Darent Valley Hospital Taxi
Discharge letters rarely come with a time on them. You are told 'this afternoon', the pharmacy bag arrives at ten past six, and the friend who was going to drive is stuck on the A2. Taxi On The Go runs fixed-fare private hire to and from Darent Valley Hospital on Darenth Wood Road, DA2 8DA, all day and all night – A&E drop-offs, outpatient appointments, discharge collections, visiting-hour runs and a wheelchair-accessible vehicle when you need one. We are based in Dartford, five minutes away. Guide fares are on the price list.
Taxi On The Go runs pre-booked private hire at fixed prices to and from Darent Valley Hospital on Darenth Wood Road, Dartford DA2 8DA: from £8 for Dartford, Greenhithe and Bluewater; from £16 for Gravesend, Bexleyheath, Longfield and Erith; from £18 for Swanley; from £20 for Sidcup; and from £55 for Central London. We collect discharged patients at the main or A&E entrance, can supply a wheelchair-accessible vehicle on request, invoice care homes and NHS trusts, and operate at every hour. Book online, by WhatsApp or on 020 8888 9988.
Fares to and from Darent Valley Hospital
Guide prices for a standard saloon between Darent Valley Hospital and the places patients most often come from, one way in either direction. The exact fare is fixed when you book and the same at 3am as at 3pm. Wait-and-return for a short appointment is quoted as a single price. A wheelchair-accessible vehicle is priced on request; MPV around a quarter more than saloon, 8-seater around half more.
| Between the hospital and | Saloon fare (from) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dartford town / station DA1 | £8 | 6–10 min |
| Greenhithe / Stone DA9 | £8 | 6–10 min |
| Bluewater | £8 | 5–8 min |
| Wilmington / Joydens Wood | £9 | 8–12 min |
| Crayford | £10 | 8–12 min |
| Swanscombe / Northfleet | £12 | 10–15 min |
| Gravesend DA11 / DA12 | £16 | 12–20 min |
| Bexleyheath DA6 / DA7 | £16 | 15–22 min |
| Longfield / Hartley DA3 | £16 | 12–18 min |
| Erith / Slade Green DA8 | £16 | 15–22 min |
| Swanley / Hextable BR8 | £18 | 15–20 min |
| Sidcup DA14 / DA15 | £20 | 18–28 min |
| Central London hospital transfers, Zone 1 | £55 | 45–75 min |
Guide fares, one way, standard saloon; final price depends on postcode and vehicle. Wheelchair-accessible vehicle and wait-and-return priced on request. No booking fee, no card surcharge. Invoicing available for care homes, clinics and NHS trusts.
Main entrance or A&E entrance – where we drop and collect
Darent Valley has two pickup points that matter. The main entrance faces the front car park off Darenth Wood Road, with a drop-off lay-by immediately outside the doors – that is where outpatients, visitors and most discharges are collected. The A&E entrance is round to the side, with its own short-stay bays for emergency drop-offs. Tell us which one when you book; if you are not sure, say what you are coming in for and we will decide.
- A&E drop-off – the driver takes you to the A&E doors, not the main car park, and helps you inside if needed. From £8 from Dartford, Greenhithe or Bluewater, at any hour.
- Outpatients – dropped at the main entrance; the outpatient departments are signposted from the atrium.
- Discharge – collected from the main entrance lay-by, or A&E if you are leaving from there. The driver can come in to the reception area if you cannot get to the door; ask when you ring.
- Visiting – main entrance. Evening pickups home after visiting ends.
The hospital is right by the A2's Darenth interchange and the M25 at Junction 2, so we reach it quickly from every direction – five minutes from our Dartford base.
Discharge collections – book a slot, ring when the paperwork is done
The pattern with a hospital discharge is that nobody can tell you the exact time until the last minute. Our way round it: give us a provisional window – say 'sometime after 2pm' – and we note the job. When the ward says you are free to go, ring or WhatsApp us and a car is normally at the main entrance within 15 to 25 minutes. There is no charge for the provisional booking and no penalty if the time moves.
