Every way to reach Princes Park — Dartford's award-winning parkland eco-stadium — on a matchday and off it, priced and timed honestly. Matchday parking and the traffic around the ground, the nearest station and the walk, local cabs and ride-hailing when everyone wants one at the same time, and pre-booked, fixed-fare private hire for the groups, the away-day parties, the airport arrivals and the post-match dash home.
Princes Park sits at Grassbanks, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 1RT, home of Dartford FC in the National League South, with a capacity of around 4,100. The nearest station is Dartford (DA1), about a 20-25 minute walk or a short hop by car, and the ground is reached via M25 junction 1a, then the A225/Princes Road; the A2 is close by. On a matchday, parking close to the ground is the pinch point — which is why a pre-booked car door-to-turnstile, a group minibus, or a fixed-fare away-day transfer so often beats driving and circling for a space.
This guide covers getting to Princes Park from every angle: matchday parking and traffic, the train and the walk, local cabs and ride-hailing when demand spikes, and pre-booked private hire for groups, away fans, airport arrivals and the post-match getaway. RushXO is a Dartford-based, fully licensed Kent operator covering Dartford and the whole county.
Princes Park is the award-winning eco-stadium that has been Dartford FC's home since 2006, set in parkland off Princes Road on the south-eastern edge of the town near the A2 and the M25. Its green roof and reed-bed drainage made it one of the most sustainable grounds in the country; its parkland setting means matchday access funnels through Darenth Road and the surrounding estates.
Like most traditional Kent grounds, Princes Park was built for a different era of travel, and its access on a busy matchday is shaped by the streets around it rather than a big out-of-town car park. That makes the question of how you arrive — and especially how you leave when several thousand people want to at once — worth planning rather than leaving to chance.
The ways to reach Princes Park on a matchday, with the case each one wins in. The chapters that follow go into parking, trains and pre-booked travel in detail.
Parking is the single biggest matchday headache at Princes Park. Here's the honest picture and why a dropped-off arrival so often makes more sense.
Princes Park has limited dedicated parking, so on a matchday the surrounding streets carry the load — and many are residential, permit-controlled or subject to matchday restrictions. The result is a familiar pattern: spaces near the ground fill an hour or more before kick-off, latecomers park progressively further out and walk in, and everyone tries to leave through the same few roads at full time.
A pre-booked car drops you close to the turnstiles and is booked to collect you from an agreed point after the game — no circling for a space, no permit risk, no sitting in the exit queue with the engine running. For a group it also means nobody has to stay sober to drive, and the fare is fixed however long full time over-runs.
For local supporters, the train is often the cheapest way to Princes Park. Here's how it fits, and where it falls short on a matchday.
The nearest station to Princes Park is Dartford (DA1), about a 20-25 minute walk or a short hop by car. Dartford itself sits on the North Kent line, running into London Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Victoria in about 40-50 minutes, so supporters travelling from London or along the line can reach the area by rail and walk the rest.
As ever, the honest line: if you're local, the kick-off is in daylight and you're travelling light, the train and a walk are perfectly good. For groups, evenings and away days, a pre-booked car is the cleaner answer.
On a normal day, a local cab or a ride-hailing app gets you to Princes Park easily. On a matchday — and especially at full time — the maths changes.
Dartford's local licensed cabs and the ride-hailing apps both serve Princes Park well enough before kick-off, when demand is spread out. The problem is concentration: at full time several thousand people want to leave at the same minute, and that's when ranks empty, apps surge and waits balloon.
The single smartest matchday move is to book the pickup in advance: a named driver, an agreed meeting point a short walk from the ground, and a fare that doesn't surge no matter how the game over-runs or how heavy the demand. You walk to a car that's waiting rather than standing in the cold watching an app price climb.
Not every trip to Princes Park needs a booked car — but for a clear set of matchday situations it's the obvious answer.
If you're a local single supporter and the trains are running, we'll happily point you to the station. Where a booked car genuinely wins — groups, away days, evenings, airport arrivals and the full-time dash — that's where RushXO is the right choice, with the fare fixed however long the game over-runs.
Getting a group to Princes Park together is exactly what the RushXO fleet is for — from a single saloon to a nine-seater minibus for the whole supporters' party.
