Prices, comparisons & how it works · 2026-09-21 · 8-minute read
Black car service in London, Ontario against the checker cab is a comparison between two licensed rides: the city's checker-style cabs under the City of London's vehicle-for-hire by-law with the meter, the rank, the dispatch and the next car and driver in the line, and LondonLimo.net's booked black car with the fixed fare, the class booked, the chauffeur by name the evening before, the desk and the published standard. Both are insured commercially and both drivers know the city; for a short hop across town at $15-20 on the meter, a last-minute ride with no booking or the rank outside the VIA station, the cab is the right call and the desk says so; for the airport with the board in the hall, the hospital's return held open, the corporate guest, the wedding, the midnight and the winter morning, the black car at $40-60 in the city and $295-345 to Pearson is. The taxi article has the by-law and this article the two rides side by side.
The two rides, side by side
| The checker cab | The booked black car | |
|---|---|---|
| The licence | The City's vehicle-for-hire licence; commercial insurance | The same |
| The fare | The meter's drop and kilometres; a rate named for the airport | Fixed in writing; the gratuity inside |
| A short hop across town | $15-20 on the meter | $40-60 fixed |
| The airport | A rate the driver names; about $220 for a taxi-limo | $295-345 fixed with the meet, the tracking and the waiting |
| The vehicle | The next in the line - a sedan, a van, older or newer | The class booked, black, detailed |
| The driver | On shift; the next in the line | By name, the evening before; the dark suit |
| The pickup | Dispatched; minutes to an hour by the moment's demand | At the door fifteen minutes early |
| The airport's return | The rank's curb; no tracking | The board in the hall; the flight tracked; 60-90 minutes free |
| The wait | On the meter | Free within the window; held open by text for a clinic |
| The hospital | The entrance's drop | The entrance's drop and the return held open |
| The standard | The by-law's | Published; a conduct code; the desk |
| Best for | The hop, the last minute, the station's rank | The airport, the hospital, the guest, the occasion, the midnight, the winter |
The rates page has the fixed figures; the City's tariff is on its site.
The licence, shared
Both rides are licensed by the City's by-law - the criminal-record check, the driving abstract, the vehicle's inspection and the commercial insurance that covers paid passengers - and both drivers hold the licence; the chauffeur service article has what the black car adds to the licence and the cheap limo article what the unlicensed car lacks.
The meter against the fixed fare
The cab's meter runs the City's tariff from the drop through the kilometres and the waiting, and a hop from Old North to the Row is $15-20; the black car's in-city fare is $40-60 fixed, and the difference buys the booked car at the door, the class, the chauffeur by name and the standard; for the hop, the meter wins and the desk says so; the how much article has every fixed figure.
The rank and the dispatch against the desk
A cab hailed at the rank on Dundas or outside the VIA station, or dispatched by phone or app in minutes on a quiet afternoon and in an hour on a Friday at 5 or a Saturday at 2 a.m. on the Row; the black car booked the day before with the name and the plate the evening before and the desk's dispatcher at 5 a.m.; the rideshare article has the same comparison for the app.
The next car against the class booked
The cab is whatever is next - a sedan or a van, older or newer, a trunk that takes two cases; the black car is the sedan for three, the SUV for six with the booster seats, the Sprinter for fourteen, black and detailed before the booking; the fleet page has the classes.
The airport, in detail
The cab to Pearson at a rate the driver names or the taxi-limo's published $220, dropped at the curb, and the return from Pearson's rank at the zone rate in the next car in the line; the black car at $295-345 fixed with the board in the hall, the flight tracked and the waiting free; the taxi to Pearson article has the arithmetic.
The hospital, in detail
The cab to University Hospital's entrance on the meter and a second cab called from the lobby when the clinic ends; the black car to the entrance at the fixed fare with the return held open by text and the chauffeur back within minutes; the hospital wait article has the day.
The occasion, in detail
The cab does not do the wedding's loop with the ribbon, the prom's rules for the parent or the corporate guest's board; the black car does, and the wedding page, the prom page and the corporate page have each.
