London Stansted Airport to Stratford (Westfield & Olympic Park)
Stratford is about 50 km from Stansted. National Express A9 and Flibco coaches run direct in about 50 minutes from £7. The train needs a change at Tottenham Hale and costs £19 off-peak on contactless.
Stratford is one of the few London destinations where the coach beats the train on both time and price. Two coach companies run straight there, all night, from about £7. The train needs a change and costs nearly three times as much. Here is how to choose, and where each one drops you.
How far is Stratford (Westfield & Olympic Park) from London Stansted Airport?
Stratford (Westfield & Olympic Park) is 50 km (31 miles) from London Stansted Airport by road, about 50 min by car outside rush hour. In a straight line it is 42 km. By public transport, National Express A9 takes about 50 min and costs £7.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: National Express A9 is the one to take: £7 with no change, and about as quick as going by car. Timetable: 24 hours; first departure of the day 00:05.
What it costs for your group
The bus / shuttle is charged per person, while a private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus / shuttle (per person) | Private transfer (per car) | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | £7 | £94 | Bus / shuttle |
| Couple · 2 travellers | £14 | £94 | Bus / shuttle |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | £28 | £94 | Bus / shuttle |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | National Express A9 | From £7, about 50 min, no change needed. |
| Speed | National Express A9 | 50 min, from £7. |
| A group of 4 | National Express A9 | Four tickets still come to about £28 — less than a car. |
| A late-night arrival | National Express A9 | It runs through the night (Up to every 20 min, 24 hours). |
By transport mode
Bus / shuttle
Direct to Stratford City Bus Station, next to Westfield. Advance fares from £7. Includes one 20 kg case and one soft hand bag.
Where to catch it: Stansted coach station, opposite the terminal
Times: 24 hours; first departure of the day 00:05
Best for solo & budget travellersShuttle
Non-stop Stratford service, and one via Redbridge. From £7.49 online; valid on any departure that day until 04:00.
Where to catch it: Stansted coach station
Times: 24 hours
Best for budget travellersTrain
Contactless £19.00 off-peak, £22.00 Mon–Fri 06:30–09:30. One change, usually at Tottenham Hale. Oyster not valid.
Where to catch it: Stansted Airport station, below the terminal
Times: From Stansted about 05:30 (05:55 Tue–Thu) until the last train at 00:30
Best for budget travellers near a stationPrivate transfer
East London saloons from about £94. Car seats and larger vehicles can be requested, which suits families more than couples.
Where to catch it: Meeting point in arrivals as given in your booking
Times: 24 hours
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsStratford (Westfield & Olympic Park) & London in photos
Buying tickets in London
Trains. The Stansted Express and Greater Anglia accept contactless bank cards and phone wallets at the station gates. Since 8 March 2026 the fare is worked out by Transport for London's system. Tap in at the airport and out at your London station. To Liverpool Street it costs £21.00 off-peak, or £23.00 Monday to Friday between 06:30 and 09:30. Oyster cards are not valid to or from Stansted. You can use them on the Tube once you reach Tottenham Hale or Liverpool Street.
Advance Stansted Express singles start at £9.90 online, but they are tied to one train. Railcard discounts do not apply to contactless, so railcard holders should buy a ticket. CrossCountry trains (towards Cambridge and Birmingham) do not take contactless, so buy a ticket online, from the machines, or at the ticket office. The office is open 06:30–00:00 every day.
Coaches. National Express has desks and touch-screen machines in baggage reclaim and the arrivals hall. Booking online is cheaper, and the £1.50 booking fee is dropped when you are logged into My Account. A standard ticket is valid on a similar departure up to three hours either side of the booked one. For £5 more, Change & Go lets you board any coach within 12 hours either side. Flibco tickets are cheapest online and valid on any departure that day until 04:00 the next morning. First Essex X20 tickets cost £3 and you can pay the driver in cash or by contactless, or use the First Bus app.
Taxi scams & safety in London
Stansted has no rank of metered London black cabs. The airport's on-site car operator is Street Cars. Its desk is in the international arrivals concourse, and there is a courtesy phone in the domestic baggage reclaim area that rings the desk. Street Cars quotes a price for your exact address before you travel, takes cash or card, and its cars collect from right outside the terminal. Agree the fare at the desk before you go to the car.
In England a private-hire car must be booked through a licensed operator. Turn down anyone who approaches you in arrivals offering a ride. Pre-booked transfers and app cars use the collection points given in the booking, not the kerb. The most common expensive mistake here is not a scam at all: tapping an Oyster card at the station gate. Oyster is not valid at Stansted, so use a contactless bank card, a phone wallet or a paper ticket.
Step-free access in London
The rail station is directly under the terminal. The airport says the walk takes about two minutes and is step-free by lifts, escalators and ramps. The coach station is opposite the main terminal entrance and is also reached step-free.
- National Rail lists Stansted Airport station as step-free category A, with step-free access to every platform, lifts, accessible toilets, a Changing Places toilet and baby changing.
- Station staff are available around the clock, and the ticket office opens 06:30–00:00 daily. Induction loops are fitted.
- To book help with a train journey, email Greater Anglia's passenger assistance team ([email protected]) at least 24 hours before you travel.
