TfL identified over 60 cases of illegal taxi and private hire activity at Heathrow, confirms Mayor of London
Transport for London (TfL) has identified more than 60 cases of illegal taxi and private hire activity at Heathrow Airport over the past year. The figures were revealed in response to a question from London Assembly Member Bassam Mahfouz, who sought an update on enforcement measures at the airport.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed that TfL is actively targeting illegal operators at Heathrow through both uniformed and covert patrols. The focus has been on Terminals 2 and 3, where officers have been working alongside police to deter and detect unauthorised drivers.
TfL’s enforcement efforts aim to safeguard passengers while ensuring a level playing field for licensed taxi and private hire drivers. The organisation continues to prioritise Heathrow as a key location for tackling illegal activity, using intelligence-led operations to address the issue.
TfL has pledged to maintain its enforcement presence at Heathrow, working with police and airport authorities to prevent illegal drivers from exploiting passengers.
Mayor Khan responded: “Transport for London (TfL) takes passenger safety very seriously. Heathrow is one of its priority locations, and TfL continues to focus on keeping passengers and visitors coming to London safe while supporting legitimate taxi and private hire trades.
“During the last year, TfL has continued to deploy its Operations Officers to Heathrow, using various operational tactics and working closely with the police to detect illegal activity. These tactics include highly visible patrols to deter illegal drivers, and non-uniform operations where TfL’s Operations Officers have a targeted approach to detecting illegal drivers touting customers as they exit airport terminals. The team has concentrated primarily on activities in and around Terminals 2 and 3.
“In the past 12 months, TfL’s Operations Officers have detected over 60 cases of illegal activity at Heathrow. TfL will continue with this work to deter illegal drivers and reassure passengers.
“Heathrow has delegated the powers around the Heathrow byelaw to TfL. However, TfL can't discharge these powers until the data processing agreement is concluded, which is currently in progress.”
