Licensed private hire, explained

The middle of the last decade was a turbulent period for licensed transport in London. Applications for the Knowledge, the two-to-four-year training that black cab drivers complete, fell from 3,326 in 2012 to 2,159 within three years as app-based private hire expanded. Drivers protested outside Transport for London's offices over enforcement, and TfL reported acting against hundreds of private hire drivers during a single campaign. The core complaint was not competition but standards: background checks, insurance, and vehicles picking up passengers who had not pre-booked.

The distinction that came out of that period still holds. A licensed private hire vehicle must be booked through a licensed operator in advance — it cannot legally be hailed in the street or accept a passenger who walks up to it. Only a black cab can be hailed. Anyone approaching you inside a terminal offering a taxi is, by definition, not operating legally.

We are a private hire operator licensed by Transport for London. Journeys are booked in advance with a named driver and a fixed price agreed before you travel, and drivers are licensed and vetted. If you are ever unsure at an airport, use the official rank or a pre-arranged transfer, and never accept a ride from someone who approaches you in the arrivals hall.

Airports Transfer is a trading name of Executive Airports Ltd.

Written by Airports Transfer in September 2026, drawing on contemporary reporting by BBC News. The original article is no longer available online.