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Mayor rejects flat cab fare to Heathrow
Nicholas Cecil, Political Correspondent17.10.07
Ken Livingstone today rejected the introduction of flat taxi fares from Heathrow to stop passengers being ripped off.
However, black cab drivers will have to agree fares with a passenger before they set off for a destination outside London, or use their meter to charge.
They will not be allowed to simply hit people with a hefty bill once they arrive at a destination.
The Commons all-party transport select committee recommended that the west London airport follow the example of New York's JFK airport in having regulated fares for yellow cabs travelling into the city centre. But the Mayor rejected the proposal, insisting it was not necessary.
The MPs were told that some cab drivers, who cross the London boundary, are charging passengers £50 to £60 for travelling one or two miles, without warning them of the cost, and argued that adopting the New York system would benefit people arriving at Heathrow, particularly business people.
Under the Transport for London Bill, taxi drivers will have to agree a fare before departure or use their meter to run up the charge.
TfL insisted that the scheme at JFK airport of regulated fares operated only to the city centre, Manhattan, and not other districts.
"TfL does not believe it is necessary to introduce a similar system in the capital as it is not aware of problems with the supply of taxis for equivalent journeys from Heathrow to central London," it said.
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