Starting 19 August 2023, getting between Dedworth and Heathrow will be so much easier, from very early in the morning until very late in the evening, any day of the week.
Thames Valley Buses has partnered with Padam Mobility to operate a new trial named ‘Go2Gate’ on behalf of Heathrow Airport. Go2Gate is a minibus service exclusively for the Dedworth area that is more like a personal taxi which you can book on an easy-to-use app to get you to the airport. The buses will pick up close to passengers’ homes, sometimes right at their garden gate, and drop off outside Terminal 5, from where it’s easy to continue to all parts of the airport using the free trains, Tube and H30 bus.
The service is part of the airport’s Sustainable Travel Zone, which was introduced in 2021 and is designed to encourage modal shift from private cars and taxis, reducing the number of single-occupancy cars traveling to Heathrow.
Padam Mobility’s on-demand solution enables booking requests to be made up to 28 days in advance. The system also selects the optimal route in real-time so that every passenger reaches their desired destination as quickly and directly as possible. Last-minute requests are possible, although the pick-up or drop-off locations in Dedworth may be slightly different to maintain journey times for all users.
We are very pleased to be trialling an on-demand, bookable bus service to Heathrow”, said Matthew Wooll, Route Development Lead in Heathrow’s Surface Access Strategy Team.
There are some places close to Heathrow that would struggle to attract enough users to make a traditional bus route viable. We think we have found an alternative that compares well with the journey times of cars and taxis, and costs less. As well as providing the reassurances required for airport travel by being able to book up to 28 days in advance, it also retains the ability to travel on the day, just like a traditional bus. This is an ambitious but beneficial project and we believe we have the right product to deliver the service quality required to attract new users to public transport.”
Simon Fisher, General Manager for Thames Valley Buses added:
We are delighted to have been chosen to partner with Heathrow Airport and Padam to deliver this innovative new service for Dedworth residents, a community we have been serving for many years with traditional bus services. This step into a flexible and on-demand service is an exciting new project and we are all eager to make it a success and provide an attractive alternative to using a private vehicle to reach the airport.”
James West, UK Business Development Lead at Padam Mobility, affirmed:
We are excited to launch this new trial service in partnership with Thames Valley Buses and the UK’s Biggest Airport, Heathrow. We strongly believe that the new on-demand service offers an attractive proposition to workers and holidaymakers looking to get to the airport without relying on the private car. Testing a new, innovative service for the residents of Dedworth gives us confidence that we can encourage modal shift to provide more sustainable ways to travel to the airport.”
More can be found about the Go2Gate service here
