May 2, 2026
Bank holidays should feel like a mini-escape not an exercise in stress management. But for anyone who has tried to travel by train over Easter, May Day, or the August bank holiday, you already know the drill: packed carriages, tannoy announcements about "replacement bus services," and the creeping dread of checking the National Rail app.
This post breaks down exactly why so many travellers across Lancashire and beyond are choosing private taxis over trains when bank holidays roll around. We're not talking about convenience for convenience's sake. There are real, practical reasons backed by data why door-to-door private hire often makes more sense than a train ticket during these periods.
Network Rail uses bank holiday weekends to carry out scheduled engineering works. The logic is sound: fewer commuters means less disruption to the Monday-to-Friday crowd. But if you're one of the millions trying to actually travel over a bank holiday, you bear the brunt of it.
Here's what this looks like in practice.
For the late May bank holiday 2026, no Thameslink trains will run through central London from Saturday 23rd May to Monday 25th May, the East Coast Main Line will be closed between York and Northallerton, and no Southern trains will run between South Croydon and Oxted, East Grinstead or Uckfield during the same period. That is a significant chunk of the national network effectively shut or running on reduced timetables simultaneously.
This is not an isolated year. Planned essential engineering works and upgrades take place at numerous locations during bank holiday weekends as Network Rail works to improve the railway, and some train companies also make changes to their timetables to match services to the number of customers travelling.
The performance numbers back this up. In the quarter from July to September 2024, the Public Performance Measure for Great Britain was 85.2%, which was 1.7 percentage points lower than the same quarter the previous year. On a normal day, roughly one in seven trains does not arrive on time. On a bank holiday weekend with widespread engineering works running simultaneously? The odds shift further against you.
Long-distance trains are consistently the least punctual, with average punctuality for long-distance operators sitting at 76.9% on-time from April 2023 to March 2024. That means nearly one in four long-distance journeys arriving late again, on a normal week. Add a bank holiday and engineering closures on top of that, and you can see why people look for alternatives.
Let's put this in concrete terms. Here are the main areas where private hire pulls ahead.
Train travel starts well before the train. There's the journey to the station, parking (and the cost of it), navigating the concourse, and then if engineering works are in place potentially a rail replacement bus that adds 30-45 minutes to your journey before you even board a train.
A private taxi picks you up where you are. If you are in Leyland, Bamber Bridge, Penwortham, or any of the surrounding areas of South Ribble, you are not dealing with Preston station's car park on a bank holiday weekend.
One of the underappreciated stresses of bank holiday travel is the unpredictability of cost. Train fares surge in advance around peak periods. If you book late or need to change plans, you pay for it.
Private hire firms like South Ribble Taxis operate on fixed fares; the price quoted is the price you pay, regardless of what happens on the road or how long the journey takes. There is no meter running. There is no surge pricing.
This deserves its own point. Engineering work on bank holiday weekends routinely means bus replacements on key commuter and leisure routes, with several changes and cancellations affecting major lines simultaneously.
A rail replacement bus is not a train. It takes longer, it is less comfortable, and it stops in places most passengers do not want to stop. When you book a taxi, you go from A to B. There is no unscheduled detour through Hounslow.
This is the calculation many families and groups do not run. If you are travelling with three or four people, the combined train fares, especially at bank holiday prices can easily outstrip a shared taxi fare. Over a full bank holiday weekend, up to 2.2 million passengers travel by rail, which means packed services and reduced availability on popular routes.
Book a private hire vehicle for your group and split the fixed fare. For a family of four travelling from South Ribble to Manchester Airport, for example, it frequently works out less per person than four separate train tickets and you get door-to-door service with your luggage.
South Ribble Taxis also offers minibuses in 6, 8, and 16-seat configurations for larger groups, which makes it practical for extended families or groups of friends heading away for the bank holiday weekend.
One of the least-discussed problems with bank holiday train travel is the evening return journey. Services run less frequently, last trains depart earlier than usual, and missing one can leave you stranded. Train services over bank holidays may be busier than usual, and where services are cancelled, alternative transport is provided wherever possible but that transport may not run to your door, and it may not run at midnight.
A private hire service operating around the clock does not have a "last train." Whether you are heading home from a late dinner, an event, or an airport, the car is there when you need it.
To be fair, trains are genuinely good for certain bank holiday trips. If you are heading into a city centre where parking is expensive or impractical, or if you are travelling solo on a well-served inter-city route with no engineering works, the train can be the right call.
The problems arise when:
For most people in South Ribble and the surrounding Preston area, at least some of those conditions apply on any given bank holiday.
Bank holidays and airport travel collide in a particularly stressful way. UK airports gear up for some of their busiest days of the year around bank holidays, with over 3,200 flights scheduled on a single Friday alone during the late May 2025 bank holiday weekend.
Getting to Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds Bradford, or any of the London airports by train on a bank holiday involves navigating reduced timetables, potential rail replacement services, and the general chaos of a busy station. Getting there by private hire means a fixed departure time, a known cost, and someone to help with your bags.
South Ribble Taxis covers airport transfers to all major UK airports. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which matters when your flight is at 5am on a bank holiday Monday and the first train does not leave until 6.
The case for private hire during bank holidays is not about trains being bad in general. Rail is a perfectly good option for plenty of journeys. The case is specifically about the conditions that apply during bank holiday weekends: engineering closures, reduced timetables, packed carriages, rail replacement buses, and the unpredictability that comes with all of that stacking up at once.
Network Rail itself urges passengers to check their journeys in advance and consider alternative routes or modes of transport if disruption is expected. A private taxi is that alternative mode predictable, door-to-door, and available when you need it.
If you are in the South Ribble area, South Ribble Taxis is available on 01772 610 610 or via WhatsApp, with fixed fares and no hidden costs.
Are taxis more expensive than trains on bank holidays?
Not always, and often not especially for groups. Train fares rise significantly around peak periods, and once you factor in parking, connecting journeys, and potential delays, the cost difference narrows quickly. For two or more people travelling together, a fixed-fare private hire vehicle is frequently comparable or cheaper overall.
What happens if a train gets cancelled on a bank holiday?
If your train is cancelled, the train operator should provide an alternative service or refund your fare under the National Rail Conditions of Travel. But you may face long waits, replacement buses, and rerouted journeys that add considerable time to your trip, particularly when multiple engineering works are running simultaneously.
Can I book a taxi in advance for a bank holiday trip?
Yes, and it is strongly recommended. Pre-booking a private hire vehicle for a bank holiday journey guarantees your car is there at the agreed time. Services like South Ribble Taxis allow you to book ahead and confirm your fare in advance, so there are no surprises on the day.
Is private hire available for early morning bank holiday airport runs?
Yes. A 24-hour private hire service operates around the clock, including bank holidays. This is particularly useful for early morning or late-night airport transfers when public transport runs a reduced schedule or does not cover your area at all.
Are minibuses available for group bank holiday travel?
Yes. If you are travelling with a larger group, private hire firms offering minibuses in 6, 8, and 16-seat configurations mean you can all travel together at a single fixed cost. This often works out considerably cheaper per person than booking individual train tickets, and you get a direct, door-to-door service.
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