 7910 at London Victoria in 1980)

In message .com,
writes

What is more - it does no harm to ask the taxi driver particularly
nicely - as by taking a local fare he loses the lucrative ride into
town, then has to rejoin the back of the queue of taxis at the airport.

No. Taxis on local runs do not have to return to the back of the queue,
providing they return to Heathrow within a specified time.

--
Paul Terry

"Chris Tolley" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 17:48:12 GMT, mookie89 wrote:

The extra money is, to me, worth it rather than spend the increased
time and frustration on the Hoppa.

Out of interest, roughly how much extra are we talking about?
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9767288.html
(Gatwick Express, Mark 1: 4VEG unit 7910 at London Victoria in 1980)

The meter usually reads from £6 to £7 for two of us. If the driver has a
good attitude and drives appropriately (not like a race car driver), I will
tip the driver £3. Once I did £5 for a particularly excellent driver. This
for a 8 minute ride. So, while it may cost me an extra £4, I go directly to
the hotel in a third less time. Same goes for reverse as there always seems
to be a black cab dropping off when we leave to go home.

mookie89 wrote:
"Chris Tolley" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 17:48:12 GMT, mookie89 wrote:

The extra money is, to me, worth it rather than spend the
increased time and frustration on the Hoppa.

Out of interest, roughly how much extra are we talking about?

The meter usually reads from £6 to £7 for two of us. If the
driver has a good attitude and drives appropriately (not like
a race car driver), I will tip the driver £3. Once I did £5
for a particularly excellent driver. This for a 8 minute ride.

40 to 80% tip! All the sites for visitors to London recommend 10-15% or
round up to the nearest pound, and that seems reasonable to me. Why do
you tip so much?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Richard J. ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

The meter usually reads from £6 to £7 for two of us. If the
driver has a good attitude and drives appropriately (not like
a race car driver), I will tip the driver £3. Once I did £5
for a particularly excellent driver. This for a 8 minute ride.

40 to 80% tip! All the sites for visitors to London recommend 10-15% or
round up to the nearest pound, and that seems reasonable to me. Why do
you tip so much?

You ever tried giving a cabbie a 60p tip?

"Paul Terry" wrote in message

In message .com,
writes

What is more - it does no harm to ask the taxi driver particularly
nicely - as by taking a local fare he loses the lucrative ride into
town, then has to rejoin the back of the queue of taxis at the
airport.

No. Taxis on local runs do not have to return to the back of the
queue, providing they return to Heathrow within a specified time.

I think they have quite a bit of time to get back (45 mins?). I live 11
miles away and once got a cab home and the driver thought she might just
be able to get back in time to avoid getting in the long queue.

"Richard J." wrote in message
.uk...
mookie89 wrote:
"Chris Tolley" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 17:48:12 GMT, mookie89 wrote:

The extra money is, to me, worth it rather than spend the
increased time and frustration on the Hoppa.

Out of interest, roughly how much extra are we talking about?

The meter usually reads from £6 to £7 for two of us. If the
driver has a good attitude and drives appropriately (not like
a race car driver), I will tip the driver £3. Once I did £5
for a particularly excellent driver. This for a 8 minute ride.

40 to 80% tip! All the sites for visitors to London recommend 10-15% or
round up to the nearest pound, and that seems reasonable to me. Why do
you tip so much?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

I try to treat the individual as they deserve. If the driver, or the
server, or the porter or the whatever really stinks, then there is no tip.
One of the main reasons wife and I travel to the UK as often as we can is
because the people we encounter treat us so well. I have had cabbies,
London or otherwise, go way out of their way for me whether the meter is
running or not. Have I encountered some stinkers? Yes. However most have
been excellent. I do have a bias as I have been in public school
transportation (USA) for over 30 years and get to see both sides of "public
transport". If a public transport bus driver deserves comment either one
way or the other, I send an e-mail to their management. As a manager
(retired), I sincerely appreciated public input. It was usually 5% for and
95% against, but the "for's" really made everyone's day!

mookie

"Adrian" wrote in message
. 1.4...
Richard J. ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

The meter usually reads from £6 to £7 for two of us. If the
driver has a good attitude and drives appropriately (not like
a race car driver), I will tip the driver £3. Once I did £5
for a particularly excellent driver. This for a 8 minute ride.

40 to 80% tip! All the sites for visitors to London recommend 10-15% or
round up to the nearest pound, and that seems reasonable to me. Why do
you tip so much?

You ever tried giving a cabbie a 60p tip?

Yes, I do it regularly for a £4 fare and the driver always seems pleased
with it. OK, it isn't in London, but why should that make any difference?

JohnT

In message , at 17:48:12
on Sat, 5 Mar 2005, mookie89 remarked:

FWIW, after the policy switched mandating the Hoppa service

When did this policy change? I've not stayed at a Heathrow Hotel (other
than the T4 Hilton) for many years, but they had a free shuttle bus when
I did.
--
Roland Perry

Ian F. wrote:

Has anyone had the misfortune to use this appalling service lately?
Yesterday morning, it took 25 minutes to get off the airport and to anywhere
vaguely resembling a hotel, having picked up at Terminal Two, then going to
3, then pulling into a bay somewhere odd, changing drivers, going through
vast swathes of airport roadworks, into uncharted bowels and tunnels,
stopping at dozens of traffic-lights...and eventually to the exit, through
the main tunnel and onto the A4 Bath Road!

I'm curious about these uncharted parts - just what part of an airport
is its bowels, and how long were the tunnels?