HVB wrote:
"tim" wrote:
"Ian F." wrote

Has anyone had the misfortune to use this
appalling service lately?

Never had the need, but personally can't understand
why people do. The normal bus from the central bus
terminal passes many of the hotels and is free.

Hey Tim... The normal bus to where? Which buses are
free from the central bus terminal? Ta! HVB.

The following pdf file shows all the London Transport
buses from Heathrow:-
www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders/pdf/heathrow.pdf
This is a big sheet, actually it looks like a copy
of the poster you see in the bus shelters. I have a
copy on my wall printed out on 9 sheets of paper as
my printer supports poster printing. I suggest
you print out just the middle of it, to show the
Central Bus Station and Bath Road. If you get on the
bus and say you are going to one of the Bath Road
hotels you are not charged.

The free buses do not serve all hotels. When I was booked into
the Holiday Inn at Junction 4 (Originally Post House, then
Crest, on Sipson Road) a late night Taxi cost GBP 11 and the
Hoppa was six pounds for two of us the next morning. What
is more - it does no harm to ask the taxi driver particularly
nicely - as by taking a local fare he loses the lucrative ride
into town, then has to rejoin the back of the queue of taxis
at the airport.

More generally there are similar large pdf bus map files
for most places in London, very useful if you want to see
London on the surface and not just get around quickly by tube.
The list is at:
www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders/borough.shtml
My tip is to go straight to the bottom of the page where you
can find the areas listed alphabetically.
HTH