Uber River Boat - could we see it come to Southend?

London’s leading river bus service, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, held two trial runs this month, with boats departing from Tilbury Pier and finishing at London Bridge City Pier, stopping at North Greenwich along the way.

The trial runs, held on last year, were deemed a success by firm bosses who say Uber Boat is looking into making the route a permanent fixture.

The service, which starts at Gravesend, takes one hour to get from Tilbury to London Bridge.

If the Tilbury line does become a permanent fixture, Southend Council has expressed an interest in exploring the possibility of extending route to the city – but at this point no formal discussion with the firm have taken place.

Southend councillor Steven Wakefield, responsible for highways, transport and parking, said: “We are open to discussion with the firm to see if this could be of benefit to our residents.

“However, it would have to run from Southend Pier, so there would have to be a lot of work to ensure capacity and viability.”

“We remain committed to growing the River Bus network in London and further east,” Sean Collins, CEO and co-founder, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers said.

“We want as many residents as possible to realise the benefits of travelling by river in and out of London, in terms of speed, comfort and frequency.

“We are optimistic about the volume of passengers opting to use this special leisure service, and we hope soon to be able to offer this additional transport link permanently to Gravesend and Tilbury.”

The trial journey prices saw tickets start from £11 per person for a single adult journey, or £19.50 for an adult return journey.

Councillor Rob Gledhill, leader of Thurrock Council, said: ““River transport is a fantastic option for Thurrock, reconnecting our towns to the river and thanks to the government’s £22.8million town fund investment, this could be the future for travel in our borough.”