East & south-east travel guide

Starting 14 August 2023, colleagues directly employed by Heathrow Airport Limited or Heathrow Express will be able to receive 50% off single, return and point-to-point season tickets for travel between certain stations and “Heathrow Rail” (”Heathrow Rail” covers all three stations at Heathrow).

Only tickets between “Heathrow Rail” and the following stations are eligible for the 50% discount.

• Acton Main Line
• Ealing Broadway
• West Ealing
• Hanwell
• Southall
• Hayes & Harlington

The 50% discount is only available from staffed ticket offices at Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, and Hayes & Harlington. You must show your valid Heathrow ID to ticket office staff. 

Check opening times at: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/elizabeth-line/. Colleagues are not permitted to travel without a valid ticket. TfL will not be required to offer refunds to any colleague prevented from buying discounted “Heathrow Rail” tickets.

Please always treat station staff with respect.

In August 2023, a new bus service from Bedfont to Terminal 4 was launched. 

All fares are just £1.00, with onward connections to other airport locations via the network of free buses, trains and the Tube from Terminal 4. The H21 runs every 30-minutes for most of the day, with the first bus arriving at Terminal 4 at 03:15 and the last bus departing Terminal 4 at 00:09 (Mon-Sat) or 23:54 (Sun / Public Holidays).

There will be more free buses for Team Heathrow from Terminal 4 to other airport locations before 05:00 by 29 August.Look out for more details about these and other improvements by checking this guide every week.

The following are free to use between terminals: 

• H30 bus
  
• Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express
• Piccadilly line

It is now also free to travel between Heathrow terminals and Hatton Cross on the Piccadilly line and bus route H3.

You will need Oyster or contactless for free travel on trains and the Underground (to activate the ticket gates). You will not be charged for your journey between any Heathrow terminal or Hatton Cross. 

Alternatively, if using the trains between terminals, collect a free train transfer ticket from the machines at stations. They cannot be used on the Underground. Not validating a card or payment device when entering and exiting a station at Heathrow could result in a charge being incurred, which may be a maximum fine.

To support Heathrow colleagues who live near Gatwick, a new 12 trip Gatwick to Heathrow ticket is available to Team Heathrow colleagues for use on the Airline coach. The price is £90 (the equivalent of £7.50 per trip), saving 50% compared with the standard single fare of £15. A return journey is 25% off the standard return price of £20. To purchase, please click the links below.

Heathrow ID must be shown on every trip and all tickets will expire 12 months after purchase. 

Airline coaches operate 24 hours a day between Oxford and Gatwick via High Wycombe and Heathrow

In August 2023, a new bus service from Bedfont to Terminal 4 was launched. 

All fares are just £1.00, with onward connections to other airport locations via the network of free buses, trains and the Tube from Terminal 4. The H21 runs every 30-minutes for most of the day, with the first bus arriving at Terminal 4 at 03:15 and the last bus departing Terminal 4 at 00:09 (Mon-Sat) or 23:54 (Sun / Public Holidays).

There will be more free buses for Team Heathrow from Terminal 4 to other airport locations before 05:00 by 29 August.Look out for more details about these and other improvements by checking this guide every week.

Many bus services at Heathrow are provided by Transport for London (TfL). They charge a flat fare of £1.75 for any journey, but cash is not accepted. You will need an Oyster Card or contactless card/mobile device. TfL has a Hopper Fare, which is £1.75 for unlimited journeys made within one hour of touching in for the first time. There is a daily cap of £5.25, meaning you will never pay more (from 04:30 to 04:29 the next day), assuming you use the same Oyster Card or contactless account. The weekly cap is £24.70 (from Monday to Sunday).

Bus & Tram Pass season ticket

You can buy a Monthly or Annual Bus & Tram Pass and add it to your Oyster Card. 

• £94.90 for a Monthly Bus & Tram Pass - cheaper than four weekly caps.
• £988 for an Annual Bus & Tram Pass - 12 months travel for the price of ten and a half.

Where do I obtain an Oyster Card? 

You can get an Oyster Card online at www.tfl.gov.uk, at Oyster Ticket Stops in many newsagents in London or at all tube, London Overground and most Elizabeth line stations. You need to pay £7 for an Oyster card. You can then buy a Bus & Tram Pass season ticket from the same locations, or using the TfL Oyster and contactless app.  

The National Express Airport Coachcard is now available to Team Heathrow colleagues and gives a 1/3 off Standard and Fully Flexible fares throughout the UK for 12 months. There are no restrictions on peak and off peak travel times, including public holidays and weekends. 

You can purchase one for £5 (plus £2.50 postage) by calling the Customer Contact Centre on 0871 781 8181 (calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge). Alternatively, you can buy one from the We Know London desks at Heathrow, by showing your Heathrow ID. 

Coach tickets can then be purchased online at www.nationalexpress.com, by ticking the 'I have a Coachcard' box in the passenger details section, and then selecting young Persons Coachcard.  

The Elizabeth line is the stopping train between Paddington and Heathrow, running about every 15 minutes to T2/T3 and every 30 minutes to T4 and T5. Trains call at Action Main Line, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes & Harlington.

Travelcards with zone 6 are valid to Heathrow. For example, a Travelcard from Hanwell or Southall will require zones 4, 5 and 6, costing £33.80 for 7 days, £129.80 for a month and £1,352 for a year. You will need an Oyster Card (£7 extra), which you can get online at www.tfl.gov.uk, at Oyster Ticket Stops in many newsagents in London or at all tube, London Overground and most Elizabeth line stations. 

