1) Taxis and private hire minicabs
Taxis and mini cabs are likely to be the most practical option if you are short of time and/or you have not travelling alone. There are essentially 3 options open to you:
1) an official London Taxi from Heathrow, or at Gatwick their equivalent "Hackney Carriages" taxi service
2) a pre-booked private hire minicab,
3) using an App to locate a cab.
A pre-booked private hire minicab is likely to be the cheapest overall, but requires some planning and can be awkward if your service suffers a last minute delay or cancellation and you're unable to contact the driver. Black cabs, which are tightly regulated with highly trained drivers, on the other hand, are always available at the main taxi rank, but they are more expensive. Apps such as Uber are in between: you can either arrange a car in advance or you can summon one after you arrive. The cost is also in between the first two options, and although the drivers are regulated to the same standard as Black cab drivers in relation to background/criminal records checks, the vehicle requirements and the level of driver training in particular is completely different. Uber drivers, along with any other Private Hire taxi driver, have no requirement to complete ‘the knowledge’, as Black cab drivers do.
London Taxis (Heathrow)
Official London Taxis have a near monopoly on non-prebooked taxi provision at Heathrow. There is a taxi rank clearly signposted by arrivals, and it's very close to the International arrival gate, just use the doors on the left side of Costa Coffee and over two traffic islands to the rank. It is less than 5 minutes walk from baggage reclaim to the rank. Taxis can take 5 passengers, while some can take 6. However, this assumes no luggage, as the main luggage space in Black cabs is the main cabin in the vehicle itself, so if you are travelling with luggage, it’s possible that the cab will take up to 3 people, plus luggage. There are some Black cabs with different configurations so can take luggage more easily.
The issue with London taxis is that while their fares are strictly regulated within the London area, Heathrow T5 is just a few hundred metres from the boundary, and at that point it is up to the driver and the passenger to negotiate a fare. If they don't reach agreement then the meter fare will prevail. On short journeys over the boundary drivers will be looking for a much higher fare, for Gatwick they may well be OK with the meter fare. Assuming no traffic jams, the meter fare will be about £145, plus £2.80 Heathrow surcharge; the driver will be looking for a 10% tip - though you can probably get away with £10 here - and they can also charge up to 10% for credit card payment. Some drivers simply don't take credit cards. Note that fares at weekend and after 22hrs will be slightly higher, an extra £5 and £10 respectively. Taxi drivers are allowed to decline to take trips longer than 20 miles, so in a way there is a fair negotiation basis: you can ask a driver to take you to Gatwick for whatever fare you wish to pay, and the driver is under no obligation to accept that fare or to take you there. However it's best not to get into a big argument at Heathrow, since other taxi drivers will close ranks to protect a fellow driver, even if they don't inwardly agree with his or her stance.
Gatwick Taxis
Most taxis operating from Gatwick are controlled by Crawley Borough Council. Like Heathrow these "hackney carriages" have a monopoly off the walk up taxi rank just outside Gatwick North Terminal arrivals. Other similarities are that drivers are not obliged to take a fare to Heathrow but in most cases they will be very happy to do so. Drivers are not allowed to charge more than the meter fare, which, assuming no traffic jams, will be around £100, or £130 between midnight and 06 hrs.
Private Hire Service Providers
We don't want to get too involved with recommending mincab companies. There are a lot of them, they are regulated by their local government authority (though to a lower standard than London taxis), and there are rarely issues. However we can point to the following:
1) BAtransfer
Despite the name, they have no connection with the airline. However a number of Flyertalkers have used them and are able to recommend this service. It can booked fully online, indeed the website is particularly strong, but they don't have an App. Takes all credit cards including Amex and they are particularly cost effective on this route.
http://www.batransfer.com/ Telephone +44 207 118 0110 Skype: airportonly
2) Green Tomato Cars
This is the only private hire company recommended by the airport operator Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL). They have a good App, which can handle immediate bookings, but their website isn't so well designed and requires pre-registration. The cost for this transfer is scarcely better than an official London taxi, £110 or so. They are cheaper than a taxi on other routes, notably local rides close to Heathrow. They offer in-car wifi and their fleet includes hybrid, bio and electric cars. Takes all credit cards including Amex.
http://www.greentomatocars.com/uk/ Telephone: +44 20 8568 0022
3) Gatwick Cars Ltd
This is the approved taxi company for Gatwick Airport and endorsed by the airport's operators. They have a website but it appears not to be working at the moment, telephone number below. Takes credit cards.
http://taxis.gatwickairport.com/ - Gatwick Airport Cars - website currently not working. Telephone: +44 1293 550000
4) Connect AB Ltd
Connect AB Ltd are an Appointed Operator for British Airways travel services, the travel agency wing of BA. Their website is basic and doesn't allow direct booking, but there are telephone numbers and email addresses there. Takes credit cards.
http://www.connectabltd.com/transfers.php Telephone office hours: +44 1753 684810 outside office hours +44 7739 542052
5) Addison Lee
We mention them since they are by far the biggest company in this sector, they certainly are not the cheapest. They take bookings via their website (need to register but it's easy to do) and App. Both can handle immediate bookings and provide an immediate calculation of waiting time. Whilst they are good value for other trips to/from Heathrow, in this market they are not particularly competitive. Takes all credit cards including Amex.
http://www.addisonlee.com/ +44 20 7387 8888
6) Traveltrans
As recommended by
T8191. Website:
TravelTrans, £65, plus £5 "Meet and Greet", for a normal car-load.
