Thames Clipper Commute

[maniacmartin]

Hi all,

I'm considering moving house and taking the Thames Clipper from Greenwich or Woolwich to the City. Does anyone have any experience of the Clipper for commuting?

Do you always get a seat? Is it punctual and reliable?

 

[1E05]

Every time I work down in London much prefer the Thames Clippers over any other mode if transport. I've never had a problem with finding a seat, maybe not an ideal seat but there's alway a few spare. Only thing is from Woolwich the ferries are not always direct and finish early of an evening (approx 6pm from memory). If u can, board at Greenwich.

 

[anti-pacer]

And if you can't get a seat, stand outside at the back, it's a great ride, especially the Canary Wharf to Tower section!

 

[jb]

I never commuted on it as the DLR was on my doorstep. If the latter is in range it's probably better. The Clippers are great, though.

 

[maniacmartin]

The DLR is not as exciting though!

 

[Deerfold]

The DLR is not as exciting though!

Unless you get the seat at the front and pretend you're driving

Might lose the thrill over time though...

 

[MCR247]

Hasn't for me!

 

[jb]

Might lose the thrill over time though...

I used it daily for about 10 years... and would still often stand at the exact point on the platform at Bank to get in the front doors of the front carriage

 

[RochdalePioneers]

What amazes me about the Clipper crews are how quickly they can get tied on and off the piers. You go absolutely barrelling up to some stops, tied on and the ramp down almost before the boat has fully stopped, then ramp up cast off and mash the throttles even faster.

With a coffee shack on board, a choice of rear deck thrash or inside comfy seats, I can think of worse ways to get to work

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[AndrewP]

Generally great (except the Hilton Shuttle) but they are expensive!

The only thing is that if anyone uses them for Canary Wharf its quite a walk to the Churchill Place end from the pier.

 

[edwin_m]

If I recall the Hilton Shuttle must rank amongst the most expensive transport anywhere per metre travelled. Something like £4 for 100 metres or so.

And on the way back the fare was the same but the journey was only half as long, as the tide had gone out.

 

[Crossover]

The DLR is not as exciting though!

On a rail forum, I'm sure saying that is asking for trouble :P

That said, I wouldn't mind the Clipper as my commute to work!

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

The clipper would be so much nicer if it was included in the Travelcard and had more integration with Oyster, but I respect the reasons against this.
The free wifi however, is brilliant and the journey is at a decent speed, I'd love highspeed metro boats where safety permits mind!

 

[maniacmartin]

On a rail forum, I'm sure saying that is asking for trouble :P

The DLR isn't National Rail so I think I'll get away with it

The main reason for me considering the Clipper is the fresh air which could help wake one up in the morning, and not being wedged in like sardines. I've done my share of DLR in the past, but it's losing its appeal now that they're fixing all the sideways rocking bits of track

 

[jopsuk]

The clipper would be so much nicer if it was included in the Travelcard and had more integration with Oyster, but I respect the reasons against this.

The main reason is that it would be horrifically expensive (certainly being included in Travelcard would be expensive for TfL)- they're very expensive to run and require a huge number of staff per passenger. A tube train can take four or more times as many passengers with a single driver/operator; the boats have five or six staff, not including catering, don't they?

 

[edwin_m]

They may have high operating costs but their capital cost is much less than a Tube line. I wonder how the costs would compare over say 50 years between expanding the river fleet and fully integrating it into the fares system, or providing the same amount of capacity by building rail infrastructure.

In fact checking on Wikipedia I see someone is advocating just that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Clipper