Londoners: What's the best public transport option from Heathrow to Kings Cross?

[Andy in Germany]

I survived Edinburgh, finally back in Rottenburg as I write this. I eventually did what I should have done last time, and got my British current account working again.

As to Tap and Go, I'm not convinced. It's great where there are barriers (and there are a lot of barriers in the UK, my goodness) but on a bus, with only one entrance, where people are waiting for you to get off so they can get on, and you have your hands full it's a royal pain: the last thing you need is to dig up your card and present it when you want to get off quickly so someone else can get on. It wouldn't be so bad if you could get off at the back, as we do here, but when everyone has to get on and off at the front it just bungs up the entrance and delays the bus.

It feels like someone came up with the idea for barriers, then someone else who possibly hasn't used a bus in a while, but does use their credit card for purchases saw it, and thought they'd had a great idea.

On the other hand, the staff were very helpful when things went wrong, and it has to be said the LNER services were all on time. Edinburgh Waverly was much refurbished, even if it did also have more barriers, and the trams are most impressive. I'm going to have to work out how much longer it takes for Heathrow to York or Edinburgh to York, because to be honest I'm not sure if there was much in it...

 

[mjr]

As to Tap and Go, I'm not convinced. It's great where there are barriers (and there are a lot of barriers in the UK, my goodness) but on a bus, with only one entrance, where people are waiting for you to get off so they can get on, and you have your hands full it's a royal pain: the last thing you need is to dig up your card and present it when you want to get off quickly so someone else can get on.

Where are there buses that you had to tap off? London, Cambridge and Norwich don't need it, maybe for reasons including the one you give.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Where are there buses that you had to tap off? London, Cambridge and Norwich don't need it, maybe for reasons including the one you give.

First Bus in York use the system: there's a "tap off" sensor a few metres behind the driver's cab, meaning two queues form in opposing directions.

 

[Pblakeney]

I survived Edinburgh, finally back in Rottenburg as I write this. I eventually did what I should have done last time, and got my British current account working again.

As to Tap and Go, I'm not convinced. It's great where there are barriers (and there are a lot of barriers in the UK, my goodness) but on a bus, with only one entrance, where people are waiting for you to get off so they can get on, and you have your hands full it's a royal pain: the last thing you need is to dig up your card and present it when you want to get off quickly so someone else can get on. It wouldn't be so bad if you could get off at the back, as we do here, but when everyone has to get on and off at the front it just bungs up the entrance and delays the bus.

It feels like someone came up with the idea for barriers, then someone else who possibly hasn't used a bus in a while, but does use their credit card for purchases saw it, and thought they'd had a great idea.

On the other hand, the staff were very helpful when things went wrong, and it has to be said the LNER services were all on time. Edinburgh Waverly was much refurbished, even if it did also have more barriers, and the trams are most impressive. I'm going to have to work out how much longer it takes for Heathrow to York or Edinburgh to York, because to be honest I'm not sure if there was much in it...

You got me curious. If you were landing right now and taking trains/trams it would take 2:41 v 2:54 in favour of Heathrow.
Take your pick on grounds of comfort as speed is negligible.

 

[Andy in Germany]

You got me curious. If you were landing right now and taking trains/trams it would take 2:41 v 2:54 in favour of Heathrow.
Take your pick on grounds of comfort as speed is negligible.

Of course, that assumes all other things like engineering, delays and similar are equal, and it depends on the best connection, but yes that's about correct. The main advantage for London is that there are several flights a day to Stuttgart, whereas in Edinburgh there's one or two per week.

I've not included Manchester: on the face of it this is the most convenient, but I've been watching and there are lots of substitute bus services, and a tendency to terminate the trains from York in Manchester Victoria which isn't helpful.

 

[Andy in Germany]

One thing I neglected to mention: Kings Cross to York was GBP 75.00 and York to Edinburgh was GBP 63.00 which wasn't bad, especially as the KX-York ticket was bought ten minutes before departure on a non-stop train, and the online price was GBP 103.00.

It also compares favourably with a phone based Britrail pass for price and convenience.

 

[mjr]

First Bus in York use the system: there's a "tap off" sensor a few metres behind the driver's cab, meaning two queues form in opposing directions.

🤦 Worst Bus strike again! Is there any good idea the oligopolies can't mess up? This is at least a different way of messing it up to First Bus Norwich, where they were fining students who didn't take the paper receipt after tapping on.

