Major Heathrow taxi shake-up begins as black cab drivers prepare for biggest feeder park change in years

London’s licensed taxi drivers using Heathrow Airport will see significant changes to the operation of the airport’s Taxi Feeder Park later this month as Heathrow begins the transition to a new Taxi Feeder Management System (TFMS).

The temporary arrangements will begin at 11pm on Tuesday 21 July and remain in place until 12.01am on Friday 31 July while Heathrow switches from the existing Taxi Expert system to the new platform. During this period, the feeder park will operate manually, with airport staff taking over several functions normally managed electronically.

One of the most visible changes will be at the South Feeder Park, where the existing entry and exit barriers will be permanently removed. Heathrow says they will be replaced by a new traffic light system designed to improve traffic flow and efficiency. Until that new system is fully operational, staff will be positioned at both the entrance and exit to carry out manual checks, ensuring only authorised taxi drivers are granted access.

Drivers will also need to be prepared for additional identity checks. Heathrow has advised that taxi drivers must present both their Taxi Tag and Booster device whenever requested by staff. Meanwhile, terminal allocations will no longer be issued electronically during the transition. Instead, a manual ticketing system will direct drivers to the appropriate terminal ranks.

Heathrow has also confirmed that the Taxi Feeder Park gate fee will be suspended throughout the transition period while the new system is installed, tested and embedded. However, drivers are also being urged not to add large balances to their feeder accounts before the changeover. Accounts will be frozen from 21 July and any remaining credit may not be accessible until the new system becomes fully operational.

The airport says the temporary arrangements are necessary to support the introduction of a more modern system for managing taxi operations. The new Taxi Feeder Management System is expected to replace the long-standing Taxi Expert platform and modernise how vehicles are processed through the feeder park, although Heathrow has not yet outlined the full range of features the replacement system will offer.

Manual processing is likely to increase black cab driver interaction with staff and could affect the speed at which vehicles enter and leave the feeder park, particularly during busy periods. Drivers are therefore being encouraged to allow extra time when planning airport work over the ten-day transition.

Once the new system goes live, Heathrow expects the operational changes, including the removal of physical barriers and introduction of traffic light controls, to improve vehicle movements within the feeder park while providing a more efficient long-term management system for taxi operations.