London City Airport: Taxi or Pre-booked Transfer

Both options take you to your accommodation. The difference is how much you know before you travel.

The taxi rank

The airport's page says there is a taxi rank immediately outside the terminal. It publishes no fare table. A metered fare depends on distance, time and traffic, so ask the driver how the fare is worked out before you leave the rank. Our route database estimates about 5 km to Canary Wharf, about 13 km to Westminster and about 17 km to Kensington, so the fare may differ a lot between destinations.

Pre-booked private transfer

A pre-booked transfer is arranged before you fly. The live price to Canary Wharf is from EUR 70 and to Stratford it is from EUR 66, confirmed at booking. Check your booking confirmation for the meeting point and for how flight delays are handled. If meet-and-greet is included in your booking, the driver meets you as stated there.

How to choose

Choose the taxi rank if: you want to leave straight away, travel light and are comfortable with a metered fare.

Choose a pre-booked transfer if: you want the arrangement settled before you fly, you arrive late, you travel with children or many bags, you are a group, or you are going to a part of London that is not on the DLR. Request a child seat at booking and give the child's age and weight, because no official statement on child seats in taxis was found.

The DLR and buses

The airport lists the DLR and three TfL bus routes. They suit travellers going to a station on the network who can manage their bags on steps-free platforms. Check TfL for current fares and journey times.

A note on checking

Before you leave the terminal with any driver, confirm that the person works for the company you booked or that the vehicle is a taxi from the rank. If something does not match what you agreed, say so before the trip starts, not after it. Keep your booking confirmation open on your phone while you do.

Sources (checked 2026-10-27)

• London City Airport, getting to and from the airport (location, DLR, Elizabeth line, buses, taxi rank): https://www.londoncityairport.com/getting-to-and-from
• Approximate distances and driving times to the areas listed (route estimates, not measured live): AirportTransferPortal route database, checked 2026-10-27