So I've ventured onto new taxi horizons and first impressions are mixed. When I rang for the taxi…read moreto take us out into the heart of Manc town they were spot on. They knew where we were, the often over-quizzed location, (there is no "flat name") was noted down with no problem, five minutes. Great one. However his route of choice was questionable. Is a shortcut a longer route around because of an inability to stop in traffic lights? It's not a shortcut, it's impatience. Traffic and traffic lights go hand in hand with town. Don't hit the empty back streets and open ring roads and give the impression that it's a shortcut. hmm. Forgiven for now. What I don't understand about many of Manchester's taxis is that they don't know where a lot of my destinations are. When I'm a little sketchy I expect the taxi driver, the authority behind the wheel to fill in the gaps. Often it's a case of guessing games, more so this time than ever. I don't know, is it to too much to expect? We paid £9 driving around Manchester city centre which was a usual £5 fare. And we never made it to the Star and Garter. Was it that difficult? So change of night and venue due to this taxi driver, hardly impressive. Northern Quarter again we find ourselves, not really questioning the failure of the taxi driver or the fare. On the way back there was less hassle thank god. Considering other reviewers have given a five star service, Manchester Cars remains in the phone device for now..

Slightly over-caffeinated but efficient. We had a minivan-worthy group with 3 adults and a baby in…read morea car seat; once we'd successfully piled into the van double-parked outside our restaurant, the driver relaxed a little and things got simpler. Our driver gave a fairly smooth ride, impressive given the traffic, and talked rapidly but personably. Phone dispatch went pretty smoothly and the rates were reasonable; overall, a pretty good experience.

Street Cars are Manchester's largest private hire taxi firm, despite recent competition from the…read morelikes of Manchester Cars and Uber, and now have developed software where you can place a taxi order online, through an app as well as on the phone, to compete with Uber and Manchester Cars who also have that service. I used Street Cars today following an issues with trains being stopped due to engineering works at Manchester Victoria, so Northern arranged to put a free taxi on from Mills Hill to Salford Crescent stations. The taxi driver was very professional and polite, he helped make sure everything was secure and up to health and safety standards, and even made sure he'd got the right destination and I was okay when I got off, but on-journey he didn't make any small talk etc. He was a few minutes late, but it wasn't too much, honestly I was a few minutes late too having to get a taxi to the station, so that wasn't a big deal for me. The journey should have taken 24 minutes according to Google Maps, over 3 routes varying from 7.7 miles to 12.5, but my driver really seemed to take a considerably longer route, and I would guess he took considerably longer, as it actually taken 32 minutes in no large traffic, I wasn't familiar with the way myself, but he passed even The Etihad Stadium and took a longer way to get to it, which frustrated me as he was obviously trying to get a larger fare knowing the rail firm were paying for it, and not me. The driver did seem nice, professional and that he knew what he was doing, which shown he was trying to extend the journey on purpose to try and get extra cash, and delay me. In a black cab, the journey should have cost £26.70, having never made the journey before I can't comment on the price, but that still seems rather expensive to me considering the traffic, and that it wasn't such a substantial distance when considering it is only 7-8 miles. I would have liked to give Street Stars 4 stars, but I feel due to issues with pricing and the route taken I can't, and give rather a generous 3, I did feel 2 would have been fairer but I feel due to how the driver seemed before setting off and on arrival, he seemed kind and very professional just to warrant a three. He also shown good knowledge of the route taken, even in areas such as Chadderton and Salford, which are still in Manchester but not the "main locations" of Manchester. UPDATE: After some consideration, due to the route taken and other aspects, I feel that 3 stars was perhaps a little too generous, and although I'd have loved to give a 2.5, I was unable to therefore 2 is much fairer in my opinion

Booked and paid for a taxi. Was told 10 minute wait. waited over 30 minutes. pay the extra few…read morepounds for a black cab!

I always enjoy travelling with Uber and find Uber in Manchester to be managed very well, much…read morebetter than other cities across Europe, North America and even London, where I have accounted many more issues. Fares are incredibly reasonable, even on holidays where many local providers would charge time and half, to double, Uber seem to always charge a fair that is still good value. Of course, surges can still happen at peak times, but they never seem to go as crazy as they once did, back when Uber first launch they often reached between 2 and 4 times the original fare, but it is very rare it comes close to that now. Most drivers are friendly with high-quality and new cars, delivering a good service. They have a great selection of cars including the standard flagship Uber X, including fancier executive cars, and even a small selection of WAV's for those with disabilities. I also like how Uber gives back a lot to the community here in Manchester, so it doesn't feel like a big company taking over the taxi scene and giving nothing back, they have run promotions in the past in order to help fund free rides to get people to polling stations and vaccination centres, both of which I managed to take advantage of. The Uber app is convenient, easy to use and what of course made Uber well-known in the first place, I love the safety features of being able to send your journey link to a friend, contact emergency services on board and even be able to see the name and photo of your driver, with his license plate before boarding, making sure you get in the right car and avoiding the awkwardness of asking a private hire driver if he was your car, as it's right in front of you. Of course, mistakes go wrong, I have had some particularly terrible experiences with specific drivers that have gone terribly wrong, from minor mistakes to major ones that almost made me want to ditch the platform for good, but whenever I notify Uber about these experiences, they often take complaints very seriously, one of them was a safety issue which I had to report to Manchester City Council, but they treated everything with the gravitas the situation deserved. Uber generally offers a much greater service that the local taxi firms can't match, from friendlier drivers to nicer cars, this is a huge plus point on its' own before you even consider how great the app is. Having had so many issues with local firms and black cabs over the years, Uber is a fresh of fresh air, and I'd be lost without them in Manchester. 5*

Thanks to Toby S, Uber has entered my life. It is uber good. It's like hailing a cab, except you…read morehail it with your phone from inside instead of with your rain drenched arm on the street. This combines the convenience of hailing a cab instead of having to figure out a time to pre order with the convenience of knowing a car is coming (you get told the exact time and can track a little black car bobbing along the map on the app), with none of the inconvenience of either. Even more conveniently, payment is taken automatically from your credit card so you don't need cash. AND it's cheaper. I think what speaks loudest for Uber is how happy the drivers are with it, every single driver I've met so far (about five, I'm getting a bit addicted) has been so excited about how great a system it is and how much better it is making their lives.

