Heathrow Airport taxi dispatch system challenged over alleged driver removals and poor geofence route controls

Concerns over Heathrow Airport’s new taxi management and dispatch system have been formally raised with Heathrow and facilities operator APCOA on behalf of licensed London taxi drivers.

Legal Taxi Solicitors wrote to both organisations on 12 August after receiving reports that drivers were being prevented from working because of alleged technical failures and system controls. The system is currently being introduced and tested at the airport.

The firm said complaints went beyond the type of initial problems that might ordinarily be expected during a testing phase. Its letter questioned the degree of control the system appeared to exercise over self-employed taxi drivers once work had been allocated.

One concern relates to geofencing for local journeys. Drivers are reportedly expected to remain within a predetermined geographical boundary, but may need to use the M25 when it provides the quickest or most appropriate route. Briefly leaving the defined area can allegedly affect a driver’s status within the system.

The letter said a licensed London taxi driver must be able to exercise professional judgement based on passenger wishes, traffic, safety and prevailing conditions. It argued that software unable to distinguish legitimate route decisions from attempts to circumvent local-journey arrangements would represent a limitation of the system rather than evidence of driver misconduct.

Reports have also been received of temporary losses of mobile data, GPS or location connectivity causing the system to treat drivers as having left an authorised area or failed to comply with its requirements. Drivers could then potentially be removed from the system.

Drivers are reportedly required to keep the application open continuously on their mobile phones rather than allowing it to operate in the background. Legal Taxi Solicitors said mobile coverage and GPS availability were not entirely within a driver’s control and warned that technical failures could consequently deny drivers access to work.

Get FREE WhatsApp news updates here

The firm also raised reports of drivers being instructed to leave Heathrow taxi ranks without a fare following local or Fairs Fare journeys because of apparent system problems. In some cases, drivers were allegedly told that police assistance could be requested if they refused to leave.

The letter said: “A driver who has lawfully returned to Heathrow and waited for work should not lose substantial working time and income because the system has incorrectly recorded his or her movements or status.”

Further concerns centre on a requirement for drivers returning from local work to nominate a particular terminal in advance. The firm questioned how drivers could make an inflexible selection when traffic conditions and demand at Heathrow could change during the return journey.

The solicitors asked APCOA to explain the contractual, regulatory or other basis for the restrictions, including controls that could monitor drivers’ geographical movements and potentially exclude them from future work. It also requested details of safeguards and any process for challenging incorrect system decisions before drivers suffer unnecessary loss of income.

The letter called for the taxi trade to be more closely involved during the remainder of the testing process. It said Heathrow drivers held considerable knowledge of the airport, its surrounding road network and the practical requirements of local journeys.

Legal Taxi’s Senior Heathrow representative said: “We have today written to Heathrow and APCOA on behalf of our members regarding the ongoing issues with the new taxi dispatch system and the serious impact that it is having, we await their reply.”