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LTDA presses Heathrow Airport to open taxi feeder park access to more drivers on waiting list
- Perry Richardson
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) has said it will continue pressing Heathrow Airport to grant feeder park access to more taxi drivers currently on its waiting list.
The call comes as Heathrow introduces its new Taxi Feeder Management System (TFMS), replacing the long-running Taxi Expert platform and changing how licensed taxi drivers access and operate within the airport’s feeder parks.
Chris Goddard, the LTDA’s airport representative, said in TAXI newspaper: “The LTDA will also continue pressing Heathrow to grant Feeder Park access to more drivers from the current waiting list.”
Access to the feeder park is required for taxi drivers seeking to join the airport’s official queue and serve passengers from Heathrow’s terminals. Drivers without permission cannot enter the system, restricting their ability to obtain work from one of London’s largest taxi markets.
The LTDA has not disclosed how many drivers remain on the waiting list or whether Heathrow has indicated that further places will be released. The introduction of the new management system could provide an opportunity to review access arrangements, although no expansion has been confirmed.
Heathrow limits the number of taxi drivers authorised to use its feeder parks because the holding areas and terminal ranks have finite capacity. The waiting list enables the airport to control vehicle numbers, manage congestion and balance the supply of available cabs against passenger demand, with new drivers typically admitted when existing ‘tag’ holders leave the system which in most cases takes years with very few cabbies handing back their access unless they leave the industry altogether.
Under TFMS, drivers must register by producing their bill and badge, having their photograph taken, and downloading and activating the Nymble mobile app. No final onboarding deadline has been announced, but drivers have been advised to complete the process as soon as possible.
The app replaces the physical tags and boosters used under Taxi Expert. It incorporates GPS-enabled geofencing technology developed by Capgemini and Sensor Dynamics, allowing drivers to view feeder park and terminal information, including waiting times and occupancy levels.
Drivers must enter through the North Park and pass the entry reader, even if it is empty and they intend to use the South Park. Vehicles attempting to enter the South Park directly will not be recognised by the system and will not be granted access.
The familiar one-hour local journey rule and Fares Fair time allowance remain in place. Available information indicates that the geofencing system identifies when vehicles enter and leave designated areas rather than assessing the exact route taken.
The TFMS launch was initially expected at the end of July but was postponed to allow additional testing. A provisional go-live date of 10 August was later circulated, although Heathrow said at the time that the date remained subject to final confirmation.
During the transition, the South Feeder Park operated manually, with staff controlling vehicle movements and checking drivers’ cab tags, bills and badges. Paper terminal tickets were issued at the exit.
The physical entry and exit barriers remain in place but are no longer operational. They are expected to be replaced by a traffic light-controlled access system.
Drivers have also been told that unused gate fee credit held within Taxi Expert will not transfer to the Nymble platform. Heathrow has said outstanding balances will be refunded directly, with information about the refund process expected separately.
The £2.20 feeder park gate charge was initially suspended when manual operation began but was later reinstated. Heathrow said restoring the charge would help manage congestion and reduce the financial impact of the transition.
