Our Greater London Megathread

kenkin

3 adults going to a match in Wembley next week.
We are looking at using Uber for transfer from Gatwick to Wembley as its around the same price as using trains etc. Has anyone used Uber in london before. Is it reliable and safe

edeldonlon

I have never had issues with it but there is site called minicabit.com and they are often comparable and you can prebook a pick up at the airport. It is basically a comparison site for mini cabs. Also the first time I used it I got £6 off my trip by paying my PayPal.

athtrasna

My friend who moved over there swears by it. At least 1/3 cheaper than a black cab. She only accepts drivers with a high customer rating for safety.

coylemj

athtrasna wrote: »

My friend who moved over there swears by it. At least 1/3 cheaper than a black cab. She only accepts drivers with a high customer rating for safety.

Could Uber drivers then end up in a situation similar to hotels and guest houses where people ask for a discount and threaten to leave a bad review (on Tripadvisor) if they refuse?

I'm wondering how you can objectively rate a driver on 'safety' - are we talking female-specific safety or good driving?

athtrasna

We got an Uber car from Soho to Putney last month. Approx £30 in a black cab, £18 by Uber. Car was a brand new prius. Less than a week old. Apparently prius is the car of choice for a huge proportion of London Uber drivers!

Vic_08

Mr.S wrote: »

Are you sure it's cheaper to get Uber? Gatwick to Wembley is quite far!

Travelling across central London, not to mention the traffic around the area when a match is on, I wouldn't even consider it.

Mr.S wrote: »

But yes, Uber is cheaper then black cabs so use them if you need a car. Make sure you use UberX (the cheapest) and be aware of surge pricing which can make it very pricey.

Might get a cheap rate going but there will likely be surge pricing and a long wait afterwards.

kenkin

we wont need a cab back until next day as we are staying in a hotel at wembley

finbarrk

Check out minicabit as eldonelan says above. I found it good the couple of times I used it. Get a quote off it anyway. Their app is very good.

Noise Annoys

I used Uber in London at the weekend for some short trips and it was great. No problems at all, very quick service, the cars were good and the drivers polite. Have used it in Paris and the experience was the same, if not a bit better in terms of quality of car.

Wrongway1985

kenkin wrote: »

3 adults going to a match in Wembley next week.
We are looking at using Uber for transfer from Gatwick to Wembley as its around the same price as using trains etc. Has anyone used Uber in london before. Is it reliable and safe

Same price as trains? Train is about £17 for a day travel card between zones 1-6 so if ye need to head somewhere after match ye can get back on no fuss too, struggling to see advantage cabbing it myself especially if ye're not staying around Wembley.

Marcusm

kenkin wrote: »

3 adults going to a match in Wembley next week.
We are looking at using Uber for transfer from Gatwick to Wembley as its around the same price as using trains etc. Has anyone used Uber in london before. Is it reliable and safe

Are you under any type of time pressure? If yes then forget absolutely about taking a car from Gatwick to Wembley. Most likely route chosen will be about 60 miles or more being M23, M25 then M40. There have been some heavy rebuilding works on M23 but I think these are finishing. M25 is as unpredictable outside the rush hour and at weekends, you simply cannot know when there is going to be a problem and when one arises (eg a crash), assume that it's going to be a couple of hours delay even f they only close one lane. By contrast, the M40 is generally a doddle.

No issue if you were arriving the night before and didn't care about when you arrived. If travelling over on the day, i really would take a train in as far as Vuctoria, London Bridge. As for a cabbie who is willing to drive straight in through Croydon/South London, again, too random if you're under any sort of time constraints. General issue with sports tickets is that they're the ultimate perishable good.

kenkin

looks like there is a strike on southern and gatwick express trains from the 6th to 8th Dec. The dates i will be there

Wrongway1985

kenkin wrote: »

looks like there is a strike on southern and gatwick express trains from the 6th to 8th Dec. The dates i will be there

Gatwick express is an utter rip off never get that anyway! It's a little bit quicker that's about it main use is to suck the money from tourists.

Get Train to London Bridge->Euston>Wembley and you'd be there in an hour and a half I'd guess.

kenkin

It looks like we wont be able to get any train between the 6th and the 8th due to strikes. Just wondering if the strikes will affect the tube. If the strike does'nt effect the tube which tube station would it be best to get a taxi to from Gatwick to get to Wembley

rainbow kirby

Thameslink trains should still be running on the line, it's just Southern that are striking.

Wrongway1985

kenkin wrote: »

It looks like we wont be able to get any train between the 6th and the 8th due to strikes. Just wondering if the strikes will affect the tube. If the strike does'nt effect the tube which tube station would it be best to get a taxi to from Gatwick to get to Wembley

Morden or Wimbeldon would be the nearest tube station but I'd say your talking well over 40 mins or so in a taxi topped off with traffic coming from airport unnecessary hassle IMO.

Checked there strikes are affecting the Piccadilly, City & Hammersmith lines as well as Southern trains. Jubilee line is what your looking for regarding the tube so unaffected.

