Avoiding Taxi Scams: What to Watch For and How to Push Back

Updated May 2026 · 7 minute read

The licensed taxi trades in the US and UK are reasonably well regulated, and most drivers in the major cities are professional. But a small minority try the same handful of tricks on visitors. Knowing them in advance is the best defence.

Scam 1: The unlicensed airport approach

Almost every major airport has touts inside the terminal asking 'Taxi? Taxi?' as you walk through arrivals. These are not licensed taxi drivers - they are illegal operators using their own private cars. The fare will be inflated, the route may be circuitous, and you have no insurance protection. The official taxi rank is always outside the terminal, staffed by a dispatcher, and is the only place you should pick up an airport cab.

Scam 2: The 'broken' card reader

Every licensed taxi in the cities we cover is required by law to accept credit and debit cards. The 'sorry, card reader is broken' line is one of the most common scams. The driver wants cash so the fare goes straight to them, avoiding the company's records and, sometimes, taxation. You are within your rights to decline the trip if the card reader is unavailable. If you are already in the cab, politely insist and ask for the company name and licence number - the reader usually starts working at that point.

Scam 3: The long route

Driving the long way to a destination is a classic. From Las Vegas airport, the 'airport tunnel' route to the south Strip adds several minutes and several dollars to a fare that should be direct. In New York, a driver may take the FDR or West Side Highway between two midtown addresses when crossing through the grid would be faster. In London, a private hire driver may add a loop through Knightsbridge when the direct route is via Hyde Park Corner.

The defence is simple: open the maps app on your phone before you set off and watch the route. If the driver deviates significantly, ask why. Often the driver does know a reason (an accident on the obvious route, a road closure) and will explain. If they cannot, you have a basis to complain.

Scam 4: 'No meter, flat fare'

The flip side of the long-route scam. A driver offers a fixed price instead of running the meter, usually because the offered price is higher than the meter would produce. This is most common at airports and tourist hotspots. The rule: always insist on the meter unless a flat-rate is officially published by the city or airport. Published flat rates are listed on signage at the taxi rank.

Scam 5: The bait-and-switch luggage fee

Some drivers add an undisclosed per-bag fee at the end of the trip. In most US and UK cities, official tariffs do not allow this except in narrowly defined circumstances. Check the tariff card displayed in the cab (it must be visible to passengers). Refuse to pay charges that are not on the card.

Scam 6: Currency confusion at the airport

An overseas visitor pays in their home currency or with a high-denomination note, and the driver returns change in a different currency or short-changes deliberately. Always count change before getting out of the cab, and check the value of any unfamiliar notes you receive.

Scam 7: Refusing short rides

Particularly at busy ranks during peak times, a driver may say 'I am not going that way' for short fares, hoping to wait for a more profitable longer trip. This is illegal in all of our covered cities. You can report the medallion or licence number to the local regulator (linked from every city page on TaxiGenius).

How to report a problem

Every taxi in the US and UK has a visible licence number - on the side of the cab, on a tariff card inside, or on the receipt printed at the end of the trip. Note the number and the date/time of the trip. Each city's regulator has a complaint line or web form, linked from the relevant city page on TaxiGenius. Complaints with a recorded medallion number are taken seriously and form the basis of licensing action against problem drivers.

What if you genuinely cannot resolve it on the spot?

Pay what is demanded and dispute it afterwards. Getting into a heated argument with a driver in a foreign city is a bad use of your evening. Photograph the licence card, the receipt, and the meter. Note any details that will help an investigator find the driver later. Then file a complaint with the regulator.