Author: Bob Handford
Heathrow Central Bus Station is the main public transport hub for Heathrow Airport, the Underground and Railway Station, Heathrow Central is below the bus station.
The airport authority severely restricts access to individual passenger Terminals at Heathrow, at Terminals 1 and 3 the only buses allowed are the car parking shuttles and the Heathrow Hoppa buses connecting the terminals with Heathrow’s hotels (the hotels themselves are not allowed to run their own shuttles).
The result is that if you are using a scheduled public bus service there is a good chance (especially if you use Terminals 1 and 3) that the bus you need is accessed from Heathrow Central Bus Station, not from the passenger terminals.
The Central Bus Station is located between Terminals 1 and 3.
All of the National Express long distance buses stage through the Central Bus Station, with just a subset of services also servicing Terminal 4 and 5 on the other side of the airport. Of the National Express bus services that do stop at Terminal 4 or 5 you will find that there are much higher frequencies from the Central Bus Station.
The RailAir services to Woking and Reading and the Oxford Bus company services use the Central Bus Station and also call at Terminal 5, but not Terminal 4
The local bus network has its hub at the Central Bus Station with the opportunity to reach many of Heathrow’s hotels free of charge.
There is a limited in comparison public bus service from Terminals 4 and 5
Heathrow Airport’s passenger terminals are spread out, it can take 15 minutes to drive from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 for example.
To walk from Terminals 1 and 3 to the Central Bus Station takes 5-10 minutes with luggage. The route is well signed and you descend a ramp inside the arrivals hall of both terminals and then travel using moving walkways for much of the way underground to the Underground Station. The Central Bus Station is located above Heathrow Central Underground Station and there are lifts and escalators up to it. The route is luggage trolley friendly.
From Terminals 4 and 5 you take the Heathrow Express train to Heathrow Central Station and again follow the signs up to the surface and the bus station.
The Heathrow Express is free for this journey and runs every 15 minutes. It will take 15-25 minutes to get from Terminal 4 or 5 to the Central Bus Station.
The bus station is modern and open 24 hours a day and the travel centre is open from 06:00 to 22:30.
There is a manned ticket desk, coffee shop and waiting area.
The video clip below provides you a guided tour of the facility.
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