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A London black cab parked on a street.
Layover guideLondon · LHR

Ride-hailing in London

Apps are legal but every ride is a pre-booked private hire job, the pick-up is in the short stay car park rather than the terminal kerb, and the app estimate replaces a meter.

Colin Smith / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
All of London

Minicabs and ride-hailing cars are private hire vehicles. TfL requires them to be pre-booked through a TfL-licensed private hire operator, and they cannot ply for hire or use taxi ranks. TfL states that unbooked minicabs are illegal, not insured to carry passengers, and pose a serious risk to their passengers.

TfL does not regulate private hire fares and there is no meter. The operator must give you an accurate fare estimate before the journey starts, unless you have pre-agreed a fixed fare, so the number the app shows you is the number that matters.

Ride-hailing pick-ups do not happen at the terminal kerb. Heathrow tells private hire drivers collecting from a terminal to use the short stay multi-storey car park adjacent to the terminal and meet the passenger at the signposted private hire pick-up area within the car park, or at an agreed location in the terminal. Build in the walk.

Heading back out, a £7 Terminal Drop-Off Charge applies every time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Heathrow states that all black cabs and private hire vehicles must pay it. Drop-off is free at the Park & Ride car parks, previously known as Long Stay, with a free bus transfer to the terminal.

  1. Transport for London: guide to taxis and private hire · checked 2026-08-17
  2. Transport for London: taxi and private hire compliance and enforcement · checked 2026-08-17
  3. Transport for London: licence checker · checked 2026-08-17
  4. Transport for London: Uber London Limited 2024 licence decision note · checked 2026-08-17
  5. Heathrow: Authorised Vehicle Area frequently asked questions · checked 2026-08-17
  6. Heathrow: terminal drop-off charge · checked 2026-08-17

The rest of London

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportBlack cabs on the meter from ranks outside each terminal with a small Heathrow pick-up charge, or three rail routes into town, only one of which runs through the night and only at weekends.Local laws that catch crew outThe traps that catch crew here are blades, cannabis, and open alcohol on the transport network, and all of them come straight from UK government departments and TfL.Staying connectedFree wifi at Heathrow and Gatwick; PAYG SIMs and eSIMs sold with no contract or credit check.WeatherMild maritime climate: pack for rain in any month, light layers year-round, and increasingly real summer heat with no monsoon or snow season to plan around.Eating near the crew hotelsFood markets are the efficient layover feed: Borough Market by London Bridge (closed Mondays), Old Spitalfields open daily; carry a card, everything takes contactless but a few stalls do not.What to buyNo VAT refund on goods you carry home; street markets (vintage, food) are the distinctive buy, and cards work nearly everywhere.TippingTipping is optional, not expected: 10-15% in restaurants only if no service charge is on the bill, round up taxis, and by law staff now keep 100% of tips.