A fixed-fare taxi from London City Airport starts at £30.00 for a saloon — and because that minimum fare covers the first 5 miles, the same single number takes you to Canary Wharf, ExCeL London and most of Docklands.
Stansted Airport Taxi is a TfL-licensed private-hire operator rated 4.9/5 from 247 verified reviews. Every LCY quote comes off one published rate card: no surge, no night uplift, the price confirmed before you book. One thing first, because it is true: the DLR station sits directly beside the terminal, and for a solo traveller with hand luggage it is often the smarter buy. We explain exactly when — and when the fixed per-vehicle fare wins — below.
Two numbers determine every fare on this page — plus one airport charge and one honest station fact.
Saloon minimum fare
Covers the first 5 miles from LCY
Distance the minimum pays for
Canary Wharf, ExCeL, Stratford all inside
LCY forecourt drop-off · from 6 Jan 2026
Up to 5 min · handled upfront
Right beside the terminal
~22 min to Bank · we say when it wins
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton sit outside London. London City is the opposite case — it sits inside the city, on the Royal Docks in E16.
Every vehicle on our card carries a minimum fare that covers the first 5 miles. At the out-of-town airports the minimum barely registers, because no journey is that short. At LCY it decides almost everything: Canary Wharf is roughly 4 miles away, ExCeL about 2, Stratford about 5 — so a saloon to any of them is the same £30.00, because each trip sits inside the distance the minimum already pays for.
The minimum is a floor that includes 5 miles of driving — it is not a flat rate for every address near the airport. Beyond the 5-mile mark, the fare simply adds a fixed per-mile rate for your vehicle class.
Distance ladder · saloon fare at each destination · rate-card computed
↑ INSIDE THE 5-MILE MINIMUM · SAME £30.00 FARE ↑ · ↓ BEYOND · PER-MILE ARITHMETIC ENGAGES ↓
Three of those six destinations land on the minimum fare — that is the London City pricing story in one panel. No time-of-day multiplier, no traffic clock, no rounding tricks — distance in, price out. Why does nobody else on this search publish a formula? Aggregators resell 1,000+ anonymous operators and add commission (no single basis to print); the black cabs on the terminal rank run TfL meters (can't state a figure until the journey has happened). A rate card is only possible when one operator sets one price structure — so we print ours.
The reference table for every fare on this page. The West End column shows the same ~10-mile example computed for each class — see your vehicle's real number.
| Vehicle | Capacity | Min. fare (first 5 mi) | Per mile after | West End ~10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon | Up to 4 · 3 cases | £30.00 | £1.30 | £36.50 |
| Estate | Up to 5 · 4 cases | £31.20 | £1.35 | £37.95 |
| MPV5 | Up to 5 | £33.00 | £1.43 | £40.15 |
| MPV6 | Up to 6 · 5 bags | £34.50 | £1.50 | £42.00 |
| MPV7 | Up to 7 | £37.50 | £1.63 | £45.65 |
| MPV8 | Up to 8 | £39.00 | £1.69 | £47.45 |
| Executive | 3–4 · Mercedes E-Class | £36.00 | £1.80 | £45.00 |
| Executive MPV | Up to 6 | £42.00 | £2.10 | £52.50 |
Indicative fares computed from the published rate card; your exact fixed price is confirmed at booking against your pickup postcode, vehicle, date and requirements. Distances approximate. Above eight passengers we run minibuses seating 8–16, priced individually — driver allocation and luggage trailers vary by group, so the minibus fleet page covers seat plans while call/WhatsApp gets you the fixed figure.
Computed saloon and Executive fares side by side, with what the market observed elsewhere in July 2026 — dated context, not guaranteed current.
| Destination | ~Miles | Saloon (fixed) | Executive E-Class (fixed) | Market context · Jul 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Wharf | 4 mi | £30.00 | £36.00 | Aggregator sample £40 for the same hop |
| ExCeL London | 2 mi | £30.00 | £36.00 | Event-day app prices highly variable |
| City of London / Bank | 7 mi | £32.60 | £39.60 | Black-cab meter estimates £25–£35 |
| West End | 10 mi | £36.50 | £45.00 | Meter estimates £35–£50 |
| Kings Cross / St Pancras | 9 mi | £35.20 | £43.20 | Rail-connection run (Eurostar, East Coast) |
| Stratford | 5 mi | £30.00 | £36.00 | Aggregator sample £40 for the same hop |
Three of six rows land on the minimum fare — that is the London City pricing story in one table. The black-cab meter's optimistic end can undercut us on the shortest City runs; the difference is that a meter's number arrives at the end of the journey and ours arrives before it starts.
