In short
- A fixed fare is quoted before you travel and does not change afterwards for traffic, waiting or a late finish.
- Waiting time at events is priced in, not added on. Encores, extra time and slow exits are expected.
- Road charges are confirmed before you book — you will be told whether they sit inside the quote.
- Split across a group, a fixed fare usually beats individual fares at peak times, and it is certain rather than hopeful.
- Cancel with reasonable notice and there is no fee. Abandoned events and postponed fixtures are moved, not charged.
Fixed fare versus metered fare
A metered fare is calculated as you travel, from distance and time. A fixed fare is agreed before you set off and does not move. They are different products and they suit different journeys.
For a short local hop in light traffic, a meter is often cheaper. For an event journey, it is usually not, because the meter runs while you sit on the A102 and it keeps running while the vehicle waits for you outside a venue. A fixed fare puts that risk on us instead of you, which is why we use it for everything event-related.
The practical consequence is that you can budget. If you are organising for a group, or expensing to a company, the figure you were quoted is the figure on the invoice.
What we price on
Four inputs, in roughly this order of importance.
| Input | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Distance and route | The largest single factor, including whether a route involves a crossing or a tunnel. |
| Vehicle size | A coach costs more to run than a saloon. Sizing correctly is the main way to control the price. |
| Timings | A journey requiring a vehicle to be held for several hours prices differently from a straight drop. |
| Date | Peak dates like New Year's Eve, Boxing Day and summer Saturdays are in higher demand. |
What we do not price on is how much demand there happens to be at the moment you finish. That is the difference between a booking and a surge-priced app fare, and at closing time it is a substantial difference.
Waiting time, and why it is not an extra
Event journeys involve waiting. The support act overruns, the match goes to extra time, the wedding speeches run long, the last person out of the merch queue takes twenty minutes. If waiting were charged by the minute, every one of those would turn into an argument at the end of an otherwise good night.
So it is priced in. When we quote an event return, the expectation of waiting is already in the figure. The driver holds position rather than working to a stopwatch, and a reasonable overrun does not change the invoice.
The one thing we ask is that you tell us if plans change substantially. A half-hour overrun is normal. A group deciding to stay somewhere else for another three hours is a different job, and it is better discussed than sprung.
Road charges, tolls and clean air zones
Several charges can apply to a journey into or across London and the South East. They are set by other bodies, they change periodically, and the amounts and boundaries are not ours to control.
What we commit to is this: before you book, we confirm which charges apply to your route on your travel date, and whether they sit inside your quote. Nothing is added to your bill afterwards that was not discussed beforehand.
Charges that may be relevant depending on route and date include the Dartford Crossing, the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel crossings, the London congestion charge and the ultra low emission zone. Because these change from time to time, we check them against your date rather than quoting a figure from memory. If you want the current position for a specific journey, ask when you get the quote and we will set it out.
Is a booked vehicle actually cheaper?
For one person travelling at a quiet time, often not. For a group, or at a peak moment, usually yes. It is worth doing the sum rather than assuming either way.
| Situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| One or two people, midweek, short trip | A meter or an app is often cheaper. We will tell you so. |
| Four or more people, anywhere | A shared fixed fare is usually below the combined individual fares. |
| Finishing at closing time | A booking wins clearly. Peak demand is exactly when app pricing rises. |
| After midnight into Kent | A booking wins, because the alternative frequently does not exist. |
| With luggage or kit | A booking wins, because the vehicle is sized for it. |
| Driving yourself to an event | Compare against fuel, parking, road charges and somebody staying sober. |
Changes, cancellations and events that do not happen
Plans change. Fixtures are postponed, jump meetings are abandoned, artists pull out, weather intervenes. None of that is your fault and we do not treat it as though it were.
If you cancel
Tell us as soon as you know. With reasonable notice there is no fee. What counts as reasonable depends on the vehicle and the date, and we will tell you the position for your specific booking when you make it rather than burying it in terms you will not read.
If the event is cancelled or postponed
We move the booking to the new date, or cancel it, subject to our normal notice period. An abandoned race meeting or a postponed fixture is not something we will charge you for.
If your numbers change
Tell us and we will adjust where we can. Going down a size is usually straightforward. Going up depends on availability, which is the argument for booking slightly larger when a count is uncertain.
Cleaning
There is a charge if a vehicle needs cleaning after a booking, and we would rather state that plainly than hide it. In practice, telling the driver early that someone is unwell almost always avoids it.
How do daily and weekly fare caps work on the Tube?
Visitors often ask whether they should buy a Travelcard or just keep tapping. In most cases, keep tapping. Capping means that once your pay-as-you-go fares reach a set amount, every further journey that day is free. It works the same on contactless and Oyster, as long as you use the same card or device for every journey.
| 2026 adult fare (zones 1-2) | Price |
|---|---|
| Zone 1 Tube journey, peak | £3.10 |
| Zone 1 Tube journey, off-peak | £3.00 |
| Daily cap, Tube and bus | £8.90 |
| Weekly cap, Tube and bus | £44.70 |
| Bus or tram journey | £1.75 |
| Daily cap, bus and tram only | £5.25 |
The weekly cap runs Monday to Sunday, not from your first tap. If you arrive on a Thursday, you will usually only hit the daily cap. Bus fares are frozen until 1 November 2026. A paper Day Travelcard costs more than the zones 1-2 daily cap, so it only pays off if you want the National Rail 2-for-1 attraction offers.
Fares and caps only matter if you use public transport. For an airport run with luggage, a pre-booked car at a fixed fare agreed at booking avoids the Tube's stairs and crowds altogether.
Q: Is the weekly cap seven days from my first journey?
A: No. The weekly cap runs from Monday to Sunday. If you start travelling midweek, the daily cap usually protects you instead.
Q: Is a Travelcard cheaper than contactless?
A: For zones 1-2, no. The contactless daily cap is £8.90, which is less than a paper Day Travelcard, so most visitors just tap and let capping do the work.