Film crew hire/London/Logistics
Shoot logistics in London. Road charges, bays, vans, unit bases and the airports.
Every van that drives in pays the Congestion Charge, and ULEZ as well if it’s old. Parking is a suspension, borough by borough, and a unit base in the West End has to be booked ahead. Here’s how each of those works, from our office on City Road, by Old Street, where there’s no parking either. Charges checked October 2026.
Congestion Charge · per day
£18
ULEZ · non-compliant van
£12.50 a day
Westminster bay · day one
from £51
Heathrow Express to Paddington
15 min
On this page
01 Road charges
The Congestion Charge and ULEZ
Two charges, and a van can pay both. From the Mayor’s decision on the 2026 rate and TfL’s own pages, checked October 2026.
Congestion Charge
Central London, in the daytime
Hours
07:00–18:00 Monday to Friday, 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays. Nothing from Christmas Day to the New Year’s Day bank holiday.
The charge
£18 a day since 2 January 2026, paid in advance or on the day.
Vans
No van rate: a van pays what a car pays. Electric vans get 50% off (£9), but only on Auto Pay or Fleet Auto Pay.
Paying late
£21 instead of £18.
ULEZ
Every London borough, all day
Hours
Every day but Christmas Day, round the clock. It runs midnight to midnight, so a van driving through the night pays twice.
The charge
£12.50 a day for cars, vans up to 3.5 tonnes and minibuses up to 5 tonnes that don’t meet the standard, on top of the Congestion Charge.
Vans
Diesel needs Euro 6, petrol Euro 4. TfL checks the declared emissions, not the age; section D.2 of the V5C may show it.
Paying late
A £180 penalty, £90 if paid within 14 days.
On a quote
A diesel van sold new before September 2016 may not reach Euro 6, and on a weekday in the zone it pays both: £30.50 a day. So ask a hire firm for the van’s Euro standard before it’s booked. A vehicle over 3.5 tonnes pays the LEZ instead, to Euro VI: £100 or £300 a day, by its standard (checked October 2026). On our London quotes the Congestion Charge, low-emission charges and parking have each been a line of their own.
02 Parking
Parking bays: suspended borough by borough
A unit vehicle on the street needs a bay suspension or a yellow-line dispensation from the borough, and every borough prices and times it differently. From each council’s own pages, checked October 2026.
| Borough | Bay suspension | Notice | Also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | From £51 a bay on day one in zones A, C and D (£55 in B, E, F and G); £55–59 a day for days 2–5 | 10 working days; £20 more inside that | Filming suspensions carry VAT. A filming application with parking, for 10 crew or fewer and up to 14 bays, also takes 10 working days. |
| Camden | £100.35 a bay on day one; £107.90 a day for days 2–5 | 5 working days for pay-and-display bays, 17 days for other bays, longer for residents’ bays | A yellow-line dispensation is £49.07 a vehicle, three working days ahead. |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £72 a space a day for days 1–5 | 10 working days for permit bays, 2 for pay-by-phone bays; £357 for short notice (five working days) | More than four spaces adds a film office handling charge. The council’s published rates are dated April 2024. |
| Hackney | £44 a bay a day, plus £100 admin, for a standard suspension | 7 working days; a £161 late fee | Filming suspensions go through Screen Hackney: ask it for the charge. |
| Tower Hamlets | Through the Tower Hamlets Film Office | Dispensations at least 3 working days | Fees aren’t on the council’s page. |
| The City of London | Parking dispensations, through the film office | 7 working days, 15 for bigger plans | Charges updated in April 2026; not listed. |
What London jobs have taught us
Unload, then move
At One Canada Square in October 2024 the vans dropped the kit in a working loading bay and parked elsewhere. At a City tower in March 2026 the van could unload but not stay, and on the second day there was no parking at all.
Know the height
A gaffer’s 2.02m van was too tall for the car park under One Canada Square. JJ Studios’ HIDE on Hackney Road had ten underground spaces by arrangement, with a 2m limit, when we filmed AlTi Tiedemann Global there in November 2024.
Book it off the street
For a US production’s two days at a Marylebone workspace in May 2025, the call sheet sent vehicles to the Selfridges car park via Edwards Mews, or to JustPark.
Some places have none
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, for a US production company: “Parking a challenge, but loading bay is accessible.” A gaming group’s Wimbledon office had no parking, but a loading ramp off Hartfield Crescent and trolleys. A bar near Finsbury Square: load at the bay, then the underground car park in Finsbury Square, five minutes’ walk.