Indicative, confirmed at booking. Distances approximate; third-party samples observed July 2026 and not guaranteed current. Your destination not listed? The same two-part rule prices any address in London or the Home Counties. Use the London taxi fare calculator for an instant estimate on an unlisted destination, or request a quote with your exact postcode.
London City Airport has its own DLR station directly beside the terminal — trains every few minutes reaching Bank in about 22 minutes for a few pounds.
Most transfer sites bury this; we would rather you trust the rest of the page. The Elizabeth line is not at the airport itself, but its Custom House station is a few minutes away by DLR via Canning Town, opening fast runs to Liverpool Street, Paddington and beyond (verify fares and times at tfl.gov.uk — figures checked July 2026).
One traveller, one destination, one clean answer either way. The choice depends on the party, the luggage, the time of day and where you're going — not on which page you happened to land on.
When the train wins
One traveller · hand luggage · station-near destination
One traveller, hand luggage, a destination near a DLR or Elizabeth line stop, no meeting to walk into: take the train. A few pounds against a £30.00 minimum fare is not a contest, and we will not pretend otherwise. This is the honest answer for a large share of solo LCY passengers.
DLR to Bank ~22 min · few pounds contactless
When the fixed fare wins
Two+ · luggage · pre-dawn · door-to-door
Two or more travelling together, hold luggage or a buggy, a child seat, an address nowhere near a station, a client meeting straight off the plane, or an 05:30 departure when you would rather not gamble on first trains. Door-to-door with the price already settled is what the fixed fare actually sells — not a discount on the DLR.
Per-vehicle price · luggage handled · certainty at 05:30
The per-person crossover · the ~7-mile City run at £32.60 fixed
£32.60 ÷ 2 = £16.30 each · £32.60 ÷ 4 = £8.15 each
Alone, you are paying roughly ten times the train fare for privacy, luggage space and a door-to-door ride. Split between two: about £16.30 each. Among four colleagues to the same postcode: roughly £8.15 each (divisors 2 and 4, stated). At that point the fixed fare sits within touching distance of two-to-four train fares — with no interchange, no escalators and no luggage rack roulette. That is the honest crossover.
The ~27-mile cross-London run to Heathrow is where distance actually engages the formula — our saloon is £58.60 fixed, computed as £30 + 22 × £1.30.
The ~27-mile cross-London run to Heathrow is the one LCY journey people price most. Our saloon fare is £58.60 fixed — computed as the £30.00 minimum plus 22 miles at £1.30 — with flight tracking at both ends included, so a late landing never becomes a fare problem.
| Vehicle | Our fixed fare (~27 mi) | Same run elsewhere · observed Jul 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Saloon | £58.60 | Rival quotes £49–£109; £70–£85 the common band |
| MPV7 (7-seater) | £73.36 | Aggregator saloon quote alone reached £84.67 |
| Executive E-Class | £75.60 | Below several operators' standard-saloon figures |
The LCY→Heathrow saloon quote spread · July 2026 observation
Observed across ranking pages July 2026. We are not the bottom of that scatter — one 'from £49' teaser sits under us. The difference is that every figure above shows its working: minimum fare plus per-mile, printed two sections up. A quote you can recompute yourself is a different product from a headline you have to hope survives the booking form.
Same arithmetic for every cross-airport hop. Each airport's own pricing lives on its dedicated page — this table exists only for connections.
| Connection | ~Miles | Saloon (fixed) | Deeper detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCY → Gatwick | 40 mi | £75.50 | Full Gatwick pricing page |
| LCY → Stansted | 33 mi | £66.40 | Full Stansted pricing page |
| LCY → Luton | 32 mi | £65.10 | Full Luton airport taxi hub |
Indicative, confirmed at booking; distances approximate. Between airports with luggage, one pre-booked car door-to-door also spares you the rail-and-Tube relay across central London with cases in hand.
London City sits 10–15 minutes from Canary Wharf, a short hop from the City — its passengers buy certainty more than luxury. This section prices that certainty.
An Executive Mercedes E-Class runs to Canary Wharf or ExCeL on its £36.00 minimum fare, to Bank for £39.60, and to the West End for £45.00 — computed from the same card as every other figure here (£36 min + £1.80/mi after five). Set that against the £40 an aggregator wanted for a standard saloon on the Canary Wharf hop (observed July 2026): a client-ready arrival can cost less than the market's ordinary car. Executive MPVs carry delegations of up to six; no limousine theatre, just the arithmetic.
VAT receipt every journey
Vehicle, date, route and amount — ready to attach to the expense line.
Corporate account billing
Consolidate a month of transfers into one invoice — no chasing individual claims.
Stored profile · repeat book
Frequent LCY–Canary Wharf shuttle-run? Repeat booking in under a minute.
