► Travel Safety in London

Know what you’re getting into

After a night out it’s tempting to jump into the first ‘minicab’ you see on the street. But if you do this without booking, there’s no record of your journey or driver, and you could be putting yourself at danger. Follow the three steps below for the safest way to get a minicab, and get home.

Book it – Book your minicab with a licensed operator by phone, email or in a minicab office

Check it’s yours – Make sure the driver can confirm you name and destination before you get in the car, and check the driver’s photo I.D.

Sit in the back – Always sit in the back seat, and carry your mobile phone in case of emergency

Simply text CAB to 60835 and we’ll text you two minicab numbers and one taxi (black cab) number straight back to your mobile phone. You don’t even need to tell us where you are as we find your location using GPS.

Text charged at 35p per enquiry plus standard text message rate. Roaming rates apply to overseas networks. Customers on the 3 network need to enter different information. Customers on O2 should check with their network provider. See tfl.gov.uk/cabwise for further details.

Travel safely at night

Taking an unbooked minicab home after a night out is dangerous. Any minicab journey that isn’t booked by phone or in a minicab office is illegal, unsafe and puts you at risk of crimes such as sexual assaults and robbery.

Only taxis (black cabs) can be stopped by customers and can pick up off the street. You must not approach minicab drivers and any minicab driver that approaches you is acting illegally.

It is vital that you only use minicabs that have been booked through a licensed minicab operator.

Transport for London’s text service, Cabwise, helps you get a cab to take you home safely. Simply text CAB to 60835* and GPS will be used to text you your two nearest minicab numbers and one taxi (black cab) number.

You can also search for licensed minicab operators in by using TfL’s online service Findaride at tfl.gov.uk/findaride.

When using a minicab make sure the driver can confirm your name and destination before you get in the car, and check the driver’s photo I.D. Always sit in the back seat, and carry your mobile phone in case of an emergency.

Public transport is a safer alternative to taking an unbooked minicab. There are now more Night buses than ever with 117 routes all with CCTV. The last Tubes leave central London around 00.30 Monday to Saturday nights**. Transport for London fund over 2,500 uniformed police and police community support officers to patrol London’s transport system.

If you decide to walk home, stick to well-lit streets and avoid using alleyways or short cuts. Keep your mind your surroundings. In an emergency always call 999.

You can plan your night out and get the latest information on late night travel by visiting tfl.gov.uk/traveltools before you go out. Plan your journey in advance with Journey Planner, use Findaride to get the details of licensed minicabs in the area that you're going out in or get maps, timetables and free mobile travel alerts.

For more information and safety advice visit tfl.gov.uk or call

the 24hr London Travel Information line on 0843 222 1234***.

* Text charged at 35p per enquiry plus standard text message rate. Roaming rates apply to overseas networks. Customers on 3 and overseas networks need to enter different

information. See tfl.gov.uk/cabwise for further details.

** Excludes the Waterloo & City and Circle lines.

*** You pay no more than 5p per minute if calling from a BT landline. There may be a connection charge. Charges from mobiles or other landline providers may vary.