Diabolical survive avoid costs at all costs, after writing 40 minutes, for taxi, contacted the office to be told the taxi was on its way. The taxi arrived, two minutes after midnight, I was told I will be charged double fair due to it being after midnight when I questioned the driver driver and left me contacted the office then came back to me and said it was just a misunderstanding then received a text to say that I wasn't saying that the pick up point, I left outside BCAA department on a car park which was an ideal situation. Reading the reviews. There were lots of customers that had a grievance with the company castle. If you can't do a good service, then it's time not to do a service. read more

Seriously seriously need to tell the female manager to stop giving out times that are way off and make it clear its not a guarantee. She's misled me more than once which has caused me serious inconvenience (late for an interview / missing next day post cut off for really important post). When I give feedback verbally they just fob off. read more

What do you do with all the Taxi cards that come through your door? You probably chuck them in the recycling and moan about junk mail. Then, a few nights later, a friend will ask for a cab number, or you'll be late for an evening out, and you'll need a cab. That's when you remember that you chucked them in the bin. Ooops. Living around these parts, all my addled brain needs to remember is "All the 2s" and I can dial Castle from memory. They generally arrive very quickly and their rates are pretty much what you'd expect from a mini-cab firm. We went on holiday last week and had to be at the airport for 5.30am, which meant a very early start and a cab journey at 5am. I booked a cab with Castle the night before and the driver arrived at 5am on the dot, so I have no hesitation in recommending this firm. We also agreed a price in advance, £20, which is fairly competitive for an early morning airport run. I only wish I'd booked them on the way home when we arrived back at International - a black cab cost me £30. read more

To get the good stuff out of the way first of all, as a group of taxi drivers, the Castle Cars drivers are on the whole a good group, despite often charging more than the price quoted on the phone. But don't let this sole benefit fool you into using this absolute joke of a company. On numerous occasions, myself and my housemates have booked various excursions through them, sometimes days in advance in order to 'ensure' (I use the word extremely loosely) that we get to our destination on time. That is, we do our best to give ourselves any semblance of a chance of getting somewhere, because Castle Cars are about as reliable Nick Clegg's political promises. We've had plenty of experiences in the past when a booked taxi has simply never turned up, and when we've called up to ask where it was, we've either been lied to (being told the taxi is two minutes away and then waiting another half hour) or been told our booking doesn't exist. Ordinarily, this would be an inconvenience - however, Castle's awful service and general failings as a taxi company are not restricted to just your everyday events, but also to special occasions, such as Graduation Ball. With the high number of people attending and poor weather in mind, we booked taxis several hours in advance, and were told that we would have two taxis at that time 'no problem'. The first taxi turned up fifteen minutes late, with the driver sat outside honking his horn rather than calling us, as is their standard service, but what can you do? The first taxi left, and we waited for the second. And waited. And waited. And then we waited a bit longer. Half an hour later, we ring up to tell them that we're still waiting, only for an unbelievably rude woman to tell us 'well, we're very busy'. Fast forward another half an hour, and another call with a slightly less rude woman informs us that no booking for our house exists, and that if we want a taxi, we'll have to book again and go to the back of the queue. When I asked how long said taxi would take, the woman systematically avoided telling me how long the taxi would take, presumably so they could avoid another call when their woeful service once again inevitably failed. We ended up walking to the ball in the soaking rain, and never received word that the taxi was outside. I would recommend Castle Cars to anyone who enjoys terrible service, dealing with bare-faced liars, and being treated as sub-human. My only regret about this review is that I have to give this affront to the word 'company' any stars whatsoever. read more

I booked a taxi an hour before I needed to leave for a 5 minute journey. Driver was 20 minutes late arriving. Fair pricing though.