Do you travel by train from Twyford or Maidenhead? See the Reading RailAir page in the West & North West section of this guide, for details of a new early morning coach journey before hte trains to Heathrow commence. 

2022 was an exciting year for rail travel to Heathrow, with the Elizabeth line improvements. However, the first trains still arrive at Heathrow too late for many colleagues on early shifts. That's why the A40/N40 coach now operates. 

For an introductory period, Team Heathrow colleagues can travel for free, but the journey must start of finish at Heathrow. Local travel within Heathrow is also free for Team Heathrow.

See the A40/N40 timetable here: www.timetables.nationalexpress.com/routes

Team Heathrow colleagues receive a 75% discount on single, period return and carnet tickets* for travel in Express Class. Purchase on the Hex App, from the service Support Assistants (SSAs) at Heathrow stations, or from the Great Western Railway (GWR) ticket office at Paddington Station (*discounted carnet tickets are only available from SSAs at Heathrow).

When using the app, please select ''Heathrow Airport Partners Discount'' in the 'Railcards' section when you search for tickets.

Directly-employed HAL colleagues should look at the 'People site' on Hub+, then click on ''Rewards, Planning & Insight'' and ''Benefits'' for details of the voluntary free travel options currently available. 

The Night Tube runs to Heathrow on Friday and Saturday nights, providing a 24-hour service every weekend from Friday morning until Sunday night.

A 10-minute service operates throughout the night between Arnos Grove and Heathrow Terminal 5, via Terminals 2 & 3, with a 20-minute service to and from Cockfosters.

A30 Coach - Victoria to Heathrow

The A30 coach provides an earlier journey for colleagues who need to get to Heathrow before the first tube starts. The service will operate seven days a week, as the Night Tube doesn't serve Terminal 4. 

For an introductory period, Team Heathrow colleagues can travel for free, but the journey must start of finish at Heathrow. Local travel within Heathrow is also free for Team Heathrow.

N30 Coach - Acton Town to Heathrow

The N30 night bus links Cargo Area and all Heathrow terminals with locations close to the following Piccadilly line stations:

Hatton Cross, Osterley, Boston Manor, Northfields, South Ealing, Acton Town.

The N30 operates on nights when the Night Tube isn't scheduled to operate. When the Night Tube is scheduled to operate, the N30 runs between Central Bus Station and Terminal 4 to provide connections with the Night Tube. 

Team Heathrow colleagues travel for free on the N30. 

Team Heathrow colleagues receive a very special welcome at the Heathrow Cycle Hub, including: 

• - Free bike servicing (worth up to £50)*
• - 10% discount on all shop purchases
• - 50% discount on the Winter Cycling Package*

Next to The Academy on Newall Road, TW6 2AP, 020 8990 9720 or email info@runwaycycling.com

Opening hours

• Monday to Friday: 08:00-18:00 (-20:00 Thursday)
• Saturday: 10:00-14:00, Sunday/holidays: Closed

_{*terms and conditions apply}

Folded bikes are carried free of charge without restriction on all train and tube services to Heathrow, plus Great Western Railway and South Western Railway services which operate nearby. Non-folded bikes can only be taken on trains and the Underground at Heathrow as follows:

Elizabeth line - Trains on Mondays to Fridays before 07:30, between 09:30 and 16:00, and after 19:00, plus any train from Paddington from start of service until 16:00, and any train to Paddington from 09:30 until end of service. Any time on weekends and public holidays.

Heathrow Express - Trains leaving Heathrow on Mondays to Fridays before 06:30 and after 10:00, leaving Paddington on Mondays to Fridays before 16:30 and after 19:00, any time on weekends and public holidays.

Piccadilly line - Between Barons Court, Hounslow West and Uxbridge on Mondays to Fridays before 07:30, between 09:30 and 16:00, and after 19:00, any time on weekends and public holidays. 

The Government approved Cycle to Work Scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme, which enables UK PAYE taxpayers to save between 32% - 47%* on the cost of purchasing a bike and accessories. 

You will pay nothing up front and the payments are taken every month for at least 12 months, without paying any tax.

Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) uses Green Commute Initiative (GCI) - www.greencommuteinitiative.uk

Other employers may have alternative providers. 

GCI hires the bike directly to the employees for six years, with no end of scheme fees. This avoids any tax liabilities, as six years is the point when HMRC considers the Fair Market Value of a hire bike to be zero. At the end of the six-year period, GCI transfer ownership to the employee for a £1 processing fee. However, in practice, the bike is the employee's from day one.

Please note, the Government's guidance stipulates that only cycles for active travel and cyclist's safety equipment can be hired under the Cycle to Work Scheme. At least 50% of the cycle’s use must be for commuting.

_{*actual amount depends on the taxpayer's rate of tax}

Runway Cycling, the company that manages the Heathrow Cycle Hub, hires out bikes by the hour, by the day and also overnight. A helmet and lock is provided as part of the hire. For more details, call 020 8990 9720, email info@runwaycycling.com or visit their website. 

It’s very important that you validate on the way to work (as well as displaying a car share permit in your windscreen), if you wish to use the dedicated car share spaces in car parks and be entered into our prize draw every month for high street vouchers (1 x £50 and 2 x £25). Please watch the following video to see how easy it is:

If you’ve found a car share partner, you can stop requests for new matches by selecting “Hide” in your account settings.

Liftshare is the UK's leading car sharing platform, and hosts the car share scheme at Heathrow. The simple yet effective system matches together commuters who make similar journeys, or travel in the same direction, each day. The result? Organised travel, shared transport costs, reduced Carbon output and reduced congestion on our roads and in our increasingly busy car parks. Register for free by clicking below.