Free Bus Transportation From London LHR to Bath Road within Heathrow Freeflow Zone
- patstravelreviews
- May 31, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 1
**** See bottom of review for updates
The Heathrow Freeflow Zone is an area within the immediate LHR airport area that provides free bus service. I am writing this as much as a reminder to myself as information that many may find very useful. As every time I am staying at a hotel near Heathrow I forget where I put this information. I have been taking advantage of this program for the last 15 years or so.
If you are staying in a hotel along Bath Road (Ibis (Styles & Heathrow), Novotel, Renaissance Heathrow, Radisson Blu, Sheraton Skyline, Marriott or Courtyard Heathrow), you can take the following buses from the Central Bus Station at LHR Terminal 1,2,3 (now just 2 & 3) ;105, 111, N140, 278,
285, N9 & SL9 to these hotels. As long as you are only traveling within the Freeflow zone (see links below for exact area) there is no charge for these local buses. As a warning, they do not drop you off at the hotels, but at bus stops along Bath Rd. Nene Road is first stop once you turn onto Bath Rd from the airport and is near the Radisson Hotel & Conf Center, Ibis Styles and Renaissance Hotel. The third stop on Bath Rd is New Road Harlington which is in front of the Radisson Blu and Marriott Hotels with the Sheraton Skyline and Courtyard nearby. Some stops are a few yards from the hotel while others may be a few hundred yards. So, if the weather is bad, you have a lot of
luggage, or you want door to door service, then it may be better paying the 6 Pounds one way or 11 return for the Hotel Hoppa (bus service from each terminal at LHR to area hotels). But if you have a small amount of luggage or do not mind a short walk, then this service can save you 11 Pounds per person (Hoppa has family rates and children under 15 are free). Or if you are staying in one of these hotels and want to take The Tube into London this is also a great use for this service. From Terminals 4 & 5 you can catch the Tube or Heathrow Express (both free service) to Terminals 2 & 3. Follow the signs to The Central Bus Station and look for one of the buses I mentioned above. Just let the driver know you are going to Bath Rd. I will say that there are many more bus routes to the east of the airport entrance on Bath Rd. than to the west.
There is additional Free Bus service to other hotels in the area (consult link below) and from Terminals 4 & 5 (it may be possible to take a bus directly from Terminal 4 or 5 to Bath Rd. and not have to take the Heathrow Express to Terminal 2 & 3). I have also used this service to travel from Terminal 4 to the Central Bus Station because I had a very early morning flight out of Terminal 1 and the Heathrow Express did not start service early enough. I know there are buses that go the other direction on Bath Rd. that have stops near the Hyatt Place, Thistle Heathrow, and the Sheraton Heathrow.
Below are 2 links with more information on The Heathrow Freeflow Zone.
*** Well, I seem to have the power of change with my reviews. I publish this on May 31st and just found out (June 1st) that the Heathrow free travel zone ends June 11,2021 (not sure why, but these days probably due to safety ;-))
Similarly, I wanted to write a review in August 2020 on https://www.patstravelreviews.com/post/what-is-it-like-flying-during-the-covid-19-pandemic but hoped that the pandemic would end and travel would return to a more "normal" service. Finally last month I thought; I should write the review because the airlines won't change their service for a while. A few days later a few US airlines announced some return to normal service :(
***** Finally, this review has a relevant update. I haven't stayed at a Bath Road hotel since I wrote this review several years ago until earlier this month (Marriott, March '25). I switched from Star Alliance (United) to Oneworld (AA) and only really find it worth staying at the Bath Rd hotels if I have a departure out of Terminals 2/3 at LHR (plus, outside of a McDonald's & the hotels there are no restaurants in the area. There used to be a great Italian Restaurant near the gas station but another victim of Covid). There is a Hilton Garden Inn that is a short walk across from T2/3, but it tends to be significantly more expensive than the Bath Rd hotels. If I need to overnight and depart from T5 I would stay at either the Sofitel or Thistle. The Sofitel is reachable by walking, while the Thistle can be reached by Bus 423 (from Stand 6) or a driverless Pod (that costs £8). Terminal 4 now has three hotels that are a 5-10 minute walk from the terminal: The Hilton, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express.
The FreeFlow zone is not back and like many Covid casualties I doubt it will be back. However, these same buses service the local area and stop along Bath Rd. The Central Bus station at LHR is still probably the best way to reach these hotels. It is much less expensive than the Hotel Hoppa (£1.75 compared to £6.80 one-way) and the buses leave LHR with more frequency than the Hoppa (at best every 30 minutes). It took me 15 minutes to reach the Marriott from the time I arrived at the Central Bus Station. Once you enter the bus just tap your credit card for the fare (no need to get tickets in advance). As a side, the Hoppa no longer stops at the Marriott Hotel. They promote a private ride for £9.90 (one-way). The bus stop going to the Marriott is extremely easy as it is in front of the hotel. Heading back to the airport is a little bit of a walk and you need to cross the street (going left and then crossing is the closer stop). Bus SL9 is a new addition from the buses listed above. The airport was advertising a new £6 drop off charge starting in April of 2025. I do not think it will affect the Bus prices, may affect the Hoppa prices and will definitely affect taxi/Uber prices. Hope this updated info is more helpful!
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