Heathrow Taxis, A New Beginning?

Heathrow Taxis is the trading name for Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS) and they are holding a "Trade Show" on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th of July.

As the poster shows, there will be a number of trade exhibitors at this event. But I wonder how many of these exhibitors are aware of the progeny of this company? It will be interesting to know their views once they are informed.

Heathrow Taxis, which is a private company limited by guarantee, is funded from the entry fee that all taxi drivers pay when they enter the Taxi Feeder Park at Heathrow airport. Traditionally, the fee (£6.30) charged to taxi drivers each time they enter the TFP was made up of two parts; the main part of the charge went to BAA to administer the running of the Feeder Park through their contractors, and the smaller part of the charge (76pence) went to the taxi drivers' mutual society Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis (HALT). This was an arrangement that was recommended by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Competition Commission.

Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS), now trading under the name of Heathrow Taxis,  was incorporated with Companies House as a private company limited by guarantee in January 2009, and sometime between then and 1st June 2010, the smaller part of the entry fee has been passed onto Heathrow Taxis and not HALT. This new arrangement was because of the result of a so called survey that BAA conducted with the directors of Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) which claimed that there was overwhelming support from HALT members for such a change. What BAA and Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) failed to explain to drivers is that this "survey" has no legal standing whatsoever, and the transfer of funds from the drivers' mutual society, Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis (HALT), to the private company Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) is questionable.

It is my opinion that Heathrow Taxis is heading for some tricky times to come if there is a legal challenge to their claim that they have done this with full legal and democratic integrity. I shall be keeping an eye on any further developments when drivers begin to realise the full implications of the changes that have taken place in the Taxi Feeder Park.

I note that no taxi trade organisations are mentioned in the list of exhibitors! There are three "recognised" trade organisations in the taxi trade, and there have been rumours that they are beginning to have reservations about Heathrow Taxis because of the above reasons. This is despite the fact that Unite the union (taxi branch) has had very strong links with some of the directors of Heathrow Taxis in the past.

I will be happy to discuss any of the issues in this article with any other taxi trade representative, if they wish to do so.

Michael Moran RMT Heathrow rep (London taxi branch).

Please email me at   Roman@rmtmail.org.uk

Heathrow Taxi Rank Agents

The parking and enforcement giant, NSL, took over the running and administration of the taxi system at Heathrow Airport from Meteor Parking at the beginning of 2010.

There are a number of concerns that have emerged regarding the levels of professionalism shown by NSL staff since this company won this lucrative contract. One of these concerns has been highlighted below, and the RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) is taking steps to ensure that this issue is resolved as a matter of urgency.

Taxi Rank Agents: The Limits of Their Responsibility.

Reference Jenny Croft, NSL.

There appears to be a trend emerging on the terminal taxi ranks where agents are overstepping their authority. There have been a number of instances where taxi rank agents have held back passengers who are either travelling in a group of 6, or are in a smaller group with a lot of luggage. Some agents have been telling passengers that they should wait for a Vito taxi, as these are able to accommodate their needs.


Most passengers fully expect to have to use more than one taxi in these situations, but are under the impression that the rank agent has the authority to hold them back. There is evidence to suggest that some passengers have been held up for up to 30 minutes in this way.

There are a number of issues here:

Firstly, the taxi rank agents’ job is to ensure the smooth running of the ranks, to request the passengers’ destinations, to make sure that the first cab on the rank takes the first available job, if the driver is legally obliged to do so, and to feed drivers’ details into the local journey system if and when appropriate.


Secondly, rank agents must not discuss prices, advise passengers on the suitability of taxi type, nor put themselves up as arbiters to decide how much luggage a taxi can carry, regardless of the number of passengers that might be travelling in a group. Taxi drivers have a duty of care towards their passengers, and as such, it is for the individual driver to decide what constitutes an unsafe load.


Finally, some of the taxi rank agents appear to be either poorly trained, or seem to think that they have the authority to interpret the rules to suit themselves. This has caused consternation on a number of occasions, and has led to unnecessary arguments and complaints as a result.


Whilst the taxi trade at Heathrow accepts the need to have a regulating presence on the ranks, it cannot accept any undermining of its duties or responsibilities, nor any misinterpretation of the law. No driver that has lawfully driven onto a rank can be forced to leave by any rank agent without a job if a taxi rank agent suspects there has been a contravention of either Hackney Carriage law, or any Heathrow byelaws: Neither primary legislation nor Heathrow byelaws make provision for this.


If a driver has breached any relevant legislation there are established procedures in place to deal with them. It must be noted that when Metropolitan Police Traffic Wardens administered the ranks, there was far less strife and misunderstanding of the rules because of their superior level of training.


We suggest that these issues form part of any training program that taxi rank agents attend before they are deemed qualified to regulate any taxi rank at Heathrow Airport.




Michael Moran, RMT Heathrow rep. London Taxi Branch.

The RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) advises all taxi drivers who are registered with Taxi Expert, the tagging system for entering the Feeder Park, not to sign up with Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS).

We have grave concerns regarding the integrity of HALTS, and will not sanction its validity by signing up to, what we believe is, a flawed system.

 The RMT cannot subscribe to a scheme that excludes non HALTS drivers from obtaining work from the Terminal Taxi Desks. All drivers contribute to the costs of these desks through the Feeder Park entry fee, and are therefore entitled to whatever jobs are brought out to the rank from inside the terminal building by taxi desk staff.


There can be no exclusion.


Michael Moran, RMT Heathrow rep. London Taxi Branch.