Accessible travel across London
A helpful guide to accessible and wheelchair-friendly travel by river
On this page you will find information about access to our piers but also the accessibility on board our vessels. Scroll down to read about discounts for people with disabilities and carers and how to apply for our Mobility Scooter Recognition Scheme.
Pier Accessibility
All our piers are step-free and wheelchair accessible except for Cadogan, London Bridge City and Wandsworth Riverside Quarter piers.
The closest accessible piers are:
- Battersea Power Station Pier across the river from Cadogan
- Bankside Pier for London Bridge City
- Putney or Plantation Wharf Pier for Wandsworth Riverside Quarter
Our Customer Service team will be there to assist you at London Eye, Westminster, Embankment, Bankside, London Bridge, Tower, Canary Wharf, Greenwich and North Greenwich piers from 10:00-18:00.
We have a list of what3words addresses for our wheelchair accessible pier entrances on our 'Find your pier' page.
what3words is an easy way to find and share exact locations. Every 3 metre square has its own unique three word identifier. For example, ///taking.uses.strong is the what3words address for the entrance to Tower Pier. By using the what3words addresses, you can save time and hassle by knowing exactly where you need to go to board our services.
Chelsey’s fully accessible journey to Greenwich on the river
Boat Accessibility
All our boats are wheelchair, mobility scooter and pram accessible, we use ramps for boarding.
We can have a maximum of four wheelchairs on our larger boats and can accommodate a further three folded wheelchairs. Electronic wheelchairs are also welcome.
All boats, except Star, Storm and Sky Clipper, have accessible toilets and larger boats have baby changing tables.
Members of our Mobility Scooter Recognition Scheme are able to bring their mobility scooters on board. Learn more
Audio and Visual Information
- All of the boats have audible next stop announcements on board, letting passengers know which stop is coming up.
- The piers have visual next boat information, letting passengers know when the next boat will arrive and where it is going to.
- Our crew on board the boats and staff at piers are more than happy to offer help and assistance.
Guide and Assistance dogs
You can bring a Guide or Assistance dog on board with you without charge. We welcome all Guide and Assistance dogs, including: Fetch and carry dogs, Mental health companion dogs and Seizure-alert dogs.
We do not allow Guide or Assistance dogs on seats.
The Mobility Scooter Recognition Scheme is in place to support passengers wishing to bring their mobility scooter aboard Uber Boat by Thames Clippers' vessels.
For safety reasons, we are not able to accommodate all mobility scooters. Scooters that use combustible fuel are not permitted on board any of our vessels. As we operate different types and sizes of vessel with different types and sizes of boarding gangway at each pier, some mobility scooters may be too large or unable to negotiate tight turns.
Generally, Class 3 mobility scooters are not suited for travel on our services. For your safety and well-being as well as those of all passengers and crew, the make and model of your mobility scooter must firstly be reviewed by our Safety Team before it can be brought on board. This usually only takes one working day, but please allow a few days before your first intended date of travel to avoid disappointment.
Once your mobility scooter is approved, we will send you a ‘Mobility Aid Card’ which you will need to show to our staff to bring your mobility scooter on board our vessels. Please note that passengers who are unable to present their Mobility Aid Card will not be permitted to board their mobility scooter.
To check if your mobility scooter can be accommodated on our vessels and receive your Mobility Aid Card, please email web@thamesclippers.com with the following details:
- Make & model of the scooter that will be used for travel
- Full name, address and telephone number of the person using the mobility scooter
If your mobility scooter is approved we will then send you a ‘Mobility Aid Card’ which you can show to the pier staff and crew; this signifies to them that your scooter is approved for travel.
As the user of the mobility scooter, when accessing our gangways, please consider the following advice and only proceed if you are confident it is safe to do so:
- If your scooter has three wheels, extra care needs to be taken when driving off the gangway due to the gradient on some piers, inclement weather and the potential movement of the gangway.
- When driving off the gangway avoid turning the steering until the back wheels are firmly on the pier.
If you have any concerns please speak to a crew member who will be pleased to assist you.
Tickets for people with disabilities and carers
- Any person with a valid Disabled I.D. badge/card, irrespective of the Council that this was issued from, or a Freedom Pass will receive a 50% discount off ticket fares.
- A carer accompanying passengers with a Disabled I.D. badge/card will receive a complimentary ticket (same as the ticket bought by the person they are accompanying).
- If buying your ticket online, via the Tickets app or at the ticket machines at the pier, please select the Freedom Pass fare.
Please talk to a member of staff at one of our ticket offices; if the pier is not manned please speak to the crew when boarding the boat. The person with a Disabled I.D. badge/card will need to buy their ticket before boarding and are allowed one complimentary ticket per person.