Fulmer to London City Airport Taxi

Fulmer to the Royal Docks, and a forecourt with a ten-minute limit

London City is the odd one out from Fulmer, because it is not really a motorway job. The airport sits in the Royal Docks, roughly five miles east of the City of London, and it is reached from the A13 rather than from any junction on the M25. Out of the village the car goes up Fulmer Road to the A40, and from there the choice is between staying on the A40 into London and working east, or running round the top of town on the A406 North Circular, which drops onto the A1020 and reaches the same Royal Docks streets the A13 does. Which is quicker depends on the hour, so we settle it on the day rather than promising one in advance, and close in you simply follow the airport signs. Two things about the destination are worth knowing. The airport is inside the London-wide ULEZ, so a vehicle that does not meet the standard pays the daily charge, and while the airport itself sits outside the Congestion Charge zone, a route cut through the middle of London does not. The forecourt is barrierless and camera-enforced with a ten-minute maximum stay, the tightest of the five London airports. Around 70–95 minutes.

This is the business route out of Fulmer. The village's usual commute is a short car ride to Gerrards Cross and Chiltern Railways into Marylebone, which leaves London City on the awkward side of town, so hardly anyone attempts this journey by train. What we get instead is the early short-haul departure and the same-day return, booked at short notice and often changed before the car arrives. The people making those bookings are generally in the larger houses off Fulmer Road, Stoke Common Road and Fulmer Chase, or the assistants arranging travel for them, and after two or three trips they stop asking for a quote. Most then move to monthly account billing, so the finance team receives one invoice rather than a pile of receipts. If you are meeting somebody off a flight rather than catching one, send the flight number when you book. The ten-minute forecourt rule means the driver waits in the car park until you are genuinely through the doors, not on the kerb hoping, and a tracked arrival stops that becoming a phone call in the rain. You can see which vehicles are available before you choose one.

How does the London City forecourt work for a Fulmer pickup?

London City lets cars drop passengers on the forecourt directly in front of the terminal, but only for up to ten minutes. The first five minutes cost £8, every minute after that costs £1, and the charge must be settled by midnight the next day. Drivers may not leave a vehicle unattended there at any time, so a meet-and-greet on arrival cannot work from the forecourt.

That is why, when we collect you, the driver meets you inside the building rather than pulling up and waiting. It is also why we ask for the flight number: the car is timed for the moment you are through, not for the scheduled landing. If you have not used a meet-and-greet before, our explainer on meet-and-greet transfers covers what to expect.

Two more points for Fulmer passengers. British Airways, KLM and Luxair customers flying before 10am can leave hold bags at London City from 4pm the previous day. And for frequent trips, corporate billing in Fulmer means one statement at the end of the month.