When the cab is the right call
The short hop across town, the last-minute ride with no booking, the rank outside the VIA station with one bag, the run home from the Row at 1 a.m. when the cab is at the corner and the car is not booked; the desk says so and sends a caller to the rank when the hop is all they need.
When the black car is
The airport at dawn or midnight, the hospital's return, the guest with the board, the wedding and the prom, the family with the seats and the cases, the winter morning with the car warmed at the door, and any run where the fare must be in writing and the car must come; the FAQ has the questions.
Three rides, as passengers chose them
A hop from Old North to a Row restaurant, a Tuesday. The cab on the meter, $17; the desk had suggested it.
A Pearson departure at 6 a.m., a Byron couple. The black car at 3:45, $310; the cab company's dispatcher could not promise 3:45.
A University Hospital clinic, a Masonville patient. The black car's drop and the return held open, two fares at $46; the cab's second call from the lobby was the reason.
Booking it
The black car is on the reservation engine in seconds; the cab is at the rank or on the phone; the desk says honestly which fits the ride, and the chauffeur service page has the service.
Three questions the desk is asked about the cab and the car
Can a cab be booked in advance? Yes - the cab companies take advance bookings and the dispatcher promises what the shift allows; the black car's booking assigns a chauffeur by name.
Do the cabs have car seats? Ontario exempts taxis from the car-seat law and most cabs do not carry them; the black car fits them at no charge, and the child seats article has the rule.
Can the black car be hailed? No - the black car is booked; the cab is hailed at the rank or dispatched; the FAQ has the rest.
The by-law, shared
The City of London's vehicle-for-hire by-law licenses the cab, the taxi-limo and the black car under one framework with the criminal-record check, the driving abstract, the inspection and the commercial insurance for each, and sets the cab's tariff; the black car's fare is the company's, fixed in writing; the taxi article has the by-law's classes.
The meter, in more detail
The drop, the per-kilometre rate and the waiting rate on the tariff card in the cab, run for the journey and the traffic; a hop from Old North to the Row at $15-20, a run from Byron to Canada Life Place at $25-35, and the airport at a rate the driver names; the how much article has the fixed figures for the same journeys.
The dispatch, in more detail
The cab company's dispatcher sends the nearest car on shift - minutes on a quiet afternoon, an hour on a Friday at 5 or at 2 a.m. on the Row - and the app-based cab dispatch shows the car's approach; the black car's chauffeur is assigned the day before and at the door fifteen minutes early; the rideshare article has the app's dispatch beside both.
The vehicle, in more detail
The cab is the next in the line - a sedan or a van, the company's colours, a trunk for two cases, no car seats; the black car is black, unbranded, late-model, detailed, the class booked with the seats fitted; the fleet page has the classes and the chauffeur service article the driver's standard.
The airport, in more detail
The cab to Pearson at a rate named or the taxi-limo's $220, the curb's drop and no meet on the return; Pearson's rank's zone rate to London in the next car; the black car's $295-345 with the board in the hall, the flight tracked and the waiting free; the taxi to Pearson article has the arithmetic and the Pearson page the run.
The hospital, in more detail
The cab's drop at the entrance and the second call from the lobby when the clinic ends with the wait at the rank's pace; the black car's drop and the return held open by text with the chauffeur back within minutes; the hospital wait article has the day and the hospitals page the entrances.
The occasion, in more detail
The wedding's ribbon and the loop at the photographer's pace, the prom's rules kept for the parent, the corporate guest's board with the company's name, the anniversary's flowers on the seat; the cab does none and the black car does each; the wedding page and the corporate page have the occasions.
The right call, in more detail
The cab for the hop, the last minute, the station's rank and the Row at 1 a.m.; the black car for the airport, the hospital, the guest, the occasion, the family, the midnight and the winter; the desk says which and sends a caller to the rank when the hop is all they need; the cheap limo article has the honest cases.
Booking checklist for the choice
The journey; the time; the numbers and the bags; the occasion if any; the flight if any. Five lines to the desk and the honest answer comes back - the rank, or the fixed fare on the reservation engine.
The honest summary
Two licensed rides under one by-law: the cab's meter for the hop and the black car's fixed fare for the rest, with the desk saying which; the chauffeur service page has the service.