Holding the bays
On a street day, a runner holds the suspended bays from first thing, so the trucks have somewhere to go when they arrive.
03 Unit bases
Unit bases in central London
Catering, facilities and the tech vehicles need somewhere near the set. In central London that’s a square, a car park or a park road, booked ahead. From Film London’s unit-base list, its crew-parking list and The Royal Parks’ January 2026 rates, checked October 2026.
Public sites
Squares, through Westminster
Berkeley Square and St James’s Square, about 50 bays each, weekends only; Waterloo Place, 32 bays. Film London lists all three as booked through Westminster’s filming team.
Private sites
Car parks
Charterhouse Square (EC1M 6EQ) and 150 Bayswater Road (W2 4RT), both Eurocarparks; Q-Park Marylebone on Moxon Street (W1U 4EY), 109 spaces; NCP sites through its sales team; Paddington Central; and the National Audit Office in Victoria.
Park roads
The Royal Parks
Hyde Park’s North Carriage Drive and St James’s Park’s Mall, £3,950 a day + VAT each; Greenwich’s Blackheath Avenue £3,700; Bushy Park £1,600. Tech parking from £1,300 (Richmond, Sheen Gate) to £2,700 (Regent’s Park Outer Circle). The Mall’s North Horse Ride is Sundays only.
Crew parking
Eurocarparks
King’s Cross, Shoreditch High Street and Canary Wharf.
Camden Film Office
Gordon Square, Malet Street and Russell Square.
Newham
Canning Town and Stratford, through The Film Office.
The Tates
A few spaces at Tate Modern and Tate Britain.
Who books it
A bigger unit needs someone to book the base, the bays and the traffic management. That’s the production manager’s job, and you can book one with the crew from the London crew page.
04 Vehicles
Vans, minibuses and drivers
London has crew-van firms with film accounts, and some publish day rates. From each firm’s own site, checked October 2026. None says whether its fleet is ULEZ-compliant, so ask before you book.
Kentish Town · NW5
Reward Van Hire
Film and TV day rates, plus VAT: short wheelbase £70, long £80, extra-long £90, a Luton with a 500kg tail lift £100, a six-seat crew van £100 and a nine-seat minibus £130. Insurance and unlimited mileage included, with a £500 excess.
Battersea · Barking, by London City Airport · Bray · Egham
Fairview Hire
Crew vans, Lutons, Transit curtainsiders and minibuses, for multi-vehicle, overnight and weekend hire.
Fish Island · E3
Travelforce
Driven minibuses of 8–22 seats and coaches of 49–86, for moving a crew or a cast between locations.
Gaffers and grips
The crew’s own vans
The London gaffers we book usually bring their own kit van; on a City job in 2026 it was a Transit L3H3, 2.8m high. On a four-day job in 2025, putting the crew and the kit in one van saved the client about £1,000.
Who drives
On a small London job the driver is often the production assistant: our PA drove the van on a studio day in Woolwich in January 2025, and a run of London customer stories in July 2025 had an AP with a vehicle.
05 The tube
Kit on the tube, and days without one
The rule
TfL’s conditions of carriage, in force from 24 September 2026 on the Tube, buses, DLR, Overground and the Elizabeth line: you can take what you can carry yourself, stairs and escalators included. Nothing over 2m long, nothing hazardous or flammable, nothing that blocks doors, aisles or stairs, and staff can refuse any item.
Travelling isn’t filming
Using a tripod or any camera support on the network, or filming for money, needs TfL’s permission: TfL and the stations is in the locations guide.
What goes by tube
A runner with a bag of batteries, drives and spare cards, yes. Stands, track and a lighting kit go in a van.
Strikes happen
When a TfL strike shut the Underground on the Uxbridge days of a four-day job in September 2025, the crew drove. From Hyde Park, allow 75–90 minutes to Uxbridge at rush hour and 20–30 to Cannon Street.
Our office
City Road, by Old Street station. There’s no parking on site, so come by tube.
06 Getting here
Airports and trains into London
Five airports, each with its own rail link in. From each airport’s and operator’s own pages, checked October 2026.
| Airport | Into central London |
|---|---|
| Heathrow | Heathrow Express to Paddington in 15 minutes, every 15 minutes. The Elizabeth line to Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street in under 40. |
| Gatwick | Gatwick Express to Victoria in 30 minutes, twice an hour from the South Terminal. Thameslink to Farringdon. |
| Stansted | Stansted Express to Liverpool Street in about 48 minutes, Tottenham Hale in about 36. |
| Luton | The DART to Luton Airport Parkway in about four minutes, then the Luton Airport Express to St Pancras in about 22, every 30 minutes. Or Thameslink. |
| London City | A DLR station at the terminal, in the Royal Docks (E16 2PB), five miles from the City. |
By train from the rest of the UK
Bristol
Temple Meads to Paddington in 1 hour 19 minutes at the fastest, usually about 1 hour 40, roughly every 30 minutes.
