Fees for London Licensed Taxi Trade at Heathrow Airport

That this House recognises the serious concerns of the London Licensed Taxi Trade regarding Heathrow Airport Ltd.’s plans to increase the fee payable when a driver enters the Heathrow Taxi Feeder Park in order to service the airports taxi ranks from 1 July 2021; supports the trade in its call for Heathrow to reconsider this near threefold increase; notes the important role that licensed taxis play as a form of onward transport from Heathrow, particularly for business travellers, tourists and those with limited mobility, including disabled and elderly passengers; applauds the efforts of London’s black cab drivers to keep passengers moving safely throughout the pandemic, providing a covid-secure service and undertaking high risk journeys to quarantine hotels and testing sites when many other forms of transport were operating vastly reduced services; acknowledges the significant financial challenges facing Heathrow as a result of the pandemic and collapse in passenger numbers, which has also created financial hardship for many self-employed taxi drivers; believes that there is a more equitable solution that can be found to allow Heathrow to recover its losses without unfairly and unduly impacting already struggling taxi drivers; and therefore calls on Heathrow to reconsider its position and re-engage with the London Licensed Taxi Trade as a matter of urgency to ensure that the entry fee remains sustainable for drivers and does not damage their business.