Friendly Cabs is now closed for Easter and will re-open Tuesday 22/04/2025
01983 506975
Award Winning East Cowes & Islandwide Taxi Service
One Of The Best Reviewed Taxi Companies In The United Kingdom
In April 2025 Friendly Cabs became the first Isle of Wight taxi company to EVER hit 200 Google reviews and, what’s even more astonishing, every single review was (and still is) a 5 Star review! To put that into full context, the oldest and largest taxi company on the island has been in business for 75+ years and has a very large fleet of vehicles and drivers. Friendly Cabs is one of the smallest taxi companies on the island and, as of April 2025, has been in business for exactly 2 years!
All Drivers Are Constantly DBS Checked
All Friendly Cabs drivers are signed up to be automatically DBS checked every 6 months, so you can be sure your driver is trustworthy and of the highest integrity. He/she will also be courteous, kind, friendly, professional and punctual.
Live Service Status
We post our live service updates every morning, without fail. Please check them before contacting us to avoid disappointment. We also post continually throughout the day in real time on our FaceBook Page.
Award winning, local taxi service, loved island-wide!
Friendly Cabs was recently recognised at the “East Cowes Community Spirited” awards ceremony in late 2023 for “services to the community”. We are incredibly grateful for this accolade, as it was awarded as the result of votes from private individuals and businesses from within the East Cowes and Isle of Wight community.
Taxi Fares
We can provide you with a vehicle that seats up to 8 passengers. The 8 seater van costs no more to hire than a 4 seater car, as the Isle of Wight council set our metered fares, and cars and vans have identical tariffs. We can also provide a discounted “private hire” rate to passengers who pre-book their trip with us. You can pay for your trip with cash, card or via you mobile phone.
Red Funnel Terminal
We’re situated just around the corner from the Red Funnel terminal in East Cowes and we can be with you within a couple of minutes if you require a taxi from there to anywhere on the island. During down times you’ll often find us on the taxi rank outside the Red Funnel terminal but it’s always best to call us ahead of time and we’ll be at the terminal to meet you as you exit the ferry.
Islandwide Travel
We transport you island-wide. From East Cowes to Ventnor, Ryde to Brighstone, we’ll take you comfortably in a clean people carrier with a cheerful and helpful driver.
We Specialise in SEN Transport
We specialise in the safe transport of SEN (Special Educational Needs) children, students and adults and anyone with impairments or disabilities. The Friendly Cabs CEO’s wife has taught PMLD and SLD SEN children for over 30 years, so SEN is very much a shared passion. She currently teaches SLD children here on the Isle of Wight at one of the main SEN schools. Please do read our “letter of recommendation” from Steff Gleeson, the Headteacher of St. George’s SEN School in Newport, IOW.
Makaton Stage 1 Sign Language Certified Drivers
All our drivers are Makaton Level 1 sign language trained and certified. Friendly Cabs is the only UK taxi company with Makaton trained drivers and Duncan, the CEO and main driver, is Makaton Level 2 trained and certified. Duncan is also trained in “Autism Awareness” via the The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disability and Autism course run by Health Education England in conjunction with the NHS.
Communications Access UK Accredited
All our drivers have completed the four module “Communications Access UK” course, which helps them better understand how to communicate with passengers with impairments. We are the only taxi company in the UK with full Communications Access UK Accreditation.
We Also Specialise In Pet Transport
We’re not just human-friendly, we’re also pet-friendly, and Friendly Cabs is the preferred taxi service of many of the island’s vets. Whether it’s your beloved pooch, a guide dog, a cantankerous cat or an over-talkative parrot, we’ll get you and your pet safely to wherever you need to go! And if your trip to the vet is an emergency, but you would struggle to pay the taxi fare, we can get you there free of charge via our Pay It Forward project.
Wheelchair Access
Currently, we cannot accommodate a full-size wheelchair in our 8 seater van. We can transport passengers with smaller or folding wheelchairs (even folding electric wheelchairs) as long as the passenger is able to alight the taxi and sit on one of the standard seats during the journey. We expect to take in a new, fully wheelchair accessible van in the near future.
Charge Your Laptop, Phone Or Other Devices In Transit
Our vehicles are fitted with a pure sine wave, 500 watt inverter with both USB and 3 pin standard UK plug sockets, allowing passengers to charge phones, laptops and other devices whilst in transit.
