A mini cab differs from a Taxi in that it is a private hire vehicle that must be booked in advance either by phone or in person at a mini cab office. This means that you should not be able to hail one from the street and they cannot wait in a taxi rank. Drivers will not necessarily be well trained and may not speak English very well. For safety reasons you should not get into a mini cab that you have not ordered yourself especially late at night when travelling alone. Fares are generally not metered and you are strongly advised to negotiate a fare prior to making the journey as many drivers make up a price that they think they can get away with.