Stansted to Bow: distance, time and the real cost of getting there.
- Road distance
- 34.8 miles
- Fixed private-hire fare
- £105.00
56.0 km by road, not straight-line.
All-in, up to 3 passengers. No meter, no surge.
Drive time by time of day
Four figures most transfer sites never publish — because they quote one number and hope. Traffic is real; here is what it does to this route.
| Overnight (22:00–06:00) | 59 min |
|---|---|
| Off-peak (10:00–16:00) | 74 min |
| Morning peak (07:00–10:00) | 110 min |
| Evening peak (16:00–19:00) | 116 min |
- Stansted Express Set Down charge (£10.00)
Distances and drive times from road-network routing. Fares modelled from licensed-operator cost benchmarks and shown VAT-inclusive. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — road geometry via OSRM. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2024 (OGL v3); airport points © OurAirports (public domain); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0) · GeoNames (CC-BY 4.0) · Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NaPTAN, Department for Transport.. Powered by TfL Open Data. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights.
Everything about the Stansted to Bow journey.
Your journey from Stansted to Bow
A private hire transfer from Stansted Airport to Bow covers 34.8 miles (56.0 km) by road and takes 59–116 minutes door to door, depending on the time of day and traffic. The drop covers the E3 postcode district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Your fixed all-in fare is £105.00 for up to 3 passengers — agreed before you travel, with no meter, no surge and no change if the roads are busy.
At 34.8 miles by road this is a longer motorway-and-city route,, and the fixed fare covers the whole of it whether the journey runs to 59 minutes or the full 116.
How long the Bow drive takes at different times
Traffic, not distance, decides how long the Stansted to Bow drive takes. Overnight, between 22:00 and 06:00, the roads are clear and the run takes about 59 minutes. Through the off-peak middle of the day it settles around 74 minutes. The morning peak from 07:00 to 10:00 is the busiest inbound window at roughly 110 minutes, and the evening peak from 16:00 to 19:00 runs about 116 minutes as central London empties out.
The gap between the best and worst case on this route is 57 minutes — an evening-peak run into Bow takes about 97% longer than the same drive overnight. Most of that variation lands on the M11, which carries the longest single stretch of this route at 35.2 km. Planning works the same way in reverse. Leaving Bow for a flight out of Stansted Airport during the morning peak means allowing the full 110 minutes plus check-in time, while an off-peak departure needs closer to 74 minutes and a quiet overnight start nearer 59.
What a Bow transfer costs
Every Stansted to Bow fare is fixed and all-in, quoted VAT-inclusive before you book. Economy seats up to 3 passengers with room for 2 bags at a fixed £105.00, Business seats up to 3 passengers with room for 2 bags at a fixed £128.11, First seats up to 3 passengers with room for 2 bags at a fixed £204.75 and Van seats up to 7 passengers with room for 7 bags at a fixed £145.96.
On the cheapest class that works out at about £3.01 per mile across the 34.8-mile route.
Travelling as a group changes the sum. The Van seats up to 7 passengers with 7 bags for a fixed £145.96 — about £20.85 a head when it is full, and usually less than 7 separate train or coach tickets once luggage and changes are counted.
What's included in your fixed fare
Every Stansted to Bow journey is pre-booked and driven by a TfL-licensed chauffeur who meets you inside arrivals with a name board, tracks your flight so an early or delayed landing moves the pick-up automatically, and helps with your luggage. The fare covers the drive itself, the meet-and-greet, the free wait if your flight lands early or late, and the drop at your exact address — there is nothing further to settle with the driver on the day, a traffic-heavy crawl costs exactly the same as a clear overnight run, and the same fixed fare applies wherever in Bow you are headed. Fares are quoted VAT-inclusive and all-in, so there is never a separate airport, waiting or booking fee to settle on the day. Prices rise with the size and class of vehicle, never with demand or the time you travel: there is no meter running in traffic and no surge multiplier however busy the roads or the calendar, and everyone in the party arrives together at the same door on one fixed fare. Fixed pass-through costs such as Stansted Express Set Down charge (£10.00) are already folded into the quoted fare, not bolted on afterwards. On the Stansted to Bow route you can choose from 4 vehicle classes, from the Economy at £105.00 to the First at £204.75, so the fixed fare scales to the party and the occasion rather than to a meter. Because the booking is accepted by a licensed operator before you travel, it is a pre-booked private hire transfer end to end — never a hailed or ranked service.
Where we cover around Bow
We cover Bow and the surrounding E3 postcode, picking up and dropping at the exact door you need. Bow sits outside central London's Congestion Charge zone, so the daily charge does not apply to this route.
Bow on the map
The Stansted to Bow drive runs mainly on M11 (35.2 km), A12 (8.7 km) and A120 (3.7 km), with the M11 carrying about 63% of the 56.0 km route — which is why the same journey can be quicker or slower than a similar distance across a different corridor. Stansted is the third-closest of the 6 London airports to Bow by road, 34.8 miles (56.0 km) against 9.5 km from the nearest, London City. Closest is not always fastest: a fixed Stansted fare is quoted on the real road route and the time band you actually travel in, not on the map distance, so Bow passengers flying from Stansted pay the same agreed price whichever airport is nearer. Bow sits within a short drive of Old Ford (0.7 km), Mile End (1.1 km), Globe Town (1.1 km) and Victoria Park (1.1 km), so the same fixed fare covers pick-ups either side of the area boundary. Bow lies in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and every pick-up there is dispatched to a licensed operator before your driver is assigned.
- Route
- Stansted → Bow
- Distance
- 34.8 mi · 56.0 km
- Typical drive time
- 59–116 min
- Postcodes covered
- E3
- Congestion Charge
- Not applicable to this route
- Main roads
- M11 35.2 km · A12 8.7 km · A120 3.7 km
- Borough
- Tower Hamlets
- Airport proximity
- Stansted is #3 of 6 by road
- Nearby areas
- Old Ford 0.7 km · Mile End 1.1 km · Globe Town 1.1 km · Victoria Park 1.1 km
- Fixed fare from
- £105.00
From the Stansted forecourt to a Bow doorstep.
Your driver meets you inside arrivals, tracks your flight so the pick-up moves with it, and takes the fastest clear route into Bow. One fixed fare, agreed before you travel.
Book this transferPopular experiences in London
Tours and attractions to make more of the trip near Bow, booked on Viator.
Free cancellationThe Ultimate Jack the Ripper Tour (Private Group Booking)from £255.00View
Free cancellationThe Great British Pub Walking Tour: Londonfrom £29.00View
Free cancellationPrivate Tour to Stonehenge, Bath and The Cotswoldsfrom £1,100.00View
Free cancellationThe StrummerWalkfrom £27.00View
Free cancellationBritish Museum & National Gallery of London Semi-Private 8ppl Maxfrom £151.38View
Free cancellationWalking Tour around Spitalfields in the East End of Londonfrom £65.00View
Ad · We may earn a commission if you book through these partner links, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know.
How far is Bow from Stansted Airport?+
How much is a minicab from Stansted Airport to Bow?+
Is a private car cheaper than the train from Stansted Airport to Bow?+
Do you meet me at Stansted?+
Is there a Congestion Charge from Stansted Airport to Bow?+
Which Bow postcodes do you cover?+
Can you carry a group from Stansted Airport to Bow?+
Hotels in Bow
Staying over near Bow? Compare hotels and rooms in the area — boutique stays through to the familiar chains — on Booking.com.
Your car is ready
when you are.
Tell us where and when — we’ll confirm a fixed fare and a chauffeur within the hour.
Get My Fixed FareOr call us any time — +44 20 3000 0000

