Take a bicycle and the cable car is free before half past ten on a weekday.
“Bicycles are accepted on the London Cable Car at all times. Guests with bicycles travel for free on the cable car before 10:30 on weekdays, excluding bank holidays.”
Not a discount. Free. A crossing 90 metres above the Thames, with your bike, at no cost, as long as it is a weekday morning and not a bank holiday.
The catch is the cut-off, and the service opens at 08:00 Monday to Thursday, so the free window on those days is two and a half hours.
One exclusion worth noting: e-scooters, e-bikes and e-unicycles are prohibited, in line with TfL policy. It is pedal bikes only.
It is not called the IFS Cloud Cable Car any more
Checked on 6 October 2026. The sponsorship name has gone.
TfL now calls it the London Cable Car, and the old /ifs-cloud-cable-car/ page returns an error. The fares page URL still carries the old name, so parts of TfL’s own site have not caught up.
If you are searching for IFS Cloud, or have an old link, this is the same crossing between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.
Ten crossings for £20, but only at the ticket office
The cheapest way to use it regularly, and it cannot be bought online.
“A Multi-journey ticket is £20 and can only be bought from London Cable Car ticket offices at the terminals. Multi-journey tickets can be used for 10 one-way journeys only and are valid for 12 months from the date issued.”
That is £2 a crossing. The conditions: not transferable between people, and it does not include priority boarding.
The 30 per cent discount has three conditions
Advertised as “up to 30%”, and the maximum requires all three.
“The maximum 30% discount is only available for off-peak round trips when you book 7 days in advance. Excludes event tickets.”
So: off-peak, round trip, and a week ahead. Miss any one and the saving drops. Peak and off-peak discounts vary.
Pay as you go does not count towards your cap
The fare trap, and it is easy to assume otherwise on a TfL service.
“Journeys using pay as you go don’t count towards caps.”
So a cable car crossing is charged on top of whatever your daily or weekly cap is doing, not absorbed into it. If you were treating it as a normal Tube leg, it is not.
A second practical one: “You cannot top up your Oyster card at the London Cable Car terminals.” Top up online or at any TfL station machine before you arrive.
Payment is accepted online, by contactless card or device, by Oyster, and by cash or card at the ticket offices.
Disabled Freedom Pass holders get no concession, but carers go free
An unusual split, and TfL states it plainly.
“Concession fares are available for guests with a Freedom Pass or 60+ London Oyster photocard. Tickets must be bought at the ticket office to receive the concession fare. Please note that we do not offer a concession fare for disabled Freedom Pass holders.”
So the 60+ concession works and the disabled concession does not.
What is offered instead: “a free carer ticket can be issued at the ticket office where applicable.”
Carers travel free with a full-price paying adult or child, on production of one of: a diagnostic assessment, a Blue Badge, a DWP letter, a Carers Card, an Access Card, or other recognised evidence of disability from a registered health or medical agency.
Note that all of this requires the ticket office. None of the concessions or carer tickets can be had online.
The cable car itself has step-free access and is accessible to most wheelchairs including motorised ones.
Opening hours, and a Thursday extension
Monday to Thursday 08:00 to 21:00.
Friday 09:00 to 22:00.
Saturday 09:00 to 23:00.
Sunday and bank holidays 09:00 to 21:00.
Plus a current extension: open until 22:00 every Thursday from 10 September to 16 October 2026.
Saturday is the late night, at 23:00, and Monday to Thursday the earliest start, at 08:00, which is also the only window the free bike travel applies in.
The London Cable Car Experience, the activity centre with the teddy workshop and selfie factory, runs its own hours: 10:00 to 19:00 during UK school holidays, weekends and bank holidays, and 10:00 to 17:00 at all other times. It can close for private events.
Thirty seconds between cars, ten minutes across
“The cars arrive every 30 seconds and carry up to 10 people.”
One way journeys take up to 10 minutes, varying with passenger flow and weather.
At busy times TfL introduces shared cars to manage queues, so a private cabin is not guaranteed.
It closes in bad weather
Worth checking before you travel across London for it.
The cable car may temporarily close for extreme hot weather, threat of lightning and thunder in the immediate area, or very strong winds.
Status updates are published, and there is a 24-hour travel information line on 0343 222 1234. Note that TfL’s contact centre is separately open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00 and closed at weekends and on bank holidays.
The two terminals
Greenwich Peninsula Terminal, Edmund Halley Way, London SE10 0FR. North Greenwich on the Jubilee line, North Greenwich Pier for the river, and the 188 bus from central London. Car parking at North Greenwich station and The O2.
Royal Docks Terminal, 27 Western Gateway, London E16 1FA. Royal Victoria on the DLR.
