London's cable car is launching an incredible glass floor experience
Swaying in the wind and dangling 90 metres above the Thames, London's cable car is already one of the hairier ways of getting about the capital. But from today (June 20), you're able to book an even more thrilling way of experiencing the service.
The IFS Cloud Cable Car – as it's officially called – has launched a 'Glass Floor Experience', which means travellers can see even more of their surroundings. As well as sights such as the City's skyscrapers, the Isle of Dogs, the O2 Arena and the Olympic Parks, cable car riders will be able to peer down into the murky Thames.
Two cabins on the cable car service are fitted out with glass floors, and they'll open to the public on Monday June 23.
Getting a go in a glass-bottomed cable car cabin won't simply be a case of turning up and hoping you get one. You'll be able to book the experience in advance, and it will cost more than a normal IFS Cloud Cable Car trip. During peak times (weekends and school holidays), it'll cost £35 for adults and £17.50 for children (age 5-15), and off-peak it'll be £25 for adults and £12.50 per child.
London's cable car – previously known as the Emirates Air Line – opened in 2012 and runs between Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula. It takes 15 minutes each way and a regular, non-glass-bottom cabin costs £7 one-way for adults (£13 return) and £3.50 for children (£6.50 return).
To get the Glass Floor Experience up and running TfL is offering 20 percent off for visits between June 23 and August 31 if you book online. You'll need code 'GFE20' to get that discount.
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Time Out
20 hours ago
- Time Out
London's cable car is launching an incredible glass floor experience
Swaying in the wind and dangling 90 metres above the Thames, London's cable car is already one of the hairier ways of getting about the capital. But from today (June 20), you're able to book an even more thrilling way of experiencing the service. The IFS Cloud Cable Car – as it's officially called – has launched a 'Glass Floor Experience', which means travellers can see even more of their surroundings. As well as sights such as the City's skyscrapers, the Isle of Dogs, the O2 Arena and the Olympic Parks, cable car riders will be able to peer down into the murky Thames. Two cabins on the cable car service are fitted out with glass floors, and they'll open to the public on Monday June 23. Getting a go in a glass-bottomed cable car cabin won't simply be a case of turning up and hoping you get one. You'll be able to book the experience in advance, and it will cost more than a normal IFS Cloud Cable Car trip. During peak times (weekends and school holidays), it'll cost £35 for adults and £17.50 for children (age 5-15), and off-peak it'll be £25 for adults and £12.50 per child. London's cable car – previously known as the Emirates Air Line – opened in 2012 and runs between Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula. It takes 15 minutes each way and a regular, non-glass-bottom cabin costs £7 one-way for adults (£13 return) and £3.50 for children (£6.50 return). To get the Glass Floor Experience up and running TfL is offering 20 percent off for visits between June 23 and August 31 if you book online. You'll need code 'GFE20' to get that discount.
Metro
11-06-2025
- Metro
I tried out every Londoner's worst nightmare and spoke to other commuters
Trapped in a cable car with strangers. Nope, this isn't a new horror film. But that is what came to my mind when I heard about the TfL's chatty cabin initiative in North Greenwich. Running for the second time, the chatty cabins initiative on the IFS Cloud Cable Car allows people to talk to each other while taking in the unobstructed view of London. It's been set up to help tackle loneliness in London, which, according to the campaign to end loneliness, which estimates 8% of Londoners experience severe loneliness. Interested in the real-life psychological experiment, I wanted to try every Londoner's worst nightmare – eye contact and conversation in public transport – while dangling 295ft over the River Thames with nowhere to escape. But I discovered that curiosity is not dead – and Londoners are a warm bunch when one person dares to break the ice. While the Tube air hangs heavy with stressed commuters trying to avoid eye contact, the cable car I jumped into with five other passengers invited conversation. Facing each other on the ski lift-style cabin, conversation began to flow as we took in the sights and introduced ourselves. Any shred of anxiety was gone as the cable car whizzed on, making the journey ahead with strangers feel more like an opportunity to be present rather than a torture chamber (although the mostly see-through cabin was very warm). With only a 20-minute ride ahead of us, it was clear we all wanted to make it count and use the rare opportunity where talking to strangers is not considered too nosy. William Bolding was the first to admit that 'I'm afraid of heights' as he clutched the handrail and braced for the journey ahead. As the wind picked up, he asked whether it was normal for the cable car to swing so much. He had booked a slot on the chatty cabin – which sold out last time the initiative ran – to challenge his fear, he admitted. Jackie Hufford had ridden the cable car with her children years ago when it launched for the 2012 London Olympics, and she wanted to relive the memory after reading about the chatty cabins in Metro. 