Executive business transfers from Ramsgate to London, the airports and your meetings

When a business transfer from Ramsgate beats the train

Ramsgate is well connected by rail. High-speed trains have run from Ramsgate station to St Pancras since December 2009, and from Thanet Parkway, near Cliffsend, the trip takes about 70 minutes. For one person with a laptop bag going to a meeting close to St Pancras, the train is hard to beat.

A car earns its place when:

• the meeting starts before a sensible train would get you there;
• three or four of you are travelling, because the fare is for the car, not per head;
• you are carrying samples, display stands or luggage for an onward flight;
• the destination is a long way from St Pancras, or there are several stops in one day;
• you want to work or take calls in private on the way.

Choosing the right executive car

For one to four passengers, the executive car is the natural choice: it seats up to four and takes two or three large cases. A saloon suits the same number with lighter luggage. If a team of five or six is going to the same event, the people carrier seats six with room for four or more large cases, so everyone arrives together and nobody has to drive or find parking.

For a conference, trade show or company event, that people carrier keeps the team together with their bags and display material, and a larger group can book more than one car for the same time. Give us the venue address and the time you need to be there, and tell us if the journey home depends on when the event finishes, so the return pickup can be timed around it.

Getting into London on time

The drive into London leaves on the A299 and the M2 before joining the A2. Two things catch people out. Overnight roadworks on the M2 and M25 are common, and Friday afternoons can add 30 to 45 minutes on the M25. Book the pickup with a cushion for both rather than trusting the best case.

If your meeting is north of the river in east London, the car may use the Blackwall or Silvertown tunnel, both charged between 06:00 and 22:00. Tolls and parking fees on the journey can be added to the fixed fare where they apply; anything else, from slow traffic to a diversion, leaves the fare unchanged.

Business flights from London City, Heathrow and Gatwick

For short European trips, London City is the closest airport to Ramsgate by typical drive time, at 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes. The forecourt there is strictly for dropping off, so plan to step out with your bag ready. For other routes, Heathrow typically takes 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes and Gatwick 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours.

On the way back, we follow the flight and time the collection to the real landing time. The driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board and, after an international flight, waits up to 45 minutes from landing at no extra charge. A delay out of your hands costs nothing extra.

Working back from an early London City departure

A morning meeting abroad usually means an early flight, and that means an early start in Ramsgate. Work back from the time your airline wants you at the airport rather than the departure time. If that is 06:30, take off 1 hour 55 minutes, the top of the typical range, and a cushion of about half an hour, which gives a pickup at around 04:05.

An early start costs no more than a midday one. The driver waits 10 minutes after the agreed time at no charge, so be at the door with your bag when the car arrives.

Hourly and day hire for a full schedule

Some days do not fit a single journey: a round of client visits, a site tour, an event that runs late. As-directed hire books the car and driver by the hour or by the day, so the car goes where you need it, in the order you choose, and is there when you come out.

For as-directed hire, tell us the start time, the first address and an outline of the day when you book. For a single journey instead, remember that waiting beyond the free time is charged at the standard rate.

Pickups from Ramsgate homes, hotels and the harbour

Pickups can be from a home, a hotel or a business address in Ramsgate, or from Minster, Monkton, Manston, Cliffsend or Pegwell. By the harbour, the port's approach road runs through a tunnel and avoids the town centre, and the marina's Military Road is not an adopted road, so we agree the meeting point in advance.

Booking and paying for business travel

Bookings are taken online, by phone on 01843 247247, on WhatsApp and by email, 24 hours a day. Online payment accepts cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna and Revolut. The fixed fare is shown before you confirm and does not change unless the journey does, and plans that change more than 24 hours ahead can be cancelled free of charge.