Heathrow pick-up points: where to meet your ride at every terminal
Nobody can wait for you at the Heathrow kerb. The forecourts are drop-off only, so every pick-up happens in a car park, at a taxi rank or at a meeting point inside arrivals, and Terminal 4 changed again in June 2026 when its multi-storey car park closed. Here is where each kind of ride meets you, terminal by terminal, as Heathrow and the operators describe it.
The 30-second version
Black cabs wait at the rank outside every terminal. Uber and other app cars collect you on foot from your terminal's Terminal Parking car park; pre-booked drivers meet you at the arrivals meeting point and walk you to their car. A friend should park in Terminal Parking (£8 for up to 29 minutes) or a Park & Ride car park (first 29 minutes free), never on the forecourt; at Terminal 4, Zone A of the Park & Ride is free for two hours.
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Terminal 2
- Taxi
The black cab rank outside the terminal
Follow the taxi signs from arrivals. Fares are metered, a journey from a Heathrow rank adds £1.60, and every black cab has wheelchair access.
- Uber and ride apps
The Terminal 2 Terminal Parking car park
Heathrow says Uber riders meet their driver on foot in their terminal's Terminal Parking car park, two minutes' walk from the doors. Follow the in-app directions.
- Pre-booked driver
The meeting point opposite the international arrivals exit
Your driver waits inside, then walks you to the car park. Give them your flight number so they track a delay.
- Friends collecting you
Terminal Parking for Terminals 2 and 3, or the Park & Ride for Terminals 2 and 3
Terminal Parking is two minutes' walk from the doors: take a ticket and pay at the pay-on-foot machine. Park & Ride is free for the first 29 minutes, with a shuttle bus every 15 minutes from the terminal doors.
- Train
Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 station: Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line
A few minutes' walk from arrivals through a pedestrian subway. Contactless works on all three.
- Coach
Heathrow Central Bus Station, between Terminals 2 and 3; RailAir coaches from stops 11–12
National Express and most coaches and local buses leave from here, about five minutes' walk by lift, escalator and travelator.
Terminal 3
- Taxi
The black cab rank outside the terminal
Follow the taxi signs. Metered fares plus £1.60 from the rank.
- Uber and ride apps
Level 1 of the Terminal 3 Terminal Parking car park, App & Private hire pick up, zones 1–4
Uber's directions: from baggage reclaim follow signs for Car Parking, then Terminal Parking, to the lifts; go to Floor 1, cross the skybridge and the lift lobby following App & Private hire pick up, then turn left and cross the road twice. Drivers park in zones 1–4.
- Pre-booked driver
The meeting point in the seating area on the ground floor of arrivals
Drivers cannot wait on the forecourt, so they meet you here and walk you to Terminal Parking.
- Friends collecting you
Terminal Parking for Terminals 2 and 3, or the Park & Ride for Terminals 2 and 3
£8 for up to 29 minutes in Terminal Parking, paid at the machine; the first 29 minutes free in Park & Ride.
- Train
Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 station
Shared with Terminal 2, a short walk through the pedestrian subway: Heathrow Express to Paddington, Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line.
- Coach
Heathrow Central Bus Station; RailAir coaches from stops 7–8
Most coaches and local buses leave from the Central Bus Station between the two terminals.
Terminal 4
- Taxi
The black cab rank outside the terminal
Heathrow says black cabs and private hire operate as normal during the works.
- Uber and ride apps
As directed in the app
Private hire pick-ups continue as normal despite the car park closure; check the app for the spot after you request.
- Pre-booked driver
The meeting point next to WHSmith on the ground floor of arrivals
Your driver meets you inside and walks you to the car.
- Friends collecting you
Priority Pick-Up area, Arrivals Level (Level 1), right-hand lane outside arrivals
Reached by Salisbury Road, keeping to the two right-hand lanes at the Terminal 4 roundabout. £7 for up to 10 minutes, £14 for 11–29, £25 for 30–60; pay online or by phone by midnight the next day. The driver stays with the car; no Blue Badge discount.
- Friends collecting you
Park & Ride Terminal 4, Zone A
Free for two hours, then £9.40 for 2–4 hours. Free shuttles every five minutes, 04:00–23:30, from bus stops 5, 6 and 7 outside arrivals, signed Park & Ride 4 / Zone A Shuttle. Heathrow's best option for meeting someone inside.
- Train
Heathrow Terminal 4 station, below arrivals: Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line
No Heathrow Express: for Paddington, take the Elizabeth line.