Cornwall
Penzance to Paddington in as little as 5 hours 4 minutes, or the Night Riviera sleeper, six nights a week.
Europe
Eurostar arrives at St Pancras, with Thameslink and the Luton Airport Express in the same station.
From abroad
Kit flying in comes on an ATA Carnet: here’s how bringing film equipment into the UK works. And here’s how overseas teams book a London crew, or a UK production service company if you need one.
07 Hotels
Where crews stay: near the stage, not the West End
Stage days
Stay near the studio. London’s clusters are Park Royal and Acton (W3 and NW10), Bow and Stratford (E3), Hayes (UB4), Borehamwood (WD6), and Iver Heath and Shepperton, both near Heathrow. The studios guide has the stages.
Location days
Stay on the Elizabeth line or by a terminus (Paddington, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Stratford) so anyone arriving by train or plane goes straight in.
Two locations, two hotels
For four days split between Cannon Street and Uxbridge in 2025, the visiting team stayed by Hyde Park and in Uxbridge, and we booked the rooms so the VAT could be reclaimed.
08 Food
Food on a London set
For a crew of four, lunch is a delivery. For a talking-head day at JJ Studios’ HIDE on Hackney Road in November 2024, RIDA Kitchen brought an 08:30 breakfast and individual lunch bowls for our AlTi Tiedemann Global shoot. In May 2025 RIDA delivered to a Marylebone workspace for a US production we were fixing for.
Some stages feed you. Park Royal Studios has a restaurant on site, Loft Studios does in-house catering and Black Island lists catering. At HIDE, outside caterers need the studio’s approval.
Booking food with the crew? It goes on the quote with everything else we book, under the same 10% booking fee and 2% insurance.
Want the London logistics sorted?
Send the dates, the locations and who’s travelling. We’ll book the vans, bays, unit base, food and hotels with the crew, each on its own line. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Quick contact form
09 Questions
Shoot logistics in London: questions
Do vans pay the Congestion Charge in London?
Yes, the same as a car: £18 a day since 2 January 2026, 07:00–18:00 on weekdays and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays. Electric vans get 50% off, but only on Auto Pay. Checked October 2026.
Does a crew van need to meet ULEZ?
It needs to, or it pays £12.50 a day on top of the Congestion Charge. ULEZ covers every London borough, round the clock, and runs midnight to midnight, so an overnight drive pays twice. Diesel vans need Euro 6, petrol Euro 4. Vans over 3.5 tonnes pay the LEZ instead.
How do I suspend parking bays for a shoot in London?
Through the borough. Westminster charges from £51 a bay on day one, with 10 working days’ notice; Camden £100.35 a bay on day one, with five working days for pay-and-display bays and 17 for others. Kensington and Chelsea, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and the City each have their own rates and notice.
Where can I put a unit base in central London?
Film London lists Charterhouse Square, 150 Bayswater Road, Q-Park Marylebone (109 spaces), Berkeley Square and St James’s Square at weekends, and Waterloo Place. The Royal Parks rent Hyde Park’s North Carriage Drive and St James’s Park’s Mall at £3,950 a day + VAT, checked October 2026.
Can crew take kit on the tube?
What they can carry themselves, stairs and escalators included, as long as nothing is over 2m long or blocks a door. Using a tripod or filming on the network needs TfL’s permission. Lighting, stands and track go by van.
What’s the quickest way from Heathrow into London?
The Heathrow Express, 15 minutes to Paddington, every 15 minutes; or the Elizabeth line, under 40 minutes to central London. From Gatwick, the Gatwick Express is 30 minutes to Victoria; from Stansted, about 48 to Liverpool Street. London City has a DLR station at the terminal.
Can you sort the logistics with the crew?
Yes. Send the dates, the locations and who’s travelling, and we’ll book the vans, the bays, the unit base, food and hotels with the crew, each on its own line of the quote. On a crew hire, everything we book carries the 10% booking fee and 2% insurance.
Around the crew
More for London shoots
02
Locations and permits
Borough film services, the Royal Parks, TfL, the private estates and the drone zones.
