Same day courier service for Edinburgh
Dedicated vans for Edinburgh's offices, courts, laboratories and venues, driving straight from collection to delivery. We plan around the Low Emission Zone, the Old Town's narrow streets and August festival closures.
- Court and completion deadlines
- LEZ-compliant city-centre deliveries
- Festival closures planned around
Deadlines first: legal and financial Edinburgh
Edinburgh's courier traffic leans heavily towards paper and small, valuable consignments. The city is the centre of the Scottish legal system, with the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary in and around Parliament House, and it hosts a large concentration of law firms, banks, insurers and investment managers. Much of that work sits between Charlotte Square, St Andrew Square and the Exchange district near Lothian Road.
Typical jobs look like this:
- an executed share purchase agreement needed by a firm on George Street before 4.00 pm
- original title deeds for a property completion going from Leith to an office in the New Town
- a set of tender documents for a public body that must be in Glasgow by noon
- a laptop and security tokens for a new starter at an Edinburgh Park office
For deadlines like these, what you need to know at booking is when the van will be with you. We work that out from the position of the nearest suitable vehicle at the time you call and tell you before you commit. The envelope then goes from your desk to the recipient's hand without passing through anyone else's. For the paperwork side, see our legal and financial courier and document courier pages.
The Low Emission Zone and the Old Town
Edinburgh's LEZ has been enforced since 1 June 2024. It covers the city centre: roughly from Tollcross in the south, west to Palmerston Place, along Queen Street through the New Town, east to Picardy Place and Abbeyhill, and back along Holyrood Road and the Pleasance to the Meadows. The Old Town, Princes Street and the Exchange district are all inside it.
When you book, we check each address against the boundary, and for any inside it we allocate a vehicle that meets the LEZ standard. Non-compliant vehicles that enter face a penalty, so there is no "pay and drive in" option, and we would not take that risk with your delivery.
The Old Town brings its own constraints. The Royal Mile and its closes are narrow and steep, loading space is scarce, and some stretches have timed vehicle restrictions. Drivers need the exact entrance: "Royal Mile" alone is not enough when a building has a front door on the High Street and goods access from Cowgate.
Get a quote for this jobor call 020 4525 2039, any time
August and festival season
The Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe change the city for most of August. Stretches of the High Street, Cockburn Street and Lawnmarket close to vehicles for much of the day, with loading allowed only in early-morning or late-evening windows. George Street and parts of the Cowgate also have temporary restrictions, and other events can add more.
For venue operators, production companies and businesses inside the Old Town, this means planning around those windows. A delivery of staging parts or printed programmes is far easier at 7.00 am than at midday. Our events and exhibitions courier page covers venue logistics, and because we run 24 hours a day, early-morning loading slots are no problem.
Edinburgh Park, the airport and the west
West Edinburgh is where many larger offices and distribution businesses sit: Edinburgh Park and South Gyle, the business campuses near the airport, and Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton campus. Access is easier than in the centre, but the City Bypass (A720) catches out anyone who assumes otherwise. The Sheriffhall roundabout and the Gogar and Hermiston Gait junctions can add real time at peak hours.
Hospitals and the BioQuarter
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh sits at Little France within the Edinburgh BioQuarter, alongside university research buildings and life sciences companies. The Western General and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are other common destinations. Laboratory consignments must be packaged by the sender to the right standard before collection; our medical and pharmaceutical courier page sets out what we need from you, and the refrigerated courier page covers chilled goods.
Typical journeys from Edinburgh
| Destination | Approximate road miles |
|---|---|
| Glasgow | 47 |
| Dundee | 60 |
| Newcastle | 120 |
| Aberdeen | 120 |
| Inverness | 155 |
| London | 400 |
These are approximate road miles; actual time depends on traffic and time of day. Edinburgh to London is about 400 miles, a full single driving day one way; we tell you at booking if a return trip needs a second driver or an overnight plan. For neighbouring routes, see our Glasgow and Newcastle pages.
FAQ
Common questions
Our office is on the Royal Mile. Can a van actually get to the door?
Often, but not always at any hour. Parts of the High Street, Lawnmarket and the closes off them have restricted vehicle access, and the Old Town's steep, narrow streets limit where a van can stop. During the August festivals, stretches of the High Street, Lawnmarket and Cockburn Street close to vehicles for most of the day, with loading allowed in set morning or evening windows. Tell us your exact entrance and we plan the arrival time around those rules.
Do you send vans that comply with the Edinburgh LEZ?
For deliveries inside the zone, yes. The LEZ covers the city centre, including the Old Town, most of the New Town south of Queen Street, the West End to Palmerston Place and the area around Tollcross and the Pleasance. Enforcement began on 1 June 2024, and non-compliant vehicles that enter face a penalty. For addresses inside the zone we allocate a vehicle that meets the LEZ standard, and we check this when you book.
Can you get signed documents to Parliament House before the court deadline?
Yes, if they are ready in time. For papers going to the Court of Session or another court office, give us the exact building entrance, the name or department receiving and the deadline. The van goes direct from your office with no stops for other customers. You get a signed proof of delivery with the recipient's name and the time, which is useful evidence if a filing time is ever questioned.
Is a same-day run from Edinburgh to Aberdeen or Inverness possible?
Yes. Aberdeen is about 120 road miles from Edinburgh via the Queensferry Crossing and the A90, and Inverness about 155 miles via the A9. Both are comfortable single-day runs for a dedicated van. The A9 has long single-carriageway sections, so timings are less predictable than on a motorway, and we allow for that when giving you an estimate. Scottish islands are not part of our standard service, so ask us about them.
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