- Coach
Stops 12–17 outside arrivals
National Express uses stops 12–14. A short walk from the Underground and Elizabeth line stations.
Terminal 5
- Taxi
The black cab rank outside the terminal
Follow the taxi signs from arrivals. Metered fares plus £1.60 from the rank.
- Uber and ride apps
Floor 1 of the Terminal 5 Terminal Parking car park, Row R
Uber's directions: from baggage reclaim go to any exit door and the two lifts, take either to Floor 1, turn left into the car park and follow the pedestrian walkway, concrete posts on your right, to Row R.
- Pre-booked driver
Two meeting points in arrivals: north opposite Travelex, south near Costa Coffee
Agree which one with your driver before you land.
- Friends collecting you
Terminal Parking for Terminal 5, or the Park & Ride for Terminal 5
£8 for up to 29 minutes in Terminal Parking; the first 29 minutes free in Park & Ride, with shuttle buses every 15 minutes.
- Train
Heathrow Terminal 5 station, in the basement: Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line
Lifts and escalators straight down from arrivals.
- Coach
Stops 9–15 outside arrivals
National Express uses stops 11–15; the N9 night bus to central London also leaves from Terminal 5.
Being picked up by a friend: where to wait and what it costs
Yes, if they are happy to take a shuttle bus. Every Park & Ride car park gives 29 minutes free (£9.40 for up to two hours), and at Terminal 4 Zone A is free for two hours. To meet someone inside the terminal, use Terminal Parking, two minutes' walk from the doors.
Never stop on the forecourt to collect: pick-ups are banned there, the £7 drop-off charge applies to every visit, and an unattended car is removed by the police. Unpaid charges become an £80 Parking Charge, £40 if paid within 14 days.
- Terminal Parking, up to 29 min
- £8
- Terminal Parking, 30–44 min
- £12.50
- Terminal Parking, 45–59 min
- £15.50
- Terminal Parking, 1–2 hours
- £20
- Park & Ride, first 29 min
- Free
- Terminal 4 Zone A, first 2 hours
- Free
Meeting a pre-booked driver
A pre-booked driver meets you at your terminal's meeting point and walks you to Terminal Parking. Until you land, private hire drivers wait in Heathrow's Authorised Vehicle Area on the Northern Perimeter Road, open 24 hours. Send your flight number when you book.
Late at night
Black cab ranks are outside every terminal. The last Heathrow Express leaves Terminal 5 at 23:57 and the last Elizabeth line train leaves Terminals 2 and 3 at 00:12. On Friday and Saturday nights the Piccadilly line runs all night from Terminals 2, 3 and 5, and the N9 night bus runs from Terminal 5 and the Central Bus Station to central London. The Terminal 4 Zone A shuttle stops at 23:30; after that, use the Priority Pick-Up area.
Accessible pick-up
Heathrow's assistance service is free: ask your airline at least 48 hours before you fly. Blue Badge holders get two hours free in any Park & Ride car park; press the intercom on the way out. At Terminal 4, Zone A has Blue Badge parking, a staffed Assisted Services Hub and accessible shuttles, but the Priority Pick-Up area gives no Blue Badge discount. Every black cab takes wheelchairs, and all Heathrow stations are step-free.
Questions people ask
Good questions about London Heathrow
Where do Ubers pick up at Heathrow?
In your terminal's Terminal Parking car park, on foot. At Terminal 3 it is the App & Private hire pick up area on Level 1, zones 1–4; at Terminal 5, Floor 1 by Row R. Follow the directions in the app after you request.
Is there a drop-off charge at Heathrow?
Yes: £7 every time a car enters a terminal drop-off area, 24 hours a day, including black cabs and private hire. Pay online or by phone by midnight the next day. Drop-off at the Park & Ride car parks is free.
Can I pick someone up outside Heathrow arrivals?
Only at Terminal 4, in the Priority Pick-Up area outside arrivals, from £7 for up to 10 minutes. At Terminals 2, 3 and 5, use Terminal Parking or Park & Ride.
Where is the taxi rank at Heathrow?
Outside every terminal. Fares are metered, plus £1.60 for a journey from a Heathrow rank.
What happened to the Terminal 4 car park?
The multi-storey closed on 23 June 2026 for redevelopment. Parking moved to Zone A of the Terminal 4 Park & Ride, free for two hours, with shuttles every five minutes, and a paid Priority Pick-Up area opened outside arrivals.
Image credits: Sunil060902 (CC BY-SA 3.0)