Black taxi demand at Heathrow Airport drops in Autumn prompting speculation around cause
Licensed taxi drivers have seen a drop in passenger demand at London’s Taxi Feeder Park, following several years of steady growth. According to Sam Houston, Senior Representative at the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), figures for September were ‘disappointing’, and October appeared to be on a similar path.
Houston, writing in TAXI Magazine, commented on the unpredictability of the market, noting that drivers often speculate on the causes of fluctuations, from school holidays and international events to broader economic uncertainty. Yet despite this current dip, demand remains above pre-Covid levels, providing some reassurance that recent performance gains haven’t been entirely reversed.
Rumours of reintegrating taxi desks within airport terminals have also surfaced. Houston, a frequent airport driver, voiced cautious interest in the idea, but he stressed that drivers will need a clear and compelling financial case to support any such move.
Houston said: “September throughput at the Taxi Feeder Park was somewhat disappointing, and at time of writing October has also felt slow.
“As always in our business, many theories are put forward as to why, half term, wars, election uncertainty, I’ve heard it all...
“We’ve come off a good run of success at the Airport in the last few years and these things can be cyclical, but throughput is still above pre-Covid levels.
“I have heard some grand plans for having desks back in the terminals but as a regular airport driver, I would want there to be a reasonable expectation that I will make more money per hour with the desks there than without.
“Obviously, no-one can guarantee this, but if drivers are going to be convinced, there needs to be a coherent plan that explains how it will result in more revenue overall.”
