Fare reference

Taxi fares compared: Northern Ireland vs the UK, Ireland & EU

Official Department for Infrastructure (DfI) metered tariffs for Northern Ireland Class A & B taxis, benchmarked against Scotland, London, English regional cities, the Republic of Ireland and typical EU capitals.

Who these fares apply to

The Northern Ireland tariffs below are set by the Department for Infrastructure and apply only to Class A & B metered taxis. Private hire vehicles (Class C & D) do not have regulated fares — they can set their own prices, but the fare must be agreed before the journey begins.

Northern Ireland official metered tariff (Class A & B)

Rate 1 — Daytime

Mon–Fri, 06:00–20:00

Initial charge: £3.20^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
First mile (approx.): ~£4.20^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Each additional mile: £1.86^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}

Rate 2 — Evenings

Mon–Thu, 20:00–06:00

Initial charge: £4.00^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
First mile (approx.): ~£5.10^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Each additional mile: £2.03^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}

Rate 3 — Weekends & set holidays

Fri 20:00 – Mon 06:00; plus St Patrick's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, 12 July, Summer Bank Holiday and any Royal Proclamation bank holiday

Initial charge: £5.00^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
First mile (approx.): ~£6.10^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Each additional mile: £2.03^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}

Christmas & New Year

24 Dec 14:00 → 27 Dec 06:00 · 31 Dec 20:00 → 1 Jan 24:00

Initial charge: £5.80^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
First mile (approx.): ~£7.70^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Each additional mile: £3.60^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}

Extra charges

Waiting time: metered (varies by rate — approx. 20p per 42 seconds).^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares}
More than 4 passengers: +£1 per extra passenger.^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares}
Airport entry fee: added when the driver pays for airport access.^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares}
Soiling charge: up to £75.^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares}
Traffic delays: covered by metered waiting time.^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares}
No dead miles: the meter starts only when the passenger is on board.^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares}

Private hire (Class C & D): not bound by the metered tariff. Operators must agree the fare in advance, provide a clear price structure and not exceed the agreed fare. That is why NI private hire firms often use fixed fares, zone pricing or per-mile rates that differ from metered taxi rates.

How Northern Ireland compares

Regulated tariffs and typical fares for benchmark markets. Figures shown are the official published tariffs; typical short-trip totals are inferred from those tariffs and may vary with traffic, waiting time and extras.

Northern Ireland (Class A & B metered)

One of the simplest regulated tariffs in the UK. Private hire (Class C & D) is unregulated — fares must be agreed before the journey.

Tariff	Initial / flagfall	Per mile / km	Typical short fare
Daytime (Mon–Fri 06:00–20:00)	£3.20^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	£1.86 / mile^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	~£7–£10 (2–3 mi)^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Evening (Mon–Thu 20:00–06:00)	£4.00^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	£2.03 / mile^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	~£9–£12 (2–3 mi)^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Weekend (Fri 20:00–Mon 06:00)	£5.00^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	£2.03 / mile^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	~£11–£14 (2–3 mi)^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}
Christmas / New Year	£5.80^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	£3.60 / mile^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}	~£16–£20 (2–3 mi)^{1NI Direct — Taxi fares,2Department for Infrastructure — Maximum taxi fares to increase}

Scotland

Fares vary by council. City centres are cheaper than rural Argyll and the Highlands, where minimum fares are higher and private hire dominates.

Tariff	Initial / flagfall	Per mile / km	Typical short fare
Edinburgh (2026 tariff)	£2.20^{3City of Edinburgh Council — Taxi fares}	~£1.90 / km (≈ £3.05 / mile)^{3City of Edinburgh Council — Taxi fares}	~£8–£12 (3 mi)^{3City of Edinburgh Council — Taxi fares}
Glasgow	~£2.60^{4Glasgow City Council — Information for passengers}	~£1.80 / mile^{4Glasgow City Council — Information for passengers}	~£6–£10 (2–3 mi)^{4Glasgow City Council — Information for passengers}
Rural Scotland (Argyll & Bute, Highlands)	£5–£8 min fare^{5Argyll & Bute Council — Taxi and private hire}	slightly lower per mile^{5Argyll & Bute Council — Taxi and private hire}	Private hire fixed fares common^{5Argyll & Bute Council — Taxi and private hire}

England

London black cabs (TfL Tariff 1) are the most expensive UK market. Regional cities are typically 20–40% cheaper.

Tariff	Initial / flagfall	Per mile / km	Typical short fare
London black cab (Tariff 1)	£3.80^{6Transport for London — Taxi tariffs}	~£2.10 / km (≈ £3.38 / mile)^{6Transport for London — Taxi tariffs}	£8–£12 (2 mi) · £20–£28 (5 mi)^{6Transport for London — Taxi tariffs}
Manchester / Birmingham / Leeds	£2.60–£3.00^{6Transport for London — Taxi tariffs}	£1.40–£1.80 / mile^{6Transport for London — Taxi tariffs}	£8–£12 (3 mi)^{6Transport for London — Taxi tariffs}

Republic of Ireland (national tariff)

One nationwide taxi tariff, similar structure to NI. Night and Sunday journeys carry a +20% premium.

Tariff	Initial / flagfall	Per mile / km	Typical short fare
Standard	€4.20^{7National Transport Authority (Ireland) — Maximum taxi fares}	€1.30 / km (≈ €2.09 / mile)^{7National Transport Authority (Ireland) — Maximum taxi fares}	€10–€14 (3 mi)^{7National Transport Authority (Ireland) — Maximum taxi fares}
Night / Sunday premium	+20%^{7National Transport Authority (Ireland) — Maximum taxi fares}	+20%^{7National Transport Authority (Ireland) — Maximum taxi fares}	~€12–€17 (3 mi)^{7National Transport Authority (Ireland) — Maximum taxi fares}

Typical EU capitals

European city fares vary widely. Amsterdam is the most expensive of the four benchmarked; Paris and Madrid are closer to NI daytime pricing.

Tariff	Initial / flagfall	Per mile / km	Typical short fare
Amsterdam	€3.60^{8Rijksoverheid (NL) — Taxi costs}	€2.35 / km^{8Rijksoverheid (NL) — Taxi costs}	€15–€20 (3 mi)^{8Rijksoverheid (NL) — Taxi costs}
Berlin	€4.30^{9Berlin.de — Taxi phone numbers, fares and rules}	€2.00 / km^{9Berlin.de — Taxi phone numbers, fares and rules}	€12–€16 (3 mi)^{9Berlin.de — Taxi phone numbers, fares and rules}
Paris	€2.60^{10Service-Public.fr — Taxi fares (France)}	€1.05–€1.60 / km^{10Service-Public.fr — Taxi fares (France)}	€10–€14 (3 mi)^{10Service-Public.fr — Taxi fares (France)}
Madrid	€2.50^{11Comunidad de Madrid — Taxis and VTC information}	€1.10 / km^{11Comunidad de Madrid — Taxis and VTC information}	€8–€11 (3 mi)^{11Comunidad de Madrid — Taxis and VTC information}

Sources

Each fare figure above carries a superscript number linking to the primary source below. Northern Ireland figures cite NI Direct and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) maximum fares announcement.

Fares reflect published tariffs at time of writing and are provided for reference only. Always check the operator's on-vehicle rate card and confirm your fare before travel.