Heathrow Airport to Southampton Hotel

[gumshoe958]

An Uber will cost a minimum of £85. A private car transfer will be roughly double that.

[John Bull]

Heathrow, and possibly other airports, are a special case with Uber.

 

They park as close as legally-possible to the airport, and the first to respond can take as little as 10 mins.  That kinda makes a mockery out of their "Private Hire" licence being limited to booked trips whereas taxis on the rank at LHR  must hold a Hackney Carriage licence.

 

Bear in mind that Uber drivers will not respond if they don't want that long trip, so it's crossed-fingers that one agrees within a reasonable time.

 

JB 🙂 

[Cotswold Eagle]

8 hours ago, John Bull said:

They park as close as legally-possible to the airport, and the first to respond can take as little as 10 mins. 

That's not been true for some years. Uber and otters private hire drivers waiting for a fare must wait in the Authorised Vehicle Area (AVA) off the North Peri Road, similar to the black cab staging area. The app is geo-fenced to that location, so they should not be able to pick up airport fares from the villages, 

[John Bull]

26 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

That's not been true for some years. Uber and otters private hire drivers waiting for a fare must wait in the Authorised Vehicle Area (AVA) off the North Peri Road, similar to the black cab staging area. The app is geo-fenced to that location, so they should not be able to pick up airport fares from the villages, 

 

Are we singing from the same song-sheet, my feathered friend?

I was referring to waiting for on-spec trade from the airport terminals. Didn't know there was a dedicated area for them within the airport - is that for on-spec trade, or only for those who already have a booking? 

 

JB 🙂 

[Cotswold Eagle]

9 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Are we singing from the same song-sheet, my feathered friend?

I was referring to waiting for on-spec trade from the airport terminals. Didn't know there was a dedicated area for them within the airport - is that for on-spec trade, or only for those who already have a booking? 

 

JB 🙂 

Yup, that's the only place they'll be able to get jobs out of the airport. It's sequenced too, so pretty much like a cab rank - I think I have read they can turn one job down before going to the back of the queue. 

 

https://www.uber.com/global/en/r/airports/lhr/driver-information/

Edited June 25 by Cotswold Eagle

[John Bull]

9 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Yup, that's the only place they'll be able to get jobs out of the airport. It's sequenced too, so pretty much like a cab rank - I think I have read they can turn one job down before going to the back of the queue. 

 

https://www.uber.com/global/en/r/airports/lhr/driver-information/

 

 

Thanks for that, and for the link.

 

Sounds fraught .....

 - offered two jobs, both for more pax & luggage than my car can handle, sent to the back of the line?

- offered two jobs, one to Wales & the other to Cornwall, both too far for me, sent to the back of the line?

- do the drivers name their price, or does Uber dictate prices?

- can the scheme handle 50 jobs in a minute? (that's just 12 per terminal)

- can a driver circumvent the line by sitting in a hotel carpark or wherever, or does the app. only work in the allocated area?

Glad I wasn't asked to organise this - and everyone else will be glad about that too 🤣  

 

JB 🙂

[LeeW]

On 6/21/2024 at 3:23 AM, John Bull said:

90 mins as per @gumshoe958's post, or a little quicker.

Note the reference to biometric passports (a little box icon on the passport front cover that looks vaguely like a camera). The technology of the e-gates has been known to fail meaning that everyone has to join the line to present their passport to an officer but that's rare.

 

But transfer operators like Blackberry know far more than us and will be up to date on any hiccups. Usually telling them your flight number and scheduled arrival time will suffice.

They'll wait in the Arrivals Hall - behind the barriers at the exit from baggage & customs, or they'll tell you a less-crowded and more comfortable meeting point in that Hall.

Trading phone numbers with them is a good idea.

 

JB 🙂

 

Meeting point for Aqua Cars was in front of the WHSmith store to right as you leave international security in Terminal 2.  Hard to see them - behind a couple of signs.  

[shayatl]

Have used Blackberry Cars both before and after pandemic, to Southampton and to Dover from LHR.  No issues, very pleased with their service.