1 in 5 of Londoners could commute by river
Could you be benefiting from a spacious, fast, and airy river commute?
Although they may not know it, over 1.6 million Londoners live within a 15-minute bike ride of an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier. This means that much of London’s workforce has access to a commute that promises beautiful views, fresh air, and perhaps most importantly, a speedy route directly into the heart of the capital.
Almost one in every five (18 per cent) Londoners living outside of central London (west of Vauxhall (St George Wharf) Pier and east of Canary Wharf Pier) have easy access to London’s River Bus Service. Unlike other routes into the city, gliding in by river offers commuters a guaranteed comfortable seat either in a light, climate-controlled, spacious cabin or on the outside back deck, onboard barista service and views of London’s glorious riverside landmarks.
The London borough with the highest number of potential commuters living in accessible distance to the piers is the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which has 279,437 of its population living within 15 minutes’ cycle of an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier. The London Borough of Wandsworth comes in second with 237,030 potential commuters.
Spring is the perfect time to discover this new commute; it promises fresh air at every step of the journey. An early morning cycle or stroll makes for an excellent beginning to the day and is a great source of exercise – enjoy a treat from the onboard café bar without the guilt. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers vessels offer storage for up to 14 bikes (significantly more for folding models); allowing commuters to bring their bikes into the heart of the city, and continue their smooth and stress-free commute right to their office door.
The number of Londoners within a 15-minute bike ride of an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier will only increase over the coming weeks as the service expands eastward with the opening of its 24th pier at Barking Riverside. This comes as the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers fleet grows, with the launch of two hybrid high-speed passenger boats planned for autumn 2022, and spring 2023.
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers commuter services have departures from as early as 5:30am, and call at major London transport hubs every 10-20 minutes. The high-speed catamarans transport workers quickly and 4G or 5G access on board and comfortable leather seating offers the perfect opportunity to get a head start on those emails.
Flexible carnet ticking is available for hybrid-workers, and regular season tickets provide regular and semi-regular River Bus users with considerable savings. Season ticket travel can work out as little as £1.61* per journey with the annual option, whilst flexible, adhoc travel starts from £3.86** per journey.
Methodology
Fifteen-minute cycle ride perimeter established using traveltime.com.
Electoral wards within these perimeters identified and their populations taken from UK Office for National Statistics, data accessible here.
London's 2020 population was 9,002,488 (Greater London Authority, latest data)
Total 1,627,627 live within a 15 minute cycle of a pier served by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers (west of Vauxhall (St George Wharf) Pier and east of Canary Wharf Pier, inclusive)
*Based on two journeys across 261 working days of the year, travelling on a West or East Zone annual season ticket. **Based on a Flex 20 Ticket Carnet (20 pre-paid journeys for the price of 16).