Very constructive Plaz.
Oz, sorry mate. Not having a snipe at you there. Mini-cab drivers are even lower than Black Taxi drivers. However, you have to be very careful as there are so many illegal mini-cabs around London as well. We learn the hard way one night when we bailed out of a bar at 11:25 and couldn't get a Taxi for love nor money. This gentlemen of Asian disposition asked did we need a cab. Being new to the place (and more than a little inebriated) we said yes. The four of us jumped in and told the bloke where we wanted to go. He scratched his head and muttered something about "I think I know where that is"....never a good sign. One of us noticed as we took off there was no fare meter and asked how much it was going to cost. The reply "Oh, about 30 pounds". 45 minutes later, we were still going and the driver informs us "Oh, little further than I though. It's going to be 40 pounds". The scam was beginning, and as none of us were aware the guy was illegal, we didn't dare try to get out......until he told us "Oh, actually, it's more closer to 50 pounds". Next red light, we were out of the car and arguing with this guy about him ripping us off, and questioning the sexual practices of him and his mother.
We ended up having to walk the rest of the way.