Same-day courier service in Cambridge
A dedicated van for your Cambridge consignment, going straight from your lab, campus or office to the delivery address. Ideal for samples, research equipment and documents that cannot wait for a parcel network.
- Direct runs from research campuses
- Chilled vans for temperature-sensitive goods
- Collections around the clock
Who usually books a Cambridge courier
Usually the research campuses on the edge of the city rather than the centre: the Biomedical Campus, the Science Park, St John's Innovation Park, Granta Park, Babraham and the Wellcome Genome Campus at Hinxton. The university, the colleges and professional firms such as patent attorneys make up most of the rest.
The Biomedical Campus, around Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth hospitals, is in the south; the Science Park and St John's are in the north, beside the A14. That mix is unusual for a city this size.
A clinical trial team needs a box of samples at a partner lab by the end of the day. A start-up has borrowed an instrument from a collaborator and must return it before the weekend. A patent attorney needs signed originals in London for a deadline. Each of those is one consignment, one van and one driver, going directly from collection to delivery. That is the core of our dedicated courier service.
We do not run a Cambridge depot. When you book, we allocate the nearest suitable vehicle, which may already be in South Cambridgeshire or may be coming off the A14 or M11, and we confirm an estimated collection time based on where it is.
Samples, reagents and research equipment
Laboratory consignments make up a large share of urgent Cambridge work, and they need more planning than a box of brochures.
- Packaging is the sender's job. Diagnostic samples shipped as UN3373 Category B must be in P650 triple packaging before the driver arrives. We transport them; we do not repack them.
- Temperature. If the goods must stay chilled, book a refrigerated van and tell us the range. Typical chilled ranges are 2–8 °C, and we agree the range with you at booking. Where the vehicle supports it, we can provide temperature records.
- Equipment. Centrifuges, freezers and analysers are heavy for their size. Tell us the weight and whether you have a pallet truck; a Luton van with a tail lift is often the right answer for anything above two-person lifting.
- Paperwork. Chain-of-custody forms travel with the consignment if you need them signed at each handover. Every job ends with a signed proof of delivery showing who received it and when.
Our medical and pharmaceutical courier page covers handling in more detail.
What we cannot take
We do not carry dangerous goods that require ADR. That includes dry ice in quantities that fall under the regulations, flammable solvents and most chemical reagents beyond small exempt quantities. If you are unsure, send us the safety data sheet before booking and we will tell you honestly.
Getting in and out of Cambridge by road
Cambridge sits where the A14 crosses the M11, which makes outbound runs straightforward once the van is clear of the city. The A14 links the city to the A1 near Huntingdon in the west and to Felixstowe in the east; the M11 heads south to the M25 and London, with Stansted on the way. The A428 runs west towards Bedford, Milton Keynes and the M1.
The slow parts are local. Milton Road and Hills Road are busy at peak times, the Biomedical Campus approach roads queue around shift changes, and the A14 near the Girton and Milton junctions remains the place where most delays begin. For a fixed delivery time, we plan for it.
Typical journeys from Cambridge
Distances are approximate road miles via the usual fastest route; actual mileage depends on the exact addresses.
| From Cambridge to | Approx. road distance | Typical route |
|---|---|---|
| Stansted Airport (landside) | 30 miles | M11 |
| Central London | 60 miles | M11, A12 or A10 |
| Norwich | 65 miles | A11 |
| Felixstowe | 75 miles | A14 |
| Birmingham | 100 miles | A14, M6 |
Get a quote for this jobor call 020 4525 2039, any time
Booking notes for campus and college addresses
Have these ready when you call
- Building name and the exact goods-in, loading bay or porters' lodge
- Any site access reference or visitor booking issued by your estate team
- Name and mobile phone number for the person releasing the goods
- Dimensions and weight, plus whether the item needs to stay upright
- Temperature range, if relevant, and how long the goods can be out of storage
- The latest acceptable delivery time, not just "today"
If your team sends regularly, for example a daily sample run from a clinic to a central lab, our scheduled courier service sets that up as a booked run rather than a fresh request each time. For a one-off that has to go now, request a quote or call 020 4525 2039. We take bookings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays.
For work heading south, the London courier page explains delivery into the congestion and ULEZ areas, and for Norfolk addresses see our Norwich courier service.
FAQ
Common questions
Can you collect from a goods-in point on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus?
Yes. Give us the building name, the goods-in or reception point and the name of the person releasing the consignment. Campus sites often have their own delivery routes and barriers, so pass on any visitor or contractor reference your building issues and the driver will quote it on arrival.
Do you carry diagnostic or research samples?
We carry samples that the sender has packaged correctly. For UN3373 Biological Substance Category B that means P650 triple packaging, done by your lab before collection. If the samples need to stay chilled, book a refrigerated van and tell us the range you need; we agree it with you at booking. We do not carry dangerous goods that require ADR, so dry ice shipments and similar need a specialist carrier.
We need equipment moved between Granta Park and the Science Park today. Is that a same-day job?
It is a short run, roughly 12 to 15 miles depending on the buildings, across the south and north of the city, and well suited to a single dedicated van. The main variables are loading time and the A14 at the Milton interchange. Tell us the dimensions, the weight and whether the item needs two people or a tail lift, and we will match the vehicle and confirm an estimated collection time when you book.
Can a sample leave Cambridge in the evening and reach a lab in another city overnight?
Yes. We run 24 hours a day, so an evening collection can be on the road straight away and delivered during the night or at a fixed time the next morning. Our overnight courier service explains how early-morning deliveries are arranged, including what the receiving lab needs to have in place to sign for it.
Is it difficult to deliver into central Cambridge?
It can be slow rather than difficult. Several central streets have restricted access, the bus routes and rising bollards limit how vans can approach, and many college and department addresses have one specific delivery entrance. Give us that entrance and a contact number, and expect a few extra minutes at the end of the run compared with an edge-of-city business park.
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