Why taking an eco-friendly cab to the airport is the best value option, whether you're travelling for business or pleasure.

Using a Private Hire (or minicab, or airport taxi) service to get to Heathrow, Gatwick, London City or Stansted, is often seen as unaffordable. But a quick glance at the table below shows you just how cheap the price can be compared to the other options, when all factors are taken into account.

The example shown below is for 2 passengers travelling from Chelmsford to Heathrow in July, returning one week later. Their options are to use public transport, or to drive and use airport or valet parking, or to use a competitively priced Private Hire service.

Mode of Transport:	Cost for 2 passengers	Pros & Cons
Public Transport (train, tube, Heathrow Express)	£128.80 (4x one-way Chelmsford-Liverpool St: £48.80, 4 tube journeys: £16, 2 Heathrow Express returns: £64)	Still need to get to the station and change trains twice. Public transport not available 24 hours.
Self-drive Airport Parking (7 days)*	£123 (£88 parking, £25 petrol, £10 associated vehicle costs.)	Not a door to door service - transfer bus is required and you still have to drive!
Self-drive Valet Parking (7 days)*	£168 (£133 parking, £25 petrol, £10 associated vehicle costs)	No bus transfer, but you're still doing the driving!
Eco-friendly Private Hire cab or Airport Taxi	£145 including parking, road tolls and petrol!	A punctual, comfortable and eco-friendly door to door service!

• These prices are available online and in advance. Walk up prices are even higher!

As you can see, the Private Hire airport transfer removes all the inconvenience of using public transport for just an extra £16.20! Whilst the self-drive option is cheapest, it still means lugging your suitcases on a bus to the airport terminal from the car park, a process that can often take 20-30 minutes. An additional £22 (that's just £5.50 per passenger, per one way journey), means you travel door to door in air-conditioned comfort with a knowledgeable, friendly driver who always has an alternate route to the airport if the M25 is busy. And they will even help you with your luggage! Finally the valet parking option is even more expensive and you're still using your own car and driving yourself to the airport. That might not sound so bad on the outbound journey, but few people are in the mood for negotiating rush hour traffic after a flight of several hours. Why not relax with complimentary papers, magazines and mineral water instead, and save yourself £23 in the process!

For great value green fares, visit the A12 Cars homepage.