I have used this company a handful of times when I have not had access to my car, or when I have been coming home after a night out in town. I never have to wait long if I call for a cab immediately, which is good as I cannot stand waiting around, especially if I am on my own. The drivers are always quite pleasant and most of them make casual chit chat, which is nice. The prices are also quite reasonable too and if you are a student they do have set rates for getting to and from certain places like Selly Oak into town and such. The only thing that I do not like is that some of the drivers have the tendency to drive like maniacs and it makes me feel a little queasy, especially when I have had too many cocktails! Although, this may just be cab drivers in general, and at least they get me to where I want to go quickly. read more

Castle Cars is a taxi company which is local to the Selly Park/ Selly Oak area and as such I have been a regular customer for quite a few years. Loyalty seems to pay off as my taxis arrive quicker than with most other cab companies and they always have an extremely friendly demeanour. Taxis in Birmingham are not exactly cheap but Castle Cars certainly manage to keep their prices competitive and I would recommend their services to anyone. They cater well for those with extra requirements too, my mother is disabled and Castle Cars drivers are always on hand to help her in and out of their cars as well as sometimes walking her to the door. Such service is rare in the modern day and I think Castle Cars deserve a nod of recognition for doing such sterling work. So if you're stuck for a lift in Brum give these guys a ring, they'll be more than happy to help you out. read more

Castle cars has the worst service of all the taxi companies in Birmingham in my experience. They are rarely on time and it is not unusual for them to send the taxi at the wrong time or the wrong type of taxi (ex: a taxi for 6 when a taxi for 9 was specifically requested). The University recommends this company to us but their service is so abominable that I really wonder at the university's support for this company. On two special events when we called for taxis from castle cars we were sent taxis that were nearly 30 minutes late and on the second occasion, they sent a smaller taxi. When I called to complain and request a new one, I was hung up on. Their service is awful and due to the university recommending them, they are arrogant and refuse to accept any blame. I am also skeptical about the arguments that castle cars is safer considering taxi drivers often insist on accepting strangers going to the same destination so as to fill their taxis - I am not comfortable with this as on one occasion the taxi driver accepted 3 very drunk and rowdy boys who were getting aggressive and banging on the doors, making all of us feel rather uncomfortable. As someone who often takes taxis to train stations and airports, their service really is shocking and the possibility of you missing your train or flight when taking a castle car taxi is quite high! In addition, when travelling as a group castle cars is more expensive as they charge per person rather than by distance, meaning you pay more when you're in a bigger group in castle cars as opposed to other taxi companies. As a student at the university of Birmingham, I have found this recommended company's services atrocious and their staff incredibly rude and unhelpful. Through experience, I have started taking the TOA black taxis instead - they are a lot more reliable and professional. I advice everyone against using this company. read more

Absolutely appaling service. I booked a cab with them 4 HOURS IN ADVANCE to get to the Hippodrome, and somehow the cab still manage to be late. When I called to tell them that I was going to miss the show because of their incompetence, I was very rudely informed that I should've booked an earlier time, and that no refund will be made. So I just lost tickets worth £70 because of their lack of profesionalism. And it's not the first time either, I once booked a taxi to drive me the coach station early in the morning. The cab driver was late and we managed to miss the bus, which caused me to miss a flight. That adds up to a grand total of £25 + £400, a loss of £425, only to be informed, again, that there's nothing that they intend to do, not even an apology. Another time I called a CastleCars cab and was informed it would take 20 min for the driver to arrive. 45 minutes later, I gave them a call to enquire about the whereabouts of the car, only to be lied to that is just around the corner, 2 minutes away. 45 MINUTES LATER he showed up, no apology, no refund. I was trying to get to an interview by the way, so I had to call a potential employee to reschedule. He was not impressed, to say the least. So I recommend that you only use this service if there's no time constraint, as they are HIGHLY UNRELIABLE. DO NOT USE them for getting to interviews, DO NOT USE them to get to shows/concerts, DO NOT USE them to catch flights. It's better to pay £1-2 extra in return for trustworthy service. read more

I only ever use Castle Cars and they have never let me down.