Driver in arrivals
Name-board ready when a 15-minute plane-to-kerb delivers you faster than the paperwork expects.
A fixed figure to put on the expense line before the trip is approved, receipts follow the journey, and the confirmation carries every detail needed. See the executive fleet page for E-Class and V-Class detail.
The airport's forecourt charge on departures, stated beside the fare rather than after it. And one compact terminal on Hartmann Road (E16 2PX) — famously quick.
Two things can sit outside the quoted figure, and we would rather list them beside the fares than behind a booking form: the airport's own forecourt charge on departures, and waiting that runs beyond the free window after you land. Child and booster seats are arranged at booking — tell us ages and we fit the right seats, at no extra charge.
£8
for up to 5 minutes · terminal forecourt drop-off
Effective from 6 January 2026
Source: londoncityairport.com — figure checked July 2026. Blue-badge holders and licensed black cabs are currently exempt. Verify the current figure at publish; airport charges change.
Tier 1
£8
up to 5 minutes
Tier 2
+£1/min
5–10 minutes
Cap
10 min
maximum window
Handled upfront in your written quote · not a kerb-side surprise
In your quote the figure is disclosed before you book. If you ask the driver to wait beyond the free 60-minute Arrivals window after landing, additional waiting is charged at the rate agreed at booking. No fee appears after booking.
Arrivals · meet & greet inside the hall
London City has one compact terminal on Hartmann Road in the Royal Docks (E16 2PX), and it is famously quick — arrival to kerb often takes around 15 minutes. Because we track your flight, your driver is already positioned in the arrivals area holding a board with your name when you walk out, however early or late the aircraft is.
If you can't find your driver
The confirmation carries your driver's name and mobile plus our 24/7 line +44 20 3617 7825. One call resolves a missed connection in the hall — nobody is left circling the forecourt or guessing at pillar numbers. Departing passengers are dropped directly outside the terminal entrance; check-in is a short walk from the kerb.
Saloon for up to four with airline-sized cases; Estate when the luggage outgrows the boot; MPV5 to MPV8 as the party grows. Executive E-Class carries up to four in business-grade comfort; Executive MPV does the same for six. Every fare is per vehicle — never per seat.
Saloon
Up to 4 · 3 bags
£30.00 minimum
MPV6
Up to 6 · 5 bags
£34.50 minimum
Executive
Mercedes E-Class
£36.00 minimum
Minibus 8–16
By quote
Groups & ExCeL crews
Per-vehicle fares with the per-person maths openly stated — one full load, divisor beside every number.
Seat plans, luggage capacity and child-seat configurations live on the 6-seater and 7-seater MPV fleet page — this table exists purely for the prices. Child and booster seats are fitted when you book, at no extra charge — one line in the booking notes does it.
| Vehicle | West End ~10 mi | Heathrow ~27 mi | Shared equally · divisor stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPV6 (up to 6) | £42.00 | £67.50 | £7.00 / £11.25 each ÷ 6 |
| MPV7 (up to 7) | £45.65 | £73.36 | £6.52 / £10.48 each ÷ 7 |
| MPV8 (up to 8) | £47.45 | £76.18 | £5.93 / £9.52 each ÷ 8 |
Minibus by quote for events and crews: ExCeL exhibition crews, sports squads and wedding parties moving 8 to 16 people get a fixed minibus quote against date, headcount and kit — one vehicle, one bill, everyone and the flight cases together. Message the date and numbers and a firm figure comes back the same day.
The structural difference is when you learn the number: meter tells you at the end, app tells you a minute before (may change), rate card tells you at booking and stops moving.
Pre-booked fixed fare This service
Rate card · confirmed before travel · whole vehicle · same both directions
Best for: 2+ sharing, families, groups, early or late flights, addresses the DLR/Elizabeth line does not serve, corporate accountability and receipts.
Black-cab rank
Walk-up at terminal front · TfL meter · rank fleet
Walk up, no booking, wheelchair-accessible fleet. Estimator meter can undercut on the shortest City runs — the number just arrives at the end of the journey rather than before it starts.
Uber / ride-hailing app
Dynamic pricing that reacts to demand
No firm LCY figure published; quote varies by the minute. Best when demand is quiet. Event-day and pre-dawn windows are exactly when it climbs.
Put every quote — including ours — through these four questions:
Fixed or metered?
If the number can grow in traffic, it is an estimate, not a price. Ours: fixed in writing at booking.
Per vehicle or per person?
Transfer quotes should be per car — per-seat pricing rewrites group maths. Ours: always per vehicle.
What is inside?
Meet & greet, flight tracking and 60-min complimentary waiting included, or invoiced later? Ours: included in the fare.