When I lived in Hulme a decade ago, Radio Cars were one of the few taxi firms that would send…read moredrivers to pick up or drop people off on a Friday or Saturday night. As a result, I used the company a lot and was always pleased with the service. Their cars are usually clean and tidy and the drivers friendly and approachable. Their prices always seem reasonable too and they cover most areas of Greater Manchester including airport runs. I ordered a taxi from them around the New Year and as usual, they were prompt and helpful with the driver making small talk about the festive season.

Friendly service, very quick and efficient and so much cheaper than most firms…read more Although based in the city centre, they will still pick you up from any location and drive you to wherever without complaint. Good for airport journeys too, much cheaper than competitors.

This taxi service is so unprofessional, I'm discussed in the abuse I received from the 'so called…read moremanager' I ordered a taxi at 9:30 to book for 11:30, the taxi didn't arrive, so I called back at 11:35 and they said its on the way, then I phoned again and they said the address is blacklisted, I was really unhappy that they did not say this to begin with, then I have the Manager giving me abuse down the phone, being very rude and also lots of negative language. I'm so discussed in this taxi service, the fact that they was willing to leave a 17 year old girl in stockport on christmas night at 11:30 telling her to 'get on the toes and walk home' that is disgraceful

As a customer who has always sworn by Kingsway and been impressed by their reliable service, after…read morethis morning's fiasco I shall not be using the company again. Phoned to book a taxi this friday morning - phone line just rang out for 2 minutes. Attempted to redial numerous times only to get a "lines busy" message on my phone. As a result I had to find another taxi company and ended up 15 minutes late to work. A taxi service is completely useless if you can not rely on it when you desparately require a taxi. Avoid.

Got a cab from them late on Friday night (who am I kidding early Saturday morning). Asked me where…read moreI wanted to go then demanded paying up front, showed him I had money and assured him I would pay but still wanted it up front so simply asked to be dropped off. Will never use them again.

My partner was very drunk and they demanded payment up front, however, upon arrival home I was…read moreunaware of this and duly paid the fare, so in essence we paid £35 for a £15 journey, contacted the company the following morning and was given short shrift and they put the phone down on me. In short.. If you are worse for wear and want to get home you are fair game for exploitation by this outfit. Be warned, if you planning on a night out in the village then pre book your travel home with a reputable, honest taxi firm or you will be fleeced by this rogue outfit!!!!!! AVOID.

Awful, inexperienced staff and lack of staff, wrong information on screens, coaches never time…read more(arrive 2 hours early and be prepared to arrive at destionation 2 hours late) it would be easier and quicker to jump on a plane from manchester airport and fly 30 mins down the road. DO NOT RECOMMEND

Over the past few weekends I have used National Express. I have nothing but praise for them, the…read moredrivers are fantastic and the coaches immaculate and always on time. Booking online is easy and the prices work out a lot cheaper than the train. As an OAP I bought a coachcard which gives a generous discount, it cost £10 for the year but I saved that on the first return journey.

I've used Mantax a lot through the years, not always down to choice but mainly down to them being…read moreone of the biggest taxi providers in and around Manchester city centre, after Uber. I've often found the experience can vary from driver to driver, which is frustrating because the drivers are often independent, they hire the radio and use the Mantax app/logo/brand. I've had multiple bad journeys with Mantax, but I've also had multiple good ones, and it seems for every awful driver, I've had a good one too. On a recent journey with Mantax from Manchester to Bolton, the driver came off the motorway and started driving around just to find a petrol station, now I don't mind the driver getting petrol if it is on a long journey, but a taxi driver should have enough petrol in order to travel 13 miles, without having to detour and go in a totally different direction, taking considerably more time and more money, and then stop again to get petrol because the previous station didn't accept cash... after again proceeding in the wrong direction. To make matters worse, the driver was on his phone for the entire journey and I didn't feel safe in the car. One thing I do find with Mantax drivers is they regularly use their phone while driving, which is obviously a violation of UK law and just feels unsafe. 3* - If you get a good driver you're lucky, the experience is good, prices are average as it is a black cab in most cases overall, and they do have a reasonable booking app, but if you get a bad driver you're pretty much stuck, the biggest problem is how many bad drivers there are and a lack of consistency.

Four stars for inspiration, information and business savvy…read more Not content with driving people around the world's first industrial town, several of the drivers at Mantax Taxis had the great idea to pool their collective knowledge of the city's great landmarks, architecture and history and start offering Manchester Taxi Tours. Whilst I've always preferred exploring cities on foot, I can see the appeal for those that don't have the time, energy or lung capacity to wander round with a map. All the drivers double as tour guides and are passionate about the city and it's history. Tours last one or two hours with a set price of £30 per hour for groups of upto 5 people. If you're wanting to visit specific buildings or areas - for example Chinatown - you're best to request these when you phone up to book. Otherwise, points of interest include Manchester Cathedral, Albert Square, Manchester Town Hall, Portico and John Rylands libraries, Manchester University, Imperial War Museum and select 18th Century Mills. Even better, you can see all this from the comfort of a back seat without someone's rucksack digging in your ribs!