Booked an airport pickup and transfer to Kingswinford with them on my last business trip. Where to start..... - Driver was one hour late, despite calling the operators twice and being told that he is with me shortly - Driver asked how much I was quoted for (33) and then said he actually needs to charge me 35 cause entering the drop off carpark already costs him 1 quid - driver's lack of English and local knowledge was surprising - driver took wrong turns and exits, ended up on the ring road, then city center, then amongst football supporters on a match day - arrived at the destination after 8pm... even with public transport involving multiple changes I would have been there at way earlier - licence was not displayed anywhere - car was smelly - driver was very apologetic and visibly stressed, still not acceptable .... where on earth are you recruiting your drivers from? Happily working together with private hire companies in Scotland for many years... but Birmingham is always a shocking experience... read more

AVOID. After booking a taxi 3 hours in advance you dont expect it to be late. Well it was. (This is the second time we made the mistake of calling then as they have a similar number to another brum taxi company, probably a tactic on their part as they have a shocking rep. That time we almost missed our train connection at New St if not for a family member dropping us off instead). Despite previous issues, we thought we'd give them a second chance. After waiting 5 mins we had a call saying I'm 2 minutes away. And then we realised we shouldn't have bothered. 30 mins later - still no taxi. We phoned them, and they said its because town is busy. Well that was utter rubbish because there was no traffic anywhere, and 5 other people jumped in taxi companies cars with no problems. Then we had a call saying they picked up the wrong "passenger". A blatant lie. So we phoned another company (24/7) and they turned up within 2 mins. TL;DR - Don't make the mistake of using these incompetant fools if you need a reliable service. I'd recommend you use Falcon or 24/7 radio cars instead if you're around selly oak / northfield / weoley / longbridge or south birmingham area. read more

This company is a joke. There is a 50/50 chance that you either get really friendly chatty and helpful drivers, or drivers that speak on their phone for the whole journey from the moment you get into the car, which I find to be really rude. The prices change depending on how much the driver wants to pocket as extra. The same journey, at the same time, on the same day can cost different prices because of this. Often cars don't turn up, or turn up either way too early, or late to the point where it would be quicker walking. Just don't go with castle cars. I have experience with them over three years, and overall they're just not great. read more

Left my wife waiting 45 min out side the QE hospital after a 13 1/2 hour night shift. Happy to take as many booking as possible regardless of ability to fulfil them. Spoke to the operator to complain and got a wall of excuses that she wasn't working and it's not her fault. Totally unexacting that the company had failed in its simple task of collecting some one at a booked time or to at very least call and say the driver will be late. AVOID AT ALL COST. NO WONDER UBER IS DOING SO WELL !!!!! read more

thank you castle cars for causing me to miss 2 trains this morning! I phoned up asking for a cab to get me to new street station (in plenty of time), it turns out 'it's on its way' can mean 25 minutes. I made about 3 calls to find out where it was, they knew I was needing to catch a train, if they weren't able to deliver they should have told me so, I could have cancelled and booked another company instead of being messed about. Beware when booking!! read more

Twice I have been let down by this company. Firstly: pre booked taxi on 21st of March stipulating urgency of it arriving promptly on the morning of 22nd at nine am for business purposes, Taxi did not arrive at all next morning and was told they were waiting on a specific car. Only after phoning Castle Cars three times and stating clearly any car will do, did they bother to immediately send a car. Second occasion was this morning at 2am I booked a taxi was given time of arrival to be about half an hour, forty-five minutes later, no taxi, reason given "trying to find you car mate" chap on phone hangs up on me with no explanation beyond that, just over an hour later I receive a text informing me the car was cancelled. i find this company to be unprofessional, misleading (they clearly cannot not adequately serve the areas on their map on their own website,) unreliable and offer their customers contemptuous excuses. Will not use again! There are plenty of better companies in area. Ace cabs sent a car immediately today but just asked for cash upfront. Seriously sort your act out! read more

TERRIBLE - If you are a woman looking to get home safely with by taxi DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE. I booked a taxi at 7pm for 1am. At 1am, no taxi. I call, am rudely told that they are "busy" and to "bear with" them. They hang up on me. 1.15am, no taxi. At 1.30am no taxi. I was lucky that two of my friends offered to walk me home. If they had not, I would have had to walk through Birmingham, a woman alone at 2am. Every time I called they were nothing but rude and obnoxious. When I pointed out I hadn't even had an apology, the woman on the phone was even ruder. DREADFUL taxi service. RUDE, DISORGANISED and worst of all UNSAFE. read more

I Have had 2 very bad experiences with castle cars and will not be using them again. Booked taxis but they never showed up, leaving us without a taxi and potentially out of £30 each. The numbers to ring did not answer and we had no indication they would be later. Don't use if you value punctuality and customer service. read more