Who handles the £8 forecourt charge?
Absorbed, itemised, or a surprise? Ours: handled upfront in the written quote.
What 'fixed' has to mean: the figure in your confirmation is computed from the printed card, and it is what you pay — flight delayed, traffic slow, bank holiday or 4 a.m., no difference. Anything less deserves a different word.
Book online with your exact postcode for an instant fixed figure, or call or WhatsApp +44 20 3617 7825 — a human answers 24/7/365. Every quote comes off the rate card printed on this page.
Option 1
Enter your postcode, flight number and date — fixed fare returned instantly from the rate card. Written confirmation follows immediately.
Book Online →Option 2
Send pickup postcode, flight number and time. Fixed fare confirmed in reply — best for last-minute quotes and specific vehicle-tier requests.
WhatsApp Now →Option 3
Speak to a dispatcher on +44 20 3617 7825 — answered any hour. Best for corporate accounts, group bookings and accessibility needs.
Call Now →After you book · what happens next
Every answer below contains a computed figure or a stated rule from the rate card — no vague reassurance.
How much is a taxi from London City Airport to central London?
A fixed £32.60 saloon to the City around Bank (~7 miles) and £36.50 to the West End (~10 miles), built from a £30.00 minimum fare covering the first 5 miles plus £1.30 per mile after. The figure is confirmed at booking and does not move with traffic or time of day.
How much is a taxi from London City Airport to Heathrow?
£58.60 fixed for a saloon over the ~27-mile run; a 7-seater MPV is £73.36 and an Executive E-Class £75.60. Quotes we observed elsewhere in July 2026 ran £49–£109 for the same saloon transfer, mostly £70–£85. Flight tracking at both airports is included. See Heathrow airport taxi prices for the sibling pricing page.
Why do so many London City Airport taxi journeys cost the same?
Because the minimum fare covers the first 5 miles and LCY sits inside the city. Canary Wharf (~4 miles), ExCeL (~2 miles) and Stratford (~5 miles) all fall inside that distance, so each is the same £30.00 saloon fare. Beyond 5 miles the fare adds a set per-mile rate — the full card is on this page.
Is the DLR cheaper than a taxi from London City Airport?
For one person with hand luggage, nearly always — the station is directly beside the terminal and reaches Bank in about 22 minutes for a few pounds (verify at tfl.gov.uk). The fixed fare wins per vehicle: two sharing the £32.60 City run pay about £16.30 each, and luggage, child seats and door-to-door come included.
How much is a taxi from London City Airport to Canary Wharf?
£30.00 fixed for a saloon: the ~4-mile journey sits inside the minimum fare that covers the first 5 miles. An aggregator sample we observed in July 2026 asked £40 for the identical hop. An Executive E-Class for a client-ready arrival is £36.00.
Do London City Airport taxi prices rise at night or weekends?
No. Fares come off the rate card alone, so a 05:30 pickup for the first wave of business flights costs exactly what a Tuesday lunchtime does — no surge, no night tariff, no weekend uplift. That is precisely when metered and app prices at LCY are at their least predictable.
What extras apply at London City Airport — is there a drop-off charge?
The airport introduced an £8 forecourt drop-off charge (up to 5 minutes, then £1 per minute to a 10-minute cap) on 6 January 2026 — verify the current figure at londoncityairport.com. Your quote already includes meet & greet, flight tracking and 60 minutes of complimentary Arrivals waiting; child seats are fitted free on request.
How do I get an exact price for a London City Airport taxi?
Enter your postcode online for an instant fixed quote, or call or WhatsApp +44 20 3617 7825 any hour of any day. The quote is computed from the rate card published on this page, covers the meet & greet and waiting inclusions, and becomes the exact amount you pay — with a VAT receipt for expenses. For an address beyond the tables, the London taxi fare calculator gives the estimate first.
Stansted Airport Taxi — QMH Technologies Ltd, a TfL-licensed private-hire operator — runs fixed rate-card transfers to and from London City Airport around the clock: saloons at £30.00 minimum to 16-seat minibuses, 4.9/5 from 247 verified reviews, no surge, no night rates, and a VAT receipt for every business journey. The rate card is on this page; the exact figure takes under a minute. Get your fixed London City Airport fare — book online or call +44 20 3617 7825.
Fare basis: published rate card (minimum fare covers first 5 miles + per-mile thereafter), fares indicative until confirmed at booking. Rival, black-cab and app prices observed July 2026. DLR/Elizabeth line and airport-charge facts checked July 2026 against tfl.gov.uk and londoncityairport.com — reverify at publish. Last reviewed July 2026 · Stansted Airport Taxi editorial team.
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