ok, I don't know about London. But where I am the A&E is about 10 miles away. To get there by bus would mean catching two buses, and the second one only runs once an hour, and they don't run at all on Sundays. Cost about £5 each way. Or taxi, door to door, costs about £15 each way, or more on Sundays and bank holidays. I don't know if it's because of this and peculiar to our area or if it's a nationwide thing, that if you are in receipt of certain benefits such as income support, you can get the money for your travel to hospital (or a percentage of it) back. You have to have opted for the cheapest reasonable available form of transport, and it's only for when you're the patient (ie not for when you're visiting or accompanying a friend) and of course you have to keep your ticket, or get a receipt.