TUBE vs TAXI: Taxi driving YouTube star tests which is faster across London

Image credit: Tom Hutley (YouTube)

In a recent YouTube challenge, Tom the Taxi Driver pitted the London Underground against a traditional black cab to see which mode of transport reigns supreme in the capital's hectic traffic.

The video, titled "Tube vs Taxi Challenge in London", showcases a series of races across key routes to determine whether the Tube or a taxi offers the quickest way to navigate the city's busy streets.

Tom embarked on four different journeys, all key routes familiar to Londoners and tourists alike, testing both modes as he found them on that particular day.

On the journey from Euston to Waterloo, the Northern Line beat the taxi with the black cab hindered by traffic around Kingsway. Without the blocked bus lane access, caused by parked up coaches on that particular day, the taxi would have been able to complete the journey much quicker and the race would have been a very different prospect.

Further testing between Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch and a race from Tower Hill to Westminster provided similar results on the day.

The video's key takeaway suggests when travelling from one Tube station to another, the London Underground was on this occasion the fastest option. However, if a change of tube lines is required, the end destination is not a tube stop or you’re travelling in a larger group with luggage, there remains huge advantages to taking a taxi. Black cabs offer a different level of comfort, mobility and privacy that underground transport cannot match.