What the driver will do
- Meet you at the entrance lay-by or, if you ask, come in to the atrium to find you.
- Carry bags, help with a walking frame or crutches, and load a folding wheelchair in the boot.
- See you to your front door at the other end, not just the kerb.
Wheelchair-accessible vehicle
If you are travelling in your own wheelchair, tell us at booking and we will send a vehicle with a ramp and restraints so you stay in the chair. Details on the wheelchair-accessible taxi page. Give as much notice as you can – it is a specific vehicle rather than whatever is nearest.
Not eligible for NHS transport?
NHS patient transport has strict criteria and a waiting list. For patients who do not qualify, or who would rather go home now than wait until the evening run, a pre-booked private hire car at a fixed fare is the practical alternative. Dartford from £8, Gravesend from £16, Bexleyheath from £16, Sidcup from £20.
Outpatient appointments, regular treatment and evening visiting runs
Darent Valley runs outpatient clinics across most specialties, plus the X-ray and scanning departments, physiotherapy, the eye clinic, antenatal and the renal unit. We do a steady trade in getting people to a 9:20 appointment on time and back home afterwards.
Wait and return
For a 20-minute blood test or a quick fracture-clinic check, ask for a wait-and-return quote. The driver parks up and brings you home – one fixed price rather than two bookings and no chance of the second car being late.
Regular treatment
Dialysis, chemotherapy, physio courses – set up a standing booking with the same times each week. We try to keep the same driver so you are not explaining yourself every visit. Invoice monthly if you prefer.
Early appointments
An 8am clinic from Gravesend or Swanley means leaving before the A2 backs up. Book the night before, driver details by text, 15 minutes' free waiting at your door.
Visiting hours
Evening visiting ends around 8pm and the last buses from Darenth Wood Road are thin. Pre-book the pickup home and the driver is outside when you come out – Dartford from £8, Erith from £16, Longfield from £16.
Transfers to other hospitals are priced the same way: Queen Mary's Sidcup from £20, Queen Elizabeth Woolwich from £22, London teaching hospitals from £55.
Invoiced transport for care homes, clinics and NHS trusts
Care homes in Dartford, Gravesend, Bexley and Swanley send residents to Darent Valley for appointments every week, and the staff member organising it does not want to be handing over cash. We run account bookings with a monthly invoice, itemised by resident and date, so it goes straight to the finance office.
- Named-resident bookings – the driver has the resident's name, the clinic and the return time.
- Escort seats – a carer travels free of charge in the same vehicle.
- Wheelchair-accessible vehicles for residents who stay in their chair.
- Wait-and-return pricing so the resident is not left waiting for a second car.
- Fixed rates agreed in advance for the routes you use most – Dartford from £8, Gravesend from £16, Bexleyheath from £16, Sidcup from £20 – so the invoice is predictable.
- DBS-checked drivers – every driver is licensed, checked and insured for hire and reward.
The same arrangement works for GP practices, hospices and NHS trust departments that need ad-hoc patient movement outside the patient transport service – inter-site transfers or sending a patient home when transport has been cancelled. Ask for an account form on the corporate travel page or ring 020 8888 9988 and ask for accounts.
What a pre-booked hospital taxi gives you that a rank or an app does not
Darent Valley Hospital has no taxi rank, and app cars this far out are hit and miss – the nearest might be sitting in Bluewater's car park or somewhere on the M25. Freshly discharged, or trying to get a relative to A&E without dialling 999, the last thing you need is to stand out on Darenth Wood Road in the cold.
A private hire car booked from a firm five minutes up the road is different in the ways that matter:
- One fixed price given at booking – unchanged whether the A2 is empty or the Crossing has closed.
- A named driver on the job, with their name and registration texted to you or the ward clerk.
- A vehicle to suit – saloon, estate, six-seat MPV, eight-seat minibus, executive Mercedes E or V-Class, plus a wheelchair-accessible vehicle on request.
- Cash, card or invoice – nothing added for cards, and account billing for organisations.
