Originally Posted by
warreng
The reason the HEX gets away with their pricing - including the peak hour surcharge - is that they're competing against London traffic. 9 times out of 10 the HEX is faster than a minicab, especially during peak times. They're not aiming to undercut minicabs on price, but rather on convenience and door-to-door journey time.
By the time I’ve got an uber to Paddington, lugged my bags down to the platform, waited for the train and then got off the train and lugged my bags at the other end, I really don’t think the difference is more than 10 minutes (35ish vs 45) and it’s certainly less convenient than being dropped off by the check in desk. I live very close to Paddington too, for other people it’s surely faster to get a cab. The exception being in rush hour, when I agree the train wins every time, although in my experience the taxi still doesn’t take more than an hour, even on a busy Friday evening.