Taxi Driver Online

I had a pick up at Heathrow T5 passed on to me yesterday morning(rather conveniently as I was dropping off at T1 anyway!).I was told not to attempt to pick up at Departures as they have implemented a strict no pick up rule with a £100 or £150 fine!!!
Is this right and if so is it legally enforceable?Surely this is taking liberties in the ilk of cowboy clampers.
He also said they were operating ANPR cameras and there was no return within 1 hr.

I happily paid the £2.50 car parking on this occasion!

Steve

Yes that's right at Heathrow!! Always.

Just imagine the chaos if everyone picked up at the front of the terminals.

The car parks are usually well sited by the terminals & the short walks & elevators are not too taxing on the legs.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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It depends who is trying to enforce it.

The LA would enforce under the Traffic Management Act 2004. There are normally flaws in tickets/procedures leaving the way open to an appeal.

Police enforcement under any number of different statutes would only be appealable to the crap shoot of the magistrates court; Normally best paid.

Private parking company totally unenforceable and can safely be ignored.

I'm pretty sure that area of LHR5 is PPC. I'll check next time I'm lucky enough to be fed that much by my office!!

We have allways parked in the car parks 4 pick ups at heathrow and allways charged the passenger for the privalige never had a complaint about the car park charges.The customers expect to pay for any parking. We also charge an extra £5.00 for airport returns again no problem.Cabs from the ranks at Heathrow aint cheap.

You are not supposed to pick up outside the terminal forecourts, they are for dropping off only.

Until recently, they have turned a blind eye to picking up, as long as it was done quickly, and you weren't parked on the forecourt waiting for your passengers to arrive, thus blocking the way for those wanting to drop off. Your passengers should already be there waiting for you, so you can quickly get them into your car and go.

However it seems BAA wants those picking up to use the car parks (more profit for them), although there are security reasons, maybe and it may also discourage touts picking up as well, hence the reason they want you to park up and collect your passengers inside, it's probably safer too.

Ironically, it's often BAA staff being collected outside the forecourts by local taxi/PH or their friends/spouses etc.

As far as I know, it's only the police/PCSOs who can legally give you a ticket and ask you to move on. They've also got "forecourt marshalls" or whatever they're called, dressed in blue uniform made to look official. I don't know what powers they've got, but have an argument with them, and they could probably radio for the police anyway.

Nevertheless, they often disappear at about 9pm from all terminals, and the police who park up after 9pm don't do anything anyway, as it's quietening down, and check-in desks starts to close about then, so won't be much dropping off done anyway.

Picking up outside was ideal for business travellers who usually travel alone and don't have any luggage, they know where to go, and it's easy and quick for them inside the car. Tourists with lots of luggage, I'd much prefer to pick them up inside, as it can be hard explaining where the drop off area is.

It's a little inconvenient, but I'll get paid for the car parking anyway, I'll get my BAA Worldpoints (recommended if you park at the airport regularly), and I use a cashback credit card to pay for the parking, so I'm quids in!

I have not seen ANPR at Terminal 5, although how are they to know you're stopping to drop off? You could just say you're passing through, because you took a wrong turning?

Not come across this, and none of mates, some of whom live at Heathrow, have mentioned it.

How will they know you are picking up? You could say you just dropped off and are waiting for your escort to come back.

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IDFIMH

Cameras never lie...it aint going to take Sherlock Homes to deduce that those who your a Picking up were nothing to do with the Invisible man you dropped off...

But they haven't got cameras there.

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IDFIMH

I had a pickup at T1 one day, but had taken a Bolivian visitior TO heathrow to meet a group of 6, i pulled up to drop him off to seek out the others when they appeared out nowhere outside departures and he proceeded to usher them all into my minibus with plenty of luggage while my lack of bolivian and thier lack of english put me in a bit of a pickle, i couldnt pull away while they got in, my doors were open, and they didnt wanna do anything other than get in, so i had to let em, the marshalls started towards me but not too quickly.....and i was away....

Avoid any fines, direct them to the licensed Taxi ranks at every terminal.

Thats a great idea GBC. I will wait just off the airport and get a taxi from the rank to bring them to me.

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Grandad,

Never had a problem at Terminal 5 but they are getting quite heavy at Terminal 3

to pay double?

Terminal 3 is where most of the touting goes on. When it is very busy on the departure forecourt the traffic can be so bad, that it will back up on to the M4 spur (like it did last night at about 7-8pmish). Sometimes they will direct you to drop off on the nearest two lanes to the terminal, reserved for buses and taxis.

Well they should sort out the real touts and not the majority of us who are just out to make a living who don't want to be ripped off by airports making a mint from the terrorist threat.