HEATHROW TAXI FEES: The Mayor of London will ‘continue the dialogue’ with Heathrow Airport officials

The Mayor of London will ‘continue the dialogue’ with Heathrow Airport officials on the topic of London’s black cab drop-off and pick-up fees, but admits there may be little he or the transport regulators can do to affect change.

From Saturday 30 April 2022 London’s black cabs were forced to pay a £5 fee to drop off at all Heathrow Airport terminals.

The decision followed a public consultation, with Transport for London (TfL) which was used to form a number of changes to taxi fares and tariffs. Taxi drivers are now allowed to add a charge of up to £5.20 to the fare when dropping off passengers at Heathrow Airport unless their taxi has been registered for a Blue Badge concession.

In June 2022 the airport recorded the highest number of taxi movements through the feeder park since 2010, thanks partly to the number of flight cancellations and high levels of disruption at the airport.

London Assembly Member, Caroline Pidgeon, asked the Mayor of London what further considerations he has given to working with Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) and TfL to exempt licensed black cab drivers from the £5 Terminal Drop Off Charge.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, responded: "Heathrow Airport is on privately-owned land and has its own bylaws. Neither Transport for London (TfL), nor I, can exempt taxis from the terminal drop-off charge.

“Nevertheless, when the proposal was put forward, TfL met with representatives of Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) and raised the taxi trade’s concerns about the introduction of a terminal drop-off charge and a proposed increase to the taxi feeder park fee from £3.20 to £10.

“HAL decided to continue with plans to introduce the terminal drop-off fee for all vehicles, including taxis, and to increase the taxi feeder park fee. However, as a result of the discussions with TfL, HAL agreed to provide a short-term exemption for taxis for the terminal drop-off fee until April 2022 – later extended to May 2022. This provided TfL with the appropriate time to consult on, and implement, proposals to permit drivers to add the fee to the metered fare.

“HAL also agreed to implement a lower than planned taxi feeder park fee - £7.20 instead of the original proposal of £10.

“With its terminal drop-off charge, HAL is seeking to reduce congestion as well as emissions on the corridors approach Heathrow. As such, it has decided not to offer an exemption for zero emission vehicles, whether taxis or private car journeys. TfL meets regularly with HAL and will continue the dialogue about this and other sustainability measures.”