You're looking to get a Thameslink train to a station with a Jubilee line underground so London bridge should do the trick (Let person at kiosk at Gatwick know you want to use train and change for the underground and he/she will issue you an all day travel card). When changing for Jubilee to make sure you're on the right platform train will read it's bound for either Stanmore or Wembley Park either will do it's all the one get out at Wembley Park stop out of station and Wembley stadium is obvious.

kenkin

Just checked Thameslink site and they wont quote a fare price for the 7th Dec because of strike

Marcusm

You've really got some bad luck there. You're going to the Spurs v Moscow game. Thameslink will be carnage that day BUT chances are you are not travelling in rush hour inbound from gatwick (6-830am) meaning that while the train will be busier because no southern service, it will still run and I'd hope you'd find space especially if you were heading in late morning or early afternoon. Certain Thameslinks also go to West Hampstead where you can connect to the nearby Jubilee Line train for Wembley. All is not lost.

kenkin

Yea we are going to the Spurs match. Due to land in Gatwick at 09.10 so would be able to get a train around 10am. But unfortunately there wont be any trains as far as i can make out

LXFlyer

kenkin wrote: »

Yea we are going to the Spurs match. Due to land in Gatwick at 09.10 so would be able to get a train around 10am. But unfortunately there wont be any trains as far as i can make out

Thameslink services will be running - this has already been posted here. The strike is only affecting Southern and Gatwick Express.

Thameslink in any case is the cheapest option from Gatwick.

Take that to St Pancras International and then switch to the Metropolitan Line there directly to Wembley Park

There is a train starting at Gatwick at 10:08 which might be your best bet.

Fare is £10.30 Anytime single or £8 using Oyster to St Pancras International.

If you use Oyster the entire trip will be charged as a single journey throughout - fare would be £10.20 to Wembley Park.

For single journeys between Gatwick and London, Oyster is always the best option.

Here is the relevant Thameslink timetable:
http://www.thameslinkrailway.com/download/6360.9/b3-bedford-luton-london-gatwick-brighton/

Wrongway1985

Yep also you say you land at 9:10 by the time you getting out of terminals and if you've to queue for rail tickets at collection point or kiosk I gather your hitting 10 o clock anyway. Not a very long wait should you miss train, should be jammers mind and wouldn't expect a seat.

Fare prices aren't negotiable which you appear to suggest it's the same price strike or no strike get an all day travel card this allows you to also be flexible with your journey you can head to any stations exit them and comeback resume journey when you like.

Game is not till 19:45 you've loads of time tbh

LXFlyer

Just to revert on this.

On the dates you are travelling, there is an RMT conductor's strike and an ASLEF overtime ban, rather than an ASLEF strike (which would cause severe disruption).

There will therefore be both Southern and Gatwick Express trains operating, but there will be some cancellations.

My advice remains to go for the Thameslink service, and to use Oyster cards which are available at Gatwick, and which then can be used for travel around London while you are there.

kenkin

Many thanks to all for the great advice. I think we will do as lxflyer suggested and get thamelink to st pancras and metropolitan line to Wembley. Just one other thing we will get oyster card in Gatwick and then get on the thameslink. Will we swipe the card after we get off thameslink train in st pancras and the swipe again to get on the metropolitan line

Fred Swanson

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LXFlyer

kenkin wrote: »

Many thanks to all for the great advice. I think we will do as lxflyer suggested and get thamelink to st pancras and metropolitan line to Wembley. Just one other thing we will get oyster card in Gatwick and then get on the thameslink. Will we swipe the card after we get off thameslink train in st pancras and the swipe again to get on the metropolitan line

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Correct - the fare will be £10.20 from Gatwick to Wembley Park.

If you plan on travelling around London on tube/bus over the next few days, Wembley Park is in Zone 4.

A trip into Central London (Zone 1) on the tube will cost £2.80 each way.

The daily Oyster cap for zones 1-4 is £9.30. That is the maximum that you will pay.

Note however, that the fare from Gatwick to Zone 1 will be outside that cap as it is a special fare (£8).

So load up the Oyster card with what you think you'll need for the first day or two and you can top it up at any tube or railway station after that.

Padraig Mor

lxflyer wrote: »

Correct - the fare will be £10.20 from Gatwick to Wembley Park.

If you plan on travelling around London on tube/bus over the next few days, Wembley Park is in Zone 4.

A trip into Central London (Zone 1) on the tube will cost £2.80 each way.

The daily Oyster cap for zones 1-4 is £9.30. That is the maximum that you will pay.

Note however, that the fare from Gatwick to Zone 1 will be outside that cap as it is a special fare (£8).

So load up the Oyster card with what you think you'll need for the first day or two and you can top it up at any tube or railway station after that.

Note that Gatwick has a fiendish fare system which includes a very well hidden increase in Oyster cap. So if you travel to/from Gatwick using Oyster (or contactless), your daily cap within zones 1 - 9 is now £19 off peak, or a whopping £30.50 peak hours! Not a huge difference out to zone 4, but quite substantial if you're just in zones 1 and 2. Cheapest* is to use one card (say contactless) for the Gatwick rail fare, and another (say Oyster) for your tube travel.

Note as I said before OP that the rail ticket machines have always been really busy (~10 minutes wait) anytime I used Gatwick so avoiding them by using Oyster or contactless will save you time too. Platforms in Gatwick can be pretty chaotic too so make sure you get the right train! (My last Thameslink train from there was actually operated by their competitors Southern!). You shouldn't lose much time getting from plane, as Irish arrivals are normally bussed straight to the baggage hall).


*Actually the cheapest is to use one card to East Croydon and then another for everything else, but it requires going out and back in at East Croydon so is only for the most hardened of bargain seekers.

Marcusm

Southern is operated by GoVia Thameslink Railway on a management contract from DaFT so not really a true competitor!

Fred Swanson

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kenkin

will i get an oyster card at a desk in gatwick

LXFlyer

kenkin wrote: »

will i get an oyster card at a desk in gatwick

Yes at the Skybreak service centre in arrivals in the south terminal or at the railway station. Probably best to look for the former and avoid queues at the station.

http://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-services/Your-service-centre/