BlaakLane.com books a Paddington chauffeur at a fixed fare shown before you confirm. Tell us your GWR, Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express train; the chauffeur tracks it, meets you at a legal pickup point on Praed Street, Eastbourne Terrace or London Street, confirmed by text, and drives you across London, to Heathrow or west to Oxford and Bath.
Booking a Paddington pickup
Select London Paddington in the reservation engine, add the train and date, your destination and a vehicle class. The Paddington fare you see is fixed. Paddington lies just west of the Congestion Charge zone, which starts at Edgware Road; if your route crosses into it, the charge is added to the booking at actual cost.
The 24/7 desk in Toronto dispatches London trips to a vetted local affiliate from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. The chauffeur holds a private hire licence from Transport for London, and the confirmation names operator, chauffeur and car.
Rail services at Paddington
- Great Western Railway: Reading, Oxford, Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff, Swansea, Cheltenham, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance, and the Night Riviera sleeper to Cornwall. See GWR.
- Heathrow Express: the non-stop train to Heathrow Central (Terminals 2 and 3) in about 15 minutes and on to Terminal 5. See Heathrow Express.
- Elizabeth line: west to Heathrow and Reading, east through the West End to Canary Wharf, Abbey Wood and Shenfield, from its own deep-level station under Eastbourne Terrace.
- Underground: the Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.
Station layout and pickup points
Brunel's iron train shed runs between Praed Street at the front and the canal basin at the back. The main entrances are from Praed Street through the Lawn and the former Great Western Royal Hotel, from Eastbourne Terrace on the west side (where the Elizabeth line entrance is), from London Street on the east side, and from Paddington Basin and Merchant Square to the north, where many offices are.
Around the station, bus lanes, taxi ranks and loading restrictions change by time of day. The chauffeur uses a legal pickup point on Praed Street, Eastbourne Terrace or London Street, or a bay by the Basin, chosen for the day's traffic and any works, and texts you the spot and the exit to use. Arriving by Elizabeth line, the Eastbourne Terrace exit is the closest.
Car-side pickup, with a platform meet as an option
The standard service is a curbside pickup at the confirmed point. The chauffeur does not come to the barrier unless you add meet and greet. Add-ons are only available in selected locations, and the booking engine confirms whether a meet at the barrier can be added for your train.
Tracking GWR trains
GWR's long-distance services cover hundreds of miles, and weather in the West Country or engineering works can cost time. We follow the live running of your train and time the car to the real arrival. The first 15 minutes after the train is in cost nothing extra; additional waiting is charged in blocks of 15 minutes, as displayed in the booking.
Luggage and sleeper arrivals
Night Riviera passengers arrive early in the morning, often with holiday luggage; Heathrow Express riders who changed their mind about the train come with airport bags. A sedan holds two bags; an SUV six; a Sprinter Van 12 small bags.
Paddington to Heathrow and the other airports
| Airport | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow (LHR) | about 15 miles | 35-70 minutes via the A40 and M4 |
| London City (LCY) | about 11 miles | 40-60 minutes |
| Gatwick (LGW) | about 28 miles | 70-100 minutes |
| Luton (LTN) | about 32 miles | 55-85 minutes |
| Stansted (STN) | about 40 miles | 70-100 minutes |
The Heathrow Express is quick for light travellers; a car suits families, heavy luggage and door-to-door timing. See the Heathrow and Gatwick pages, or the Farnborough FBO and Biggin Hill FBO pages for private flights.
Hotels and business districts from Paddington
Paddington Basin and Merchant Square offices are a short walk; Marylebone and Mayfair are 10-20 minutes by car; Kensington, Knightsbridge and Belgravia hotels 10-25 minutes; the West End 15-25; the City 25-40; Canary Wharf 35-55. White City and the media offices to the west are 15-25 minutes.
West by road: Oxford, Bath and beyond
| Route | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor | about 23 miles | 45-75 minutes |
| Oxford | about 57 miles | 1 h 15 - 1 h 45 |
| Cotswolds (Burford) | about 75 miles | 1 h 40 - 2 h 15 |
| Bath | about 115 miles | 2 h 15 - 3 h |
| Bristol | about 120 miles | 2 h 15 - 3 h |
| Cardiff | about 150 miles | 2 h 45 - 3 h 30 |
See Windsor, Oxford, Bath and Bristol, or book intercity transfers. Day trips with a waiting chauffeur work well as city tours and day trips.
The right vehicle
- Standard Sedan and Luxury Executive Sedan: two passengers and two bags, the usual choice for a Mayfair meeting or Heathrow.
- Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach): for a principal arriving from Bath or the Cotswolds.
- Standard Black SUV and Executive Black SUV: six and six, for families and heavy cases.
- Sprinter Van: 12 passengers for a wedding party heading to Windsor.
- Sprinter Luxury Jet Van: seven with carry-ons, for a team working on the way to Oxford.
- Luxury Stretch Limo and Party Bus: eight and 14 passengers, for weddings, birthdays and nights out.
See the fleet and rates pages.
Accounts and cancellation
Firms can open corporate accounts with monthly invoicing and cost centres, and hotel concierges can see hotels and concierge. Free cancellation applies more than 72 hours before pickup; then 10 % within 72 hours, 50 % within 48 hours, and 100 % within 24 hours or on a no-show. Station information is published by Network Rail. The city guide is at chauffeur service in London.
Catching a train from Paddington
For departures, we plan the pickup so you are at the station 20 to 30 minutes before a GWR train, or a little more if you are travelling with heavy luggage or need assistance. The chauffeur sets you down at the entrance that suits your platform: Eastbourne Terrace for the Elizabeth line and the western platforms, Praed Street for the main concourse and the Heathrow Express, or London Street for the eastern side. Night Riviera passengers leaving late in the evening can book the same door-to-door service from dinner or a hotel, and early risers heading to Heathrow can pair a car to Paddington with the Heathrow Express, or skip the train entirely.