Joint cable car and river tickets are sold through the online store, along with fast track and experience tickets.
How to plan it
Have a bike: go before 10:30 on a weekday and it is free.
Going more than once: the £20 multi-journey ticket is £2 a crossing, ticket office only.
Want the full 30 per cent: off-peak, round trip, booked 7 days ahead.
It does not count towards your fare cap.
Top up your Oyster before you arrive. You cannot do it at the terminals.
Concessions and carer tickets: ticket office only, and there is no disabled Freedom Pass concession.
Latest crossing: Saturday, to 23:00.
Windy or stormy: check the status line first.
London Cable Car
- Address
- Greenwich Peninsula Terminal, Edmund Halley Way, London SE10 0FR, and Royal Docks Terminal, 27 Western Gateway, London E16 1FA
- Nearest
- North Greenwich on the Jubilee line and North Greenwich Pier for the Greenwich side, Royal Victoria on the DLR for the Royal Docks side. Bus 188 from central London
- Hours
- Monday to Thursday 08:00 to 21:00. Friday 09:00 to 22:00. Saturday 09:00 to 23:00. Sunday and bank holidays 09:00 to 21:00. Open until 22:00 every Thursday from 10 September to 16 October 2026. The Cable Car Experience runs 10:00 to 19:00 in school holidays, weekends and bank holidays and 10:00 to 17:00 otherwise
- Booking
- Online, contactless, Oyster, or cash and card at the terminals. Pay as you go journeys do not count towards caps and Oyster cannot be topped up at the terminals
- Price
- Up to 30 per cent off online, but the full 30 requires an off-peak round trip booked 7 days ahead. Multi-journey ticket 20 pounds for 10 one-way journeys, ticket office only, valid 12 months. Concessions for Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster holders at the ticket office only
- Standing
- A cable car crossing the Thames 90 metres up between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, with cars every 30 seconds carrying up to 10 people and a crossing of up to 10 minutes
How to get in
Guests with bicycles travel free before 10:30 on weekdays, excluding bank holidays, though e-bikes, e-scooters and e-unicycles are banned. Pay as you go journeys do not count towards daily or weekly caps and Oyster cannot be topped up at the terminals. There is no concession fare for disabled Freedom Pass holders, though a free carer ticket can be issued at the ticket office with evidence. The service was formerly the IFS Cloud Cable Car and TfL now calls it the London Cable Car. It closes temporarily in extreme heat, lightning or very strong winds.
Where to go next
The O2 is beside the Greenwich Peninsula terminal, and Greenwich covers the rest of the peninsula and the town.
The best views in London compares the high places, and Horizon 22 is the free one.
Questions we get asked
Is the London Cable Car free with a bike?
Before 10:30 on weekdays, yes. TfL states that guests with bicycles travel free on the cable car before 10:30 on weekdays, excluding bank holidays. Bicycles are accepted at all times, but e-scooters, e-bikes and e-unicycles are prohibited in line with TfL policy.
Is the IFS Cloud Cable Car still called that?
No. Checked on 6 October 2026, TfL now calls it the London Cable Car and the old IFS Cloud page returns an error, though the fares page URL still carries the former name. It is the same crossing between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.
Does the London Cable Car count towards your Oyster cap?
No. TfL states that journeys using pay as you go on the cable car do not count towards caps, so a crossing is charged on top of whatever your daily or weekly cap is doing. You also cannot top up an Oyster card at the cable car terminals, so do it online or at a station machine beforehand.
What is the cheapest way to use the London Cable Car?
The £20 multi-journey ticket, which covers 10 one-way journeys at £2 each and is valid for 12 months. It can only be bought at the ticket offices at the terminals, is not transferable between people and does not include priority boarding. Online, the maximum 30% discount requires an off-peak round trip booked 7 days in advance.
What are the London Cable Car opening hours?
Monday to Thursday 08:00 to 21:00, Friday 09:00 to 22:00, Saturday 09:00 to 23:00, and Sunday and bank holidays 09:00 to 21:00. There is a current extension to 22:00 every Thursday from 10 September to 16 October 2026. Saturday is the latest night.
Are there concessions on the London Cable Car?
For Freedom Pass and 60+ London Oyster photocard holders, bought at the ticket office only. TfL states there is no concession fare for disabled Freedom Pass holders, but a free carer ticket can be issued at the ticket office on production of a diagnostic assessment, Blue Badge, DWP letter, Carers Card, Access Card or other recognised evidence, with the guest buying a full price ticket.
How long does the London Cable Car take?
Up to 10 minutes one way, varying with passenger flow and weather. Cars arrive every 30 seconds and carry up to 10 people, and at busy times TfL introduces shared cars to manage queues, so a cabin to yourselves is not guaranteed.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 361 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