Cost
The following is the cheapest we can find for 2 passengers and the lowest spec. car. In all cases you can pay more for a bigger vehicle.
Official London taxis: £150 approx
Gatwick taxi rank: £100 approx
BAtransfer: £47.50
Greentomatocars: £110
Gatwick Cars Ltd: ?
Connect AB Ltd: £87.50
Addison Lee: £111
Uber: £72
Tipping: broadly speaking if you end up paying your driver you need to add a 10% tip, unless you have good reason to reduce or eliminate it.
Time / service frequency
The distance is 40 miles and for much of it the speed limit is 70 miles an hour. So it is possible for the trip to take 45 minutes or so, particularly early in the morning or late at night, however the motorway concerned is notorious for its traffic jams. So a 1 hour journey time is more realistic. School holiday periods in England are generally offpeak for this trip. London and Gatwick taxi drivers working off their ranks will be aware of delays very quickly and will use alternative routes. Less knowledgeable drivers may feel obliged to sit it out. Having said that, even in a bad rush hour the journey is unlikely to take more than 75 minutes.
Baggage
The maximum baggage you can take is constrained by the size of the car, and for most passengers that won't be an issue. If you have a very substantial amount of luggage then you may want to book a larger SUV style vehicle from the private hire section. They typically cost an extra £20.
Step free and accessibility
For official London taxis there are no steps between baggage reclaim and the taxi rank. The route to the taxi rank has a pedestrian friendly walkway. For private hire services it depends on where the driver has parked their car and the meet up arrangements. In theory they should be parked in the short term car park but due to the parking fee they will often find some way to avoid that, and App users may find themselves invited to go to the drop off point for arriving passengers. The latter is risky for the driver since they may get a penalty notice, but that's not your problem. All of Heathrow T5 should be step free but if you are following a driver s/he may have their own route to the car.
Hassle factor
Low, other than you need to be clear how to handle any delays to your flight for prebooked private hire cars.
How to book
London taxis: no booking required, there are always taxis waiting, just go straight to the clearly signposted taxi rank on the arrivals floor of T5.
Private hire: You best to make a booking a day or two in advance, or accept a potential 20 minutes (plus) delay if calling after landing. BATransfer and Connect AB would not be suitable for booking on arrival. For Uber (see below) you need to book very close to the time of travel.
Where to meet your driver
For some bookings the driver will tell you that they will wait outside the airport and then instruct you where to meet them. If they only occasionally do business at T5 it may be at the drop off zone for departing passengers, on the top level of the airport. Alternatively they may tell you where to go in T5 Arrivals to meet them inside the building. As you exit arrivals there is usually a phalanx of drivers with name boards.
However the best place for all concerned for the rendez-vous is Costa Coffee for international arrivals - open 24 hours a day - or Giraffe Juice café if domestic. The drivers aren't obliged to buy anything if they take a table there.
Uber and other App booking services
Uber and other smartphone Apps have become particularly popular in recent years, and these provide another alternative to using traditional taxis or private hire minicabs. Uber drivers are licensed by TfL, the taxi regulator for London, as Private Hire Vehicle operators. However, they are not subject to the same level of control and regulation as Black cabs, in relation to their vehicles and driver training. Drivers are required to hold a private hire driver licence, which includes a criminal records and medical check. Uber is a supply / demand model, so over time prices will vary, but the price is fixed at the time of booking, which is currently £1.75 a mile plus £3. The pricing structure for Uber is such that most journeys are cheaper than an equivalent journey in a Black cab - some considerably so. However, due to their ‘surge pricing’ arrangements, users should be aware that during periods of very high demand (New Year’s Eve, for example), their pricing could occasionally work out to be more expensive than Black cabs or other Private hire taxis.
To use Uber you need to download the App on to your smartphone, register at least one credit card (Amex is accepted) and then search for your journey. Your smartphone's GPS system will find and link you to the nearest driver, and gives you an indication of wait times. There is no need to tip, your card is charged by the App separately to make it a fully electronic payment. In addition to the standard UberX service using standard saloon cars, there is also UberExec and UberLux options for luxurious cars, costing around 50% and 100% more respectively. You can't pre-book, nor request a particular driver, so you are at the mercy of available driver supply at the time of travel. You are advised to switch on your telephone and get a GPS bearing shortly after landing (and after being advised to do so by the cabin crew) so as to allow time for the GPS functionality to work fully at the time of booking. Other Apps exist apart from Uber, including Hailo, an App used by official London taxi drivers.