How to book a black cab (not Uber)

[LonArcvarden]

How to book a black cab (not Uber) - alternatives to Gett or FreeNow? Local cabbies accepting advance bookings? In a couple of weeks we'll need a cab to St Pancras station. We want a black cab, not a minicab, because they can use bus lanes, and that can make a huge difference in the morning. Is there any alternative to the Gett and FreeNow app? Any number you can call to make a booking? Any local cabbie (ideally with the bigger Vito) willing to accept a booking in advance? I'm not a huge fan of those apps because you don't actually reserve a car, they just call one for you 10-15 minutes ahead of your booking, so at that point I'd rather call the taxi directly if there were a way. Plus many reviewers complain that Gett can add a surcharge at the end of the journey, without warning you first. TfL has a webpage but it's out of date: the websites and a couple of numbers (I haven't tried all of them) don't work

[princemeraj]

Strictly speaking black cabs cannot use bus lanes - other than to pick up, or drop off.

[ayawoalhassan]

We had a similar situation last year, and I found that renting a car made everything way less hectic. I ended up booking through miamilimocar.com because they were straightforward and flexible with pickups, which helped a lot with the airport run and luggage. The driver even helped install our car seat properly, which was a huge relief after the flight.