Aviation: LHR gets a proper transfer service
London's Heathrow airport is a smelly, dirty dump that's difficult to escape and expensive to get away from. It's a horrible hike to the buses and trains and the taxis charge more than half the world's working population earns in a month for a one-way trip into central London. Compared to Hong Kong, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur or, frankly, most decent airports in Asia Pacific, it's a disgrace. But a new service offers hope.
Until a little over a year ago, there was a bus from Heathrow to Central London. At GBP8 it was hardly cheap but it was convenient and ran from T4's main doors, close to the customs desks. When it stopped running, London Underground, in a Kafka-esqe decision, started work on the railway lines.
A taxi into the City, on the meter, will cost around GBP65, if there is no traffic. There's always traffic. And yes, that's the equivalent of more than USD4 a day for that chap in the world's working population mentioned above.
There are some alternatives but they will still, generally, cost at least GBP30 to get to the City.
But now a new service from long-distance bus company National Express provides something a little like Hong Kong's hotel shuttle service - but with even more convenience.
The HK service provides, as a part of your railway ticket into town, a free shuttle bus to many hotels, running on a scheduled route and service times.
The new "Dot2.Com" service is direct from the airport - to wherever you want to go - home, office or hotel. It's a door to door, point to point service for the (comparatively) reasonable price of GBP17.50 for the West End and GBP22 for the City.
So what's the catch? We've not used it (we refuse ever to fly into or out of Heathrow ever again, it's so nasty) but the obvious thing is that buses can't get round most of London's narrow streets and you could be on a circuitous journey as dozens of others are dropped off.
But that's not so: the transport is in Mercedes-Benz minibuses that can get through even the "road-narrowing" barriers designed to prevent light trucks - so making it possible to get to blocks of flats that have restricted access; the bus will make no more than four stops and routes, they say, will be designed to minimise distance and time. That, of course, is in the company's interest. If it can group its four drop offs close together, then there's less expense on fuel and other operating costs.
And for the same price, they'll pick you up and take you back.
We would not usually put a link to a commercial website but, on this Earth Day, we are happy to say that this means of travel is economical, ecological and convenient, and so here's how to find out more: http://www.dot2.com
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