Uber Boat has re-launched special sailings from Kent into London ahead of plans to establish a full service in the next two to three years.

Last year, private river bus company Thames Clippers bought Gravesend Town Pier and Pontoon from Gravesham council to create a high-speed commuter river link to London. Eager to see if it beats sitting on the M25 for hours on end or standing in a cramped train carriage, our reporter Alex Langridge hopped onboard.

Living in Gravesend it’s just a hop, skip and a jump into the big smoke.

I usually only go into London about once a month on the high-speed and normally it is to meet friends for a few drinks and food or go to the West End.

We tend to stick to the same popular spots like Convent Garden, Leicester Square or Camden.

With this all very nearly on my doorstep, would travelling up the river be all that different?

Taking my mum with me for the day out, we arrived at Gravesend Town Pier at 9.30am on Sunday and was met by one of the larger Thames Clippers boats.

We scanned our tickets and headed onboard. My first thought was it looked a little like the inside of an airplane with its tray tables and safety cards – except it was a lot bigger, had nicer seats and a bar.

Although it is always 5pm somewhere, we opted for two teas and chose two seats near the window so we could watch the London skyline as it came into view.

The journeys start at Gravesend before heading across the Thames to Tilbury. It then travels up towards the capital stopping at North Greenwich and London Bridge.

You can buy single and return tickets as well as an all day pass which we opted for as it allowed unlimited use of all the other Uber Boat services across London.

The rover tickets costs £28 for an adult and £14 for a child – a similar price to a train ticket so I thought it was not a bad deal. And traveling up on the boat was a lot more fun than the train or driving.

It was raining as we voyaged up the Thames so we could not clearly see out of any of the windows but we could still make out the O2 through the raindrops as we pulled into North Greenwich.

The journey took about an hour and we carried on for an extra 15 minutes to London Bridge.

It was not the quickest of journeys – we docked just after 11am - but it was definitely different and a lot smoother than I imagined.

You can easily walk around the boat and outside without worrying about falling over or being unsteady on your feet and once we got off I did not feel the rocking sensation I usually get from being on a boat.

My mum did feel a bit sea sick when we got home later that evening but during the journeys everyone on board seemed to feel fine.

From London Bridge we decided to continue up to Battersea Power Station as we had not been since it was revamped so got off the boat and waited at the pier for the normal weekend service.

The boats do not come as often as the underground, with about 20 minutes between each, so if you are looking to get somewhere fast I would probably give it a miss but I think it is a much more pleasurable way to travel.

Rather than squishing in to an overpacked tube, hoping your coat is not stuck in the door, the Uber boat is a seated room only – I would imagine this is for safety reasons and the need for a life jacket.

As we were going to pass all the landmarks on our way to Battersea pier I decided to sit outside. The back of the boats have a sizeable seating and viewing area although it was not as warm or comfortable as indoors.

It felt different seeing the iconic London tourist attractions from the river. It was a view I had not seen before and reminded me what the city has to offer.

The trip was a brilliant way to see the sights – we passed the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Gherkin, St Paul’s, Canary Wharf and probably a dozen more.

My mum and I were taking pictures as if we had never seen them before and never would again!

It took about 40 minutes to get to Battersea but there were other stops along the way including Westminster, Bankside, Vauxhall and Embankment.

I would definitely recommended upgrading to the all day pass if you are planning to go somewhere other than London Bridge and it allowed us to see a lot more of the Thames.

After spending a few hours at Battersea, which has completely transformed and is unrecognisable, according to my mum, we needed to make our way back before we missed the boat to Gravesend.

As Thames Clippers are only running special seasonal sailings to and from Kent, there are only two boats a day – one to London and a return to Gravesend – meaning you do need to clock watch more than usual especially as some of the usual services can be delayed.

I would have preferred a later journey home so we did not have to rush back to the pier but it was still a great experience and beats sitting on a cramped train or stuck in traffic on the motorway.

And the private travel company is hoping to run more leisure services to and from the Gravesend pier alongside its commuter services in the next few years.

Following the sale of the pier, co-founder and chief executive of Uber Boat, Sean Collins said: "We are thrilled to take ownership of this historic pier from Gravesham council.

"We will continue to appreciate its significance to the local community and will be investing in that community.

“We currently serve 24 other piers in the capital, five of which we own, manage and maintain ourselves.

"It is vitally important to us to maintain their heritage and make the piers sustainable for the future, ensuring the local communities can benefit from the river transport links that they provide."

The proposed deal was approved by cabinet members in January 2022 and was delegated to officers to finalise the sale.

The council decided to sell the asset – as running costs continued to increase – so it could redirect funding into essential services for the borough's residents.

A number of questions were raised, following the sale, over what is going to happen to existing access of the pier which is used by ferries to and from Tilbury and heritage ships such as the Waverley.

But at a pubic meeting, Mr Collins confirmed the company has been talking with Kent County Council – which subsidises the ferry crossing service along with Tilbury council and awards the contract – and intends to continue to support the operators "whoever they may be" and accommodate visiting vessels.

Read more: The glory days of Kent's piers and what they look like now

Read more: The 188-year history of Gravesend town pier.

The pier is Grade–II listed and is the oldest remaining cast iron pier of its kind in the world.

Thames Clippers hope to run more special sailings from Kent into London soon but the dates for the next trips are yet to be announced.