Cab fare from LHR to nearby hotel

So get this--when we went on our holiday this year we did as we always do and leave the car at the hotel we stay at the night before our flight (parking4less does awesome deals).  Coming home, we decided that we've had to endure an over-night flight that was delayed and had 8 bags and 2 tired toddlers, instead of taking the Hotel Hoppa (which coinicidentally, we didn't realise when I booked the hotel, that we were in Terminal 4 and the bus to our hotel only goes from terminal 5, so we'd have to first get one bust to T5, then on to the hotel) we would get in a black cab and take a 5 minute journey to the hotel for the same price of two Hoppa tickets.

Then we find out that all of the black cabs wanted £40 flat fee to go to the hotel.  They said some garbage about they don't have to use the meter because it's out of their area (the hotel was literally 2 miles away).

Not one cabbie wanted the fare.  I was absolutely livid.

The next time I listen to LBC and here these greedy cabbies complaining they can't get any fares, I think I know why now.

That's absolute robbery!!!  I take a taxi from Maidstone to Gatwick and it cost me £40 for the 30 mile trip.  I thought THAT was high!

    I'm in shock. That's so damn expensive. Makes me angry.

So get this--when we went on our holiday this year we did as we always do and leave the car at the hotel we stay at the night before our flight (parking4less does awesome deals).  Coming home, we decided that we've had to endure an over-night flight that was delayed and had 8 bags and 2 tired toddlers, instead of taking the Hotel Hoppa (which coinicidentally, we didn't realise when I booked the hotel, that we were in Terminal 4 and the bus to our hotel only goes from terminal 5, so we'd have to first get one bust to T5, then on to the hotel) we would get in a black cab and take a 5 minute journey to the hotel for the same price of two Hoppa tickets.

Then we find out that all of the black cabs wanted £40 flat fee to go to the hotel.  They said some garbage about they don't have to use the meter because it's out of their area (the hotel was literally 2 miles away).

Not one cabbie wanted the fare.  I was absolutely livid.

The next time I listen to LBC and here these greedy cabbies complaining they can't get any fares, I think I know why now.

Similar of what happens at San Francisco Intl Airport. The cab drivers want a long haul because they have been sitting at the airport waiting for a fare for maybe 2 hours. The authorities have been trying to rectify the problem by letting them go to the front of the taxis line after taking a short haul fare.

I work about 2 miles from LHR and the normal fare should have been around £15. Sorry you were taken advantage of! Maybe next time have a minicab pre-arranged?

I work about 2 miles from LHR and the normal fare should have been around £15. Sorry you were taken advantage of! Maybe next time have a minicab pre-arranged?

Originally a minicab was going to pick us up and take my family to the M.I.L. in North London and I was going to head back to Birmingham bc I have work this week...but we decided all to go back to Brum.

The issue all the cabbies were claming was that they're licenced by TFL and the hotel is in Slough.  In actuality it's literally 100 yards over the border of Slough, so yes technically it's in Slough.  So they said the standard fare to go to that area outside the TFL area is £40.  I couldn't believe it.  If I want to go from Birmingham to Sandwell in a black cab, they just use the meter!

Hi,

Yes, I've had the exact same experience from Heathrow back here in Slough and it was £45 ! I was absolutely knackered and timing was that no one was around to come collect including friends etc. I didn't want to call in a private minicab firm and then have to wait 30 mins plus for them to get there so I had to stump up that money. I hated giving over that cash and I'm most likely never going to ever use a black cab again.

I asked a few private minicab places how much the fare would've been and they all came back with £25-30 !

If I'm in that situation again, I think I'll just force myself to get on the bus from Heathrow into Slough and I think that'd be like £5 or something?! - or am I horribly off mark there too?!

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I live very close to Heathrow as well, and I just don't take black cabs any more.  They are there to get the "good fares" into the city and when they hear I just want to go about 3 miles, they have a snit-fit and the journey is just unpleasant.

I was told that it was because they have to wait in quite the queue to get an airport fare and then they can't come back into the queue again for like 3 hours. So if they only get a local short trip, they feel cheated.

So it is mini-cabs for us from now on.  Fortunately, since we are local, we know a good company. We pre-book before we leave and then when we land, we call, and they are pretty good about being there within 5-10 minutes of when we come out of arrivals.  Most importantly, they are happy for the business and it is a pleasant journey home.

Dudes, landing at Heathrow is just the beginning of my journey home.....there are coaches and trains and buses and a bit of a walk still to go....

I know exactly what this is, having been stung for it recently, It's new rules at Heathrow! If you pick up a black cab if you're outside of a certain area they have to charge you a minimum of £40 as demanded of by BAA (as it's "private property")unless you're inside the £40 zone.

If you take a cab from Heathrow (pick up) say you're going to somewhere like Hayes, and then tell the cabby as soon as you're out of the range of the attendant where you want to go. (Yes that's what all the cabbies have been telling me to do) As they have to pay £20 of your £40 if you have to pay the minimum fare for short trips they hate it, and would rather just charge you the £15 or whatever it costs on the meter.

SO it's not the cabby that took you, it's BAA and you should complain to them.