Working towards a better commute
Peak time punctuality, iBoat real-time system and other issues we are trying to address.
Our service is busier than usual during school holidays and weekends, between 11am and 8pm, which may impact wait times at certain piers. To be the first on board, take advantage of our Preferred Sailing initiative by purchasing a Weekly, Monthly or Annual season ticket to significantly reduce your wait time. We look forward to seeing you on board!
Preferred sailing
If you are a weekly, monthly or annual season ticket holder, join the special Preferred Sailing queue at staffed piers and be the first to secure your spot on board. Staffed piers include North Greenwich, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Tower, London Bridge City, Bankside, Embankment, Westminster, London Eye (Waterloo) and Battersea Power Station. Preferred Sailing is available during staffed hours (generally 10am – 6pm and later in the summer) every day of the week. Accompanying passengers who do not hold a season ticket will be asked to join the general queue. Please note that customers with disabilities may be boarded first.
Service performance
Further to your feedback, we made significant changes to our timetable back in April to help alleviate service pinch points and therefore delays. This has seen a positive effect, with our overall service now running at 97% punctuality* year-to-date. This is 3% better year-on-year. Our number of cancellations is broadly flat year-on-year (at 1%), with both punctuality and cancellation metrics averaging significantly more favourably than other London transport modes.
IBoat
As our routes get busier and more complex, our digital countdown system, adapted from TfL's bus countdown system, is no longer fit for purpose. We understand the importance of having reliable and accurate timings, which is why we are investing in a new system that is planned to go live before the end of the year. A new real-time countdown will also help us address issues of inadvertent early departures, and will be fully integrated with our booking app.
As always, if you have any questions please feel free to ask a Thames Clippers Customer Service Assistant at one of our manned piers, or email web@thamesclippers.com.
*Punctual services depart within 5 minutes of their timetabled departure time.