- Waiting – the first 15 minutes free at every collection, and longer waits arranged when you book.
- Child seats at no cost for maternity and paediatric journeys.
- Every hour of every day – A&E never shuts, and nor do we.
As a Dartford company, Darent Valley is our own local hospital, and our drivers can tell one entrance from another.
Booking a taxi to or from Darent Valley Hospital
Tell us the details
Pickup address or which hospital entrance, destination, the time (or a provisional window for a discharge), and whether you need a wheelchair vehicle. Phone 020 8888 9988, WhatsApp or book online.
Fixed fare confirmed
One price for the journey and vehicle, wait-and-return quoted as a single figure if you need it. No booking fee.
Driver assigned
Name, car and registration texted to you – or to the relative or ward clerk arranging the pickup.
Door to door
The driver meets you at the entrance, helps with bags and mobility aids, and sees you to your front door. Pay by cash, card or account.
Every booking includes
- One fixed fare, quoted before the car is sent
- Pay by card at no extra cost, no booking charge
- Driver's name and registration sent by text
- Pickup at the main entrance or A&E entrance – your choice
- Help with bags, frames, crutches and folding wheelchairs
- Wheelchair-accessible vehicle available when booked ahead
- Wait-and-return pricing for short appointments
- Monthly invoicing for care homes, clinics and trusts
Darent Valley Hospital taxi questions
How much is a taxi from Darent Valley Hospital to Dartford?
A saloon is from £8, and the trip takes six to ten minutes along Darenth Wood Road and the A2, or through Fleet Downs into the town. That guide price covers Dartford station, the town centre and the bulk of DA1. Bluewater, Stone and Greenhithe are from £8 as well.
Can I book a taxi for a hospital discharge without knowing the time?
Yes. Give us a rough window – 'after lunch', 'this evening' – and we hold the job. Ring or WhatsApp when the ward confirms you can go and a car is usually at the main entrance within 15 to 25 minutes. There is no charge for the provisional booking and nothing lost if the time moves.
Which entrance should I ask to be collected from?
The main entrance lay-by for outpatients, visitors and most discharges; the A&E entrance if you are leaving from the emergency department. If you cannot get to the door, tell us and the driver will come into the atrium to find you. Say which one when booking so the driver goes straight there.
Do you have a wheelchair-accessible taxi for Darent Valley?
Yes – a vehicle with a ramp and restraints so you travel in your own chair. It is a specific car rather than the nearest one, so book it as early as you can, ideally the day before for an appointment. Folding wheelchairs go in the boot of a standard saloon or estate at no extra cost.
How much is Gravesend to Darent Valley Hospital by taxi?
From £16, twelve to twenty minutes along the A2 to the Darenth interchange. Bexleyheath, Longfield and Erith are also from £16, Swanley from £18 and Sidcup from £20. For a short clinic visit, ask for a wait-and-return quote so one car takes you both ways.
Can a care home pay by invoice?
Yes. Care homes, clinics, GP practices and NHS trust departments can open an account and receive a monthly itemised invoice by resident and date. A carer travels free in the same vehicle, and we can agree fixed rates for the routes you use every week.
Can you take me to A&E at Darent Valley at night?
Yes, at any hour – we run 24/7 and the hospital is five minutes from our Dartford base. The driver will drop you at the A&E entrance, not the main car park, and help you in. If you think it is an emergency that needs an ambulance, call 999 first; we are for everything short of that.
Do you take patients from Darent Valley to London hospitals?
From £55 to Guy's, St Thomas', King's College, the Royal London and other central London hospitals, 45 to 75 minutes via the A2. Queen Mary's Sidcup is from £20 and Queen Elizabeth Woolwich from £22. All fixed in advance and available on account for trusts.
What vehicles can I book and how do I pay?
Saloon for four with two large cases, estate, six-seat MPV, eight-seat minibus, executive Mercedes E or V-Class and a wheelchair-accessible vehicle on request. Pay by cash or card in the car with no surcharge, or by invoice on an account. The fare is fixed when you book.