- The airport says the coach station has a full range of accessibility services. For help inside the terminal, use the airport's Assisted Travel service.
Getting from STN to Stratford (Westfield & Olympic Park)
Why Stratford suits the coach
The Stansted Express is built around Liverpool Street, and Stratford is not on its main line. A rail trip to Stratford means changing at Tottenham Hale, or occasionally at Harlow Town, onto a stopping train down the Lea Valley. TfL's journey planner gives 52 to 56 minutes for that run on a weekday afternoon. That is fine, but it is no quicker than the coach, and the price is quite different.
Two coach companies go direct. National Express route A9 runs from the Stansted coach station to Stratford City Bus Station, next to Westfield, in as little as 50 minutes. Advance fares start at £7. Flibco has a non-stop Stratford service and another via Redbridge. It quotes about 50 minutes and fares from £7.49 online. Both run through the night. That matters more here than on most routes, because Stansted's late arrivals land after the trains have stopped.
The A9 in practice
National Express says the A9 runs around the clock, with departures up to every 20 minutes overnight. Its first departure of the day from the airport is the 00:05 A9 to Stratford. Coaches leave from the coach station opposite the terminal entrance. Head to your bay about ten minutes before departure so the driver can load the hold. A standard ticket includes one large suitcase up to 20 kg and one soft bag carried on board. If your flight is late, you can board a comparable coach within three hours of the time on your ticket, so a delay rarely means paying again. Change & Go costs £5 and widens that window to 12 hours.
Going back to the airport, the Stratford stop is Stop 20 at Stratford City Bus Station, outside Westfield near the Car Park C entrance. It is worth knowing in advance, because it is not the stop most people pass on their way into the shopping centre.
Three Stratfords, one name
Visitors often confuse the three. Stratford station is the big interchange for the Tube, the Elizabeth line, the DLR, the Overground and Greater Anglia trains. Stratford International, across Westfield, is for Southeastern high-speed trains and part of the DLR. Stratford City Bus Station is where National Express stops, on the Westfield side. All three are within a few minutes' walk of each other through the shopping centre. If you are meeting someone, though, name the exact one. Westfield is large, and ‘meet you at Stratford’ can mean a 15-minute search.
Flibco as the second option
Flibco runs every 30 minutes, day and night. Its ticket is valid on any departure that day until 04:00 the following morning, which suits anyone whose landing time is uncertain. One hand bag and one hold bag are included. Check the Stratford stop shown on your booking, because the company's routes also serve Redbridge, Liverpool Street and Finsbury Park.
If you would rather take the train
Tap a contactless card or phone at the airport gates. Do not use Oyster, which is not valid at Stansted. Then tap out at Stratford. TfL's fare is £19.00 off-peak and £22.00 Monday to Friday between 06:30 and 09:30. The train makes sense when the A12 or the M11 is jammed, or when you want to avoid road traffic altogether. The last Stansted Express to London leaves at 00:30. After that, it has to be the coach.
Onward from Stratford
Stratford is one of the best-connected stations in east London. It has the Elizabeth line, the Central and Jubilee lines, the DLR and the Overground, plus Southeastern high-speed trains from Stratford International. From here, Canary Wharf is a few stops away on the Jubilee line, and the West End is direct on the Central or Elizabeth line. If you are staying near the Olympic Park, the coach drops you within walking distance.
Car or coach for a group
Pre-booked private cars to east London start at about £94 for a saloon on comparison sites. Street Cars, the on-airport operator, quotes per address from its desk in arrivals. Four advance coach seats can cost about £28, and National Express gives 33% off one-way group bookings of four or more. A car mainly makes sense for a family with car seats or a lot of luggage. For two people with a suitcase each, the A9 is hard to beat.
STN to Stratford (Westfield & Olympic Park) — FAQ
How far is Stratford from Stansted Airport?
What is the cheapest way to get from Stansted to Stratford?
What is the fastest way?
Is there a direct train from Stansted to Stratford?
How much is a taxi from Stansted to Stratford?
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Where does the coach stop in Stratford?
Sources
Fares and times on this page were last held against their official sources on 21 October 2026. Operators change prices without notice — if you spot a difference, the operator’s own page is the authority. How we check fares.
- National Express — London Stratford to Stansted · checked 2026-10-21
- National Express — Stansted Airport to London · checked 2026-10-21
- National Express — Stansted Airport transfers (routes A6, A8, A9 and stops) · checked 2026-10-21
- Flibco — bus from Stansted to London (fares, stops, journey times) · checked 2026-10-21
- London Stansted Airport — travel by bus or coach (National Express, Flibco, First Essex) · checked 2026-10-21
- TfL Unified API — single fare finder (pay as you go fares from Stansted Airport) · checked 2026-10-21
- TfL Journey Planner — sample journeys from Stansted Airport, 27 Oct 2026 · checked 2026-10-21
- London Stansted Airport — travel by train (Stansted Express, contactless, first/last trains) · checked 2026-10-21
- Kiwitaxi — East London to Stansted private transfer prices · checked 2026-10-21
- London Stansted Airport — taxi services (Street Cars desk, courtesy phone) · checked 2026-10-21
