82 | USEFUL INFORMATION |Need to knowUsefulinformationBarclays Cycle Hire,also known as ‘Boris bikes’From getting money to getting around,here is some information that couldcome in handy when you’re in andaround <strong>Chelsea</strong>ATMs and banksThere are cash machines at SloaneSquare (where there is also anInternational Currency Exchange), alongKing’s Road, Fulham Road, BromptonRoad and at Knightsbridge. There arealso free ATMs on Sydney Street andSloane Avenue.Public toiletsThe only public lavatory in <strong>Chelsea</strong> isthe Autoloo outside Sloane SquareUnderground Station, which costs 20pto use. There is another Autoloo locatedat South Kensington Undergroundstation.Phone numbersEmergency ServicesFor police, fire or ambulance services,dial 999 or 112.You can also register your mobilephone for the 999 text messagingservice for the hard of hearing:emergencysms.org.uk.<strong>Chelsea</strong> Police Station2 Lucan Place, SW3 3PB.T: 020 7589 1212Operator assistanceDial 100Directory enquiriesThere are a variety of different directoryenquiry services that begin with 118 asstandard. There is a charge for callingthese numbers. The British Telecomdirectory enquiries number is 118 500.International operatorassistanceDial 155International directoryenquiriesDial 152TransportA helpful tool for planning your journeysis Transport for London’s JourneyPlanner, which can be found at:journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk. It allows you toenter the places you are travelling from
83 | USEFUL INFORMATION | Transportand to, with many preference options,and tells you the best route and howlong it will take – it will even give you liveupdates telling you whether there are anydelays.Here’s a bit of information to get youup to speed with transport in <strong>Chelsea</strong>.London Underground TubestationsSloane SquareCircle and District lines.KnightsbridgePiccadilly line.South KensingtonCircle, District and Piccadilly lines.Fulham BroadwayDistrict line.CyclingBarclays Cycle HireAffectionately known to Londoners as‘Boris bikes’ due to the Mayor ofLondon’s high-profile endorsement of thescheme, these blue bicycles can be seencruising around central London.You can hire either on a membership(UK residents only) or casual basis. Youhave to pay an access fee (£1 for 24hours) and then a rate depending onhow long you use the bike (up to 30minutes is free, up to one hour is £1, upto one and a half hours is £4 and so on).<strong>Chelsea</strong> straddles the south-westernedge of the 17 sq m coverage zone, sowhile it has more than ten docking stations,they are all based to the north-eastof the area. It is worth noting that helmetsand other such protective gear arenot provided.For more information on the scheme,see the website: www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx.TaxisBlack cabs can be hailed when theirorange light is lit (your best bet is tohead to the nearest main road), pickedup from a taxi rank (there is one atSloane Square, on the central island), orbooked in advance.A cheaper option is a minicab, but foryour own safety, make sure they arefrom a licensed company. Minicabs mustbe booked or ordered in advance (onlyblack cabs are allowed to pick up passengerson the street) and if you’re lookingfor a good deal it is often worth callingmore than one company for a quote.Make sure the minicab driver can confirmyour name and destination beforeyou get into the car to ensure it is theone you have booked, and check thedriver’s photo ID.Black cabsOne-Number Taxi: 0871 871 8710Call-A-Cab: 020 8901 4444www.callacab.comComputer Cab: 020 7908 0207www.comcablondon.comMinicabsAddison Lee (London-wide minicabservice)T: 0844 800 6677Sloane Cars65 Wiltshire Close, Draycott Avenue,SW3 2NTT: 020 7854 1189Hurlingham Cars Ltd18 Lillie Road, London, SW6 1TST: 020 7381 1111For more licensed minicab numbers, usethe ‘Findaride’ service on the Transportfor London website which can be foundhere:www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/findaride/default.aspx.BusesLots of buses travel through <strong>Chelsea</strong>. To get the best picture of busroutes, go to the interactive bus map on the Transport for London website:www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses. For now, here is a listof buses that go through <strong>Chelsea</strong> and the streets they stop on:Bus No.11N11*14**19N19*22N22*49170211319345**360414Stops on…<strong>Low</strong>er Sloane St/SloaneSquare/King’s Rd.<strong>Low</strong>er Sloane St/SloaneSquare/King’s Rd.Fulham RdSloane St/SloaneSquare/King’s Rd/Beaufort St.Sloane St/SloaneSquare/King’s Rd/Beaufort St.Sloane St/SloaneSquare/King’s Rd.Sloane St/SloaneSquare/King’s Rd.Sydney St/King’sRd/Beaufort St.Royal HospitalRd/<strong>Chelsea</strong> Embankment<strong>Chelsea</strong> BridgeRd/Sloane Square/King’sRd/Sydney St./FulhamRd.Sloane Square/King’sRd/Beaufort St.Fulham Rd/Beaufort St.Sloane Ave/SloaneSquare/<strong>Low</strong>er Sloane St.Fulham Rd.* Night bus.** Runs day and night.Interesting stopsWest: Fulham Town Hall. East: Victoria, Westminster,Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Liverpool StreetStation.West: Ealing Broadway, Chiswick, Hammersmith, FulhamBroadway. East: Victoria, Westminster, Trafalgar Square,St. Paul’s Cathedral, Liverpool Street Station.North: Warren Street, Tottenham Court Rd., PiccadillyCircus. South: <strong>Chelsea</strong> Football Club, Fulham Broadway,Putney Heath.North: Highbury, Islington, Piccadilly Circus. South:Battersea.North: Highbury, Islington, Piccadilly Circus. South:Battersea, Clapham Junction.West: Putney. East: Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus.West: Twickenham, Richmond, Barnes, Putney. East:Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus.North: Shepherds Bush. South: Battersea, ClaphamJunction.North: Victoria. South: Battersea, Clapham Junction,Wandsworth Town, Putney Heath.West: Hammersmith, Fulham Broadway, <strong>Chelsea</strong> FootballClub. East: Victoria, Westminster, Waterloo.South: Battersea, Clapham Junction, WandsworthCommon, Streatham.North: Natural History Museum. South: Battersea,Clapham Common, Brixton, Peckham.North: Natural History Museum. South: Pimlico, Vauxhall,Imperial War Museum, Elephant & Castle.North: Warwick Avenue, St. John’s Wood. South: <strong>Chelsea</strong>Football Club, Fulham Broadway, Putney.