Yes, that's stupid. As far as I can tell, there's a £6 daily cap on that network (and lower per day for more days), so there's no reason that people making more than two or three journeys in a day should have to tap off, except that Worst Bus always seem to mess passengers about.

 

[mjr]

One thing I neglected to mention: Kings Cross to York was GBP 75.00 and York to Edinburgh was GBP 63.00 which wasn't bad, especially as the KX-York ticket was bought ten minutes before departure on a non-stop train, and the online price was GBP 103.00.

It also compares favourably with a phone based Britrail pass for price and convenience.

How do you conclude that? You spent £241 for probably specified trains, whereas a 3-day-in-one-month flexi standard-class Britrail pass allowing travel on any train is €205 (€303 for first class), so it looks more expensive and less convenient unless you got first class for those prices.

But at least you got in the same ball park, without hitting any of the jumbo-sized walk-up fares that make newspaper headlines!

 

[Andy in Germany]

How do you conclude that? You spent £241 for probably specified trains, whereas a 3-day-in-one-month flexi standard-class Britrail pass allowing travel on any train is €205 (€303 for first class), so it looks more expensive and less convenient unless you got first class for those prices.

But at least you got in the same ball park, without hitting any of the jumbo-sized walk-up fares that make newspaper headlines!

Got my maths mixed up again for some reason. However, there were not specific tickets, surprisingly, just off-peak singles.

Also, and I know many people disagree on this, I still don't trust phone based tickets, so I will stick with this method going forward.

 

[Andy in Germany]

🤦 Worst Bus strike again! Is there any good idea the oligopolies can't mess up? This is at least a different way of messing it up to First Bus Norwich, where they were fining students who didn't take the paper receipt after tapping on.

Yes, that's stupid. As far as I can tell, there's a £6 daily cap on that network (and lower per day for more days), so there's no reason that people making more than two or three journeys in a day should have to tap off, except that Worst Bus always seem to mess passengers about.

Or you could just have a card that covers all local transport and thus makes using public transport much more convenient without using lots of expensive machines...

 

[mjr]

Or you could just have a card that covers all local transport and thus makes using public transport much more convenient without using lots of expensive machines...

Which they do. Well, all buses and I think that's all they've got. https://www.itravelyork.info/homepage/64/all-york

 

[Andy in Germany]

Which they do. Well, all buses and I think that's all they've got. https://www.itravelyork.info/homepage/64/all-york

That's the problem: it's just for one company's buses, so I can't say, catch a train into York and use a bus to go into the inner suburbs without buying another ticket.

I had a Stuttgart railcard for several years, which meant, while I was getting my training I could catch a bus to the local Ü-Bahn, then the Ü-Bahn into the city, and change to another bus using the same card.

Now with the Deutschland ticket this applies to the whole country, so that yesterday I could catch a bus run by the local company into Esslingen, a train to Tübingen, and then another train to Rottenburg, without having to tap on or off, and without worrying about who actually owned or oprated the bus or train.

 

[mjr]

That's the problem: it's just for one company's buses, so I can't say, catch a train into York and use a bus to go into the inner suburbs without buying another ticket.

No, it's for all companies' buses. But I see Worst Bus sell their own single-company passes too, which is unhelpful, confusing and annoying, but probably makes them a few pennies more and to hell with customers! This sort of silly shoot is another reason why bus operators need regulating more tightly.

You can also buy a combined train/bus ticket from London to 'York plus bus' and similar tickets are available for most places bigger than a small town. They're often priced to be only cheaper than separate tickets if you make three bus journeys, for some odd reason.

Combined bus&underground tickets would be great, but first York needs to build an underground!

 

[Dogtrousers]

That's the problem: it's just for one company's buses, so I can't say, catch a train into York and use a bus to go into the inner suburbs without buying another ticket.

When you reach a certain state of age and decrepitude (how old varies on where you live) you can get an Older Person's Bus Pass, which is valid on buses across England and Wales (Dunno about Scotland). Amazing - some cross regional consistency!

But note that it's a bus pass only. Nothing to do with trains. There is a Senior Railcard (different eligibility criteria) which you can buy (if eligible) gives you discount on train tickets nationwide (terms and conditions apply). But that's unrelated to buses.

And if you're in London, trains buses tubes and trams are actually joined up.

 

[T4tomo]

but first York needs to build an underground!

its already got one!