Staff travel card "boxes"

[Mojo]

Sorry, am away from home at the moment.

Can anyone advise if free travel "boxes" for safeguarded staff are valid for free travel to/from Heathrow Airport on:
- RailAir bus link from Reading station
- Heathrow Express
- Heathrow Connect

or will Priv rate tickets have to be bought?

Thanks in advance

 

[Haywain]

Definitely no boxes on Heathrow Express, and it is not usual for them to be accepted on any form of bus link. Heathrow Connect may be OK as I can't see anything that says otherwise, and it is a normal GWR service other than the bit into the airport. Sorry I can't be more precise on this.

 

[ag51ruk]

You can use boxes on Heathrow Connect as far as Hayes, but not valid beyond there to Heathrow. You can buy privs for that section, as well as for Heathrow Express.

I don't believe boxes are valid on the RailAir buses.

Edited to add: I've just checked, and only Heathrow Express is listed in the staff travel guide (with privilege tickets available) - Heathrow Connect isn't mentioned, there is an old document (from 2009) that says that priv tickets are not valid between Hayes and Heathrow.

http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/files/RSTDocuments/offers/Web_Heathrow_Connect_010909.pdf

 

[Ootooting]

As always though it's always worth asking the platform/onboard staff before you travel if you are using one of your boxes, some staff are quite amenable.

 

[davetheguard]

A cheaper, but slower, alternative route is use a box or priv rate as far as Hayes & Harlington station (valid on either a GWR Turbo or a Heathrow Connect EMU), and then catch the route 140 red London bus from right outside the station to Heathrow Airport bus station. Handy for the original terminals, but if you're flying from the later-built terminal 4 or 5, you'll need in addition to use Heathrow Express or the Tube to travel between the central terminals & 4 or 5.

Of course, being London, you'll need an Oyster Card or Contactless Debit/Credit card to pay (swipe the reader on the bus); no cash is taken.