'I love talking to new people and travelling,' the south east Londoner said. Caroline McLeary joked that 'everyone thinks we know each other already, but Jackie and I have just met,' and the pair, both from the Lewisham area, shared numbers at the end of the ride. Caroline said she wanted to come try the chatty cabin to 'do something for myself' although she had to catch two buses to get there. 'Everyone experiences loneliness,' she said. Naturally, the conversation turned to travel as the City Airport loomed in the background. While we couldn't agree on which London airport is the handiest to get to, one thing we agreed on was how expensive travel in the capital is. Despite the heavy and personal theme of loneliness, which brought us for the ride in the first place, my face hurt from smiling by the time we touched back down on the Greenwich Peninsula terminal. I could have easily gone for a pint with our chatty cabin gang. Despite the sold-out success of the first chatty cabin, there are no plans to bring it on the Tube. 'It would be difficult on the Tube,' Josh Crompton, the head of IFS Cloud Cable Car for TfL, said. More Trending 'The Cable Car is different because it's a closed environment. But we certainly encourage people to have conversations.' Josh said the range of people who have tried the chatty cabins includes people 'who struggle with bereavement to tourists coming to London on their own and wanting to engage with people, single parents who are in with their children all day and are looking to get out.' 'I'm one of those people who struggles opening conversations as much as people do, and that's why we create that environment. It's quite refreshing to have a conversation with people, and I don't generally do that, and I find it quite hard, and this was easy and quite refreshing,' he said. The chatty cabins initiative runs this week until Friday and aims to help tackle loneliness in London as part of the Loneliness Awareness Week. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Cap on bus fares to stay in place until 2027, Rachel Reeves announces MORE: Beyoncé giving away free concert tickets to London shows after 'poor sales' MORE: Map reveals the most up-and-coming sex positions in major UK cities
The Independent
07-04-2025
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Blackwall Tunnel charge: Everything you need to know about car tolls on new Thames tunnel
Drivers in London will have to pay a toll when using the Blackwall Tunnel from Monday as the new Silvertown Tunnel opens, linking the east of the Capital to the southeast. The charge will be implemented on the Silvertown Tunnel as well, as drivers will pay £8 for return journeys at peak times while large vans will have to fork out £13. Announcing the development's opening, Sadiq Khan said on social media it was 'transforming travel across the Thames, cutting journey times & improving air quality. With a greener design, new free zero-emission buses & cycle shuttle, it will encourage more people to switch to greener transport.' These charges are being put in place to help manage traffic levels across the tunnels, as well as helping to repay costs for building the new tunnel and fund its ongoing maintenance and operation, according to Transport for London. Those driving through either tunnel will have to pay each time they cross, unless they or their vehicle is exempt from paying the charge. These costs will apply from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week in both directions, and the tunnels are set to be open 24 hours a day every day of the week. The Silvertown Tunnel is a 1.4km long tunnel stretching from Silvertown, east London, to the Greenwich Peninsula in south east London. The project was approved by mayor Sadiq Khan, having first been proposed in 2012. Costing £2.2 billion, it has been funded through private finance and TfL are set to pay back £100 million a year through the money made via the toll. It will run adjacent to the Blackwall Tunnel, built in the Victorian era, which takes drivers from near the O2 Arena under the River Thames to the East India Dock Road in Blackwall. The Silvertown Tunnel was built with the aim of reducing congestion and air quality around the Blackwall Tunnel, as TfL predicted they were set to worsen as London's population grows. They said the user charges would help manage the environmental impact of traffic. TfL have said the new tunnel will offer new routes for more people, as around 21 buses are set to travel through it every hour from 7am til 7pm, Monday to Friday. There will also be a dedicated bike bus shuttle service to transport cyclists and their bikes across the river. The Silvertown development is the first new Thames tunnel for 58 years.
