On a match day, Twickenham's population triples. Eighty-odd thousand rugby fans arrive for an international, the pubs along the London Road are packed from mid-morning, and the station queues stretch back up the street after the final whistle. Minibus hire Twickenham bookings mostly come from those days, with rugby clubs, corporate hospitality groups and supporters' trips, and a lot of Heathrow runs in between.
From our base in SE1, Twickenham is about forty-five minutes to an hour outside the rush hour.
The stadium on match days
Twickenham Stadium is the home of England rugby, with the Six Nations in the spring, the autumn internationals in November, and big club and cup finals in between. It also hosts stadium concerts in the summer, which bring a different crowd but the same road closures. The World Rugby Museum at the stadium is a popular school trip on non-match days.
On match days, the roads around the stadium are closed or restricted, and coaches and minibuses use set drop-off and pickup areas. They're a walk from the stadium, and the driver will confirm the exact spot before the day.
For hospitality groups, the driver can wait for the whole day, so clients can stay for the post-match drinks and go home when they're ready. For supporters' groups, agree a meeting time and place for the return, because finding each other in a crowd of eighty thousand is not easy.
Minibus hire Twickenham for rugby clubs
Rugby clubs from across the country come to Twickenham for finals and internationals, and plenty of them book transport for the day. A club that's driven down from the Midlands might want a minibus from their hotel to the ground and back, or from a station.
Twickenham Stoop, across the road from the main stadium, is home to Harlequins, and their big home games bring their own crowds. Local clubs across Richmond and Hounslow also book us for fixtures, with kit bags and full squads. Rugby is the obvious sport, but cricket, rowing and football clubs in the area travel just as much. International touring sides and their supporters often stay in hotels near Heathrow during the autumn series, and need transport to training and to the ground.
Heathrow, minutes away
Heathrow is one of the shortest airport runs in London from Twickenham, usually around twenty to thirty minutes. The A316 and the A305 take you towards the M3 and the airport's southern side, or the A312 and the A4 to the northern terminals.
For families flying out, that's a big advantage. The airport hotels are close too, so a group arriving late can be at their hotel within half an hour of landing. A pickup at 5am for a 7am flight is reasonable, and the return is quick too. The driver checks the landing time before setting off.
Students, schools and weddings
St Mary's University in Strawberry Hill, known for its sports science courses, brings students and staff to the area, and they book us for sports fixtures, field trips and away days. Local schools book us for trips into London and days out.
The town centre runs down to the river, where Twickenham Riverside and Eel Pie Island give it a village feel away from the stadium. Bushy Park and Hampton Court are a short drive west.
Twickenham has plenty of weddings too, with venues along the river and in the parks. York House, with its riverside gardens, is used for civil ceremonies, and Marble Hill House, on the riverside towards Richmond, is one of the best-known landmarks, and the river walk is popular for photos.
Roads around Twickenham
The A316 Chertsey Road runs through the north of Twickenham, from Richmond out to the M3. It's the main road into London from this side, and it's slow at peak times, especially near the Chertsey Road roundabouts and Richmond.
Twickenham station is the main way in for most fans, and the queues to get back on a train after a match can take an hour or more. The A305 and the London Road carry traffic through the town centre, and on match days they're closed or very busy. Twickenham Bridge and Richmond Bridge are the main crossings over the Thames to the east.
Local bookings on match days
If you're local, plan around the fixture list. On a match day, minibus hire Twickenham locals book for anything else is harder. Roads around the stadium are closed for hours before and after the game, and the A316 and the town centre are slow all day. If you live in Twickenham and have a wedding, an airport run or a family event on a big rugby Saturday, tell us when you book, and we'll plan the route and timings around the closures.
For minibus hire in Twickenham, call 020 7183 0567.