How much of a Heathrow fare does a London taxi driver actually keep?
- Perry Richardson
- Aug 17
- 2 min read
A London taxi fare to Heathrow Airport can appear straightforward, but the amount the driver pockets varies widely depending on how the trip was arranged and paid for.
If the passenger hails a black cab directly from the street or a designated taxi rank and pays by cash, the driver keeps the full metered fare. The only deduction is the £6 Heathrow drop-off charge, which is added to the meter and passed straight to the airport operator. In this case, the taxi driver takes home nearly 100% of the journey fare minus that fixed airport fee.
However, the numbers change when bookings and digital payments are involved. If the fare is arranged via a booking app and paid by card, drivers can lose up to 20% of the fare to platform commission charges. On top of this, card processing fees typically deduct a further 3 to 4%.
In some cases, if a fixed fare is quoted through an app, the total amount charged can be significantly lower than what the meter would have calculated. While these prices may attract passengers, they often result in drivers earning less per journey, especially after deductions are applied.
All Heathrow drop-offs incur a £6 fee per entry to the terminal forecourts. Although this is added to the overall fare and ultimately paid by the passenger, drivers do not receive this portion and must transfer it to Heathrow directly.
In summary, a driver can retain close to the full fare when the trip is metered, paid in cash and arranged directly. But when the fare is pre-booked via an app and paid electronically, deductions from commissions and card fees mean drivers may only keep around 75% or less of the total fare.
