In message . com, Jkf
writes
I'm trying to do something that may be impossible...help would be
appreciated. I will be arriving Friday night at Heathrow in a few
weeks. I imagine I'll be out of customs by 10:00 pm. Is there any way
I can arrive in Blackheath, where I will be staying by 11:00 pm? Here
are some questions...

1. If I got a cab at the airport, how long would it take and about how
much would that cost (approximately) to get to Blackheath? (I'm afraid
to hear the answer, because I recall that cabs in London were a King's
ransom.)

I've read some of the other replies, some of which do not seem to have
read your original post correctly. Let me see if I can help you from a
taxi driver's point of view.

First of all you state that you imagine you'll be out of customs at
about 10 p.m. Do you know which terminal you will be arriving at? (If
it's long haul BA it will probably be T4, long haul (most) other
carriers T3, European T2. In my experience most people take about 45
minutes to collect luggage and complete customs (those who have been
away for one day on business with no luggage are usually out within 15
minutes). From this can you confirm that your flight is scheduled to
land at about 9.15 p.m.?

Time on a Friday - you should do that within the hour. Note that the
route the driver should choose would avoid the west end.

Cost. The fare is on the meter and would probably be in the region of 75
GBP. There is a Heathrow pick up charge of 2.00 GPB (which is half the
4.00 GBP we get charged to be allowed to pick up !) and that would be
shown on the meter as an 'extra'. There is no other premium.

Taxis are not forced to take a fare to Blackheath as it is well outside
the compulsory 20 mile limit (for Heathrow - 12 miles in town). However,
most drivers would be willing to take such a fare.

For one person a taxi is obviously a relatively expensive option (unless
the business is paying). For two it is marginal, but for 3, 4 or 5
people a taxi is usually cheaper (especially at night when the traffic
moves) that the Heathrow Express.

There is also the consideration of luggage. How much will you have and
how easy is it to move around. If you post more details then I can give
you more definitive information.

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England