The everyday car for one to three passengers with standard luggage — the default for local Dartford runs, station hops and solo or couple airport trips.
The premium saloon for business arrivals and anyone wanting extra comfort and space. Leather, climate control and a quieter ride for the long airport runs.
For four to six passengers with luggage, or a smaller group that wants the boot space — the sweet spot for families and the point where the per-head cost drops well below the train.
A larger minibus for groups of seven or eight with luggage — sports teams, extended families, colleague groups. One vehicle, one fixed fare, everyone together.
The full minibus for the largest single-vehicle groups — tour parties, large families, corporate groups and matchday coaches where splitting across cars would be a headache.
Zero-emission saloons for a greener journey, and wheelchair-accessible vehicles for passengers with mobility needs. Specify the requirement when booking.
All fares are confirmed in writing at booking. For a matchday, the minibus is the star: the whole group travels together, drops at the ground, and is collected from an agreed point after the whistle on one fixed fare — no convoy of cars, no one left driving, no surge.
Back comes one written quote for an 8-seater, the drop and the pickup both locked, the driver allocated, and the return priced the same whether the game runs to 5:00 or 5:30. The whole party travels together and nobody drives.
For visiting supporters and anyone flying in for a game, the journey to Princes Park is a longer, less familiar one — and a fixed-fare transfer takes the guesswork out of it.
RushXO covers the longer runs to Princes Park as well as the local ones: away-fan transfers from across Kent and London, and direct airport-to-ground transfers for supporters flying in. Because we're a Kent operator, the driver knows the area and the matchday road closures rather than following a meter round unfamiliar streets.
A fixed fare confirmed in writing before you travel, the driver tracking your inbound flight and meeting you in arrivals with a name board. Free waiting for delays, the airport drop-off charge included, no surge whatever the hour.
A fixed fare confirmed in writing before you travel, the driver tracking your inbound flight and meeting you in arrivals with a name board. Free waiting for delays, the airport drop-off charge included, no surge whatever the hour.
A fixed fare confirmed in writing before you travel, the driver tracking your inbound flight and meeting you in arrivals with a name board. Free waiting for delays, the airport drop-off charge included, no surge whatever the hour.
A fixed fare confirmed in writing before you travel, the driver tracking your inbound flight and meeting you in arrivals with a name board. Free waiting for delays, the airport drop-off charge included, no surge whatever the hour.
A fixed fare confirmed in writing before you travel, the driver tracking your inbound flight and meeting you in arrivals with a name board. Free waiting for delays, the airport drop-off charge included, no surge whatever the hour.
Each is a fixed fare confirmed in writing, with the driver tracking your inbound flight and meeting you in arrivals — then straight to Princes Park or your Dartford hotel. Tell us the flight, the date and the party size and the whole away day is quoted in one conversation. The return to the airport after the game can be booked at the same time.
The questions supporters most often ask about reaching Princes Park, answered honestly.
Princes Park is at Grassbanks, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 1RT — home of Dartford FC in the National League South, with a capacity of around 4,100. The nearest station is Dartford (DA1), about a 20-25 minute walk or a short hop by car, and the ground is reached via M25 junction 1a, then the A225/Princes Road; the A2 is close by.
If you're local, the trains are running and it's a daytime kick-off, the station and a short walk are cheap and avoid the parking. For groups, evening games, away days or anyone who wants to skip the full-time scramble, a pre-booked fixed-fare car — door-to-turnstile, with the pickup booked in advance — is the cleaner option.
Dedicated parking is limited, so matchday parking spills onto the surrounding streets, many of them residential or restricted. Spaces near the ground fill well before kick-off and the exit queues at full time are slow. Being dropped off and collected at an agreed point skips all of that.
Yes — that's a core matchday booking. The fleet runs up to nine-seater minibuses, so the whole party travels together to Princes Park on one fixed fare, drops at the ground and is collected after the whistle. It's usually cheaper per head than separate fares and means nobody has to drive.
At full time several thousand people request a car at once, so ride-hailing surges and availability collapses exactly when you need it. A pre-booked RushXO car is reserved for you at a fixed fare with an agreed pickup point — you walk to a waiting car instead of watching an app price climb in the cold.
Yes. RushXO runs fixed-fare airport transfers from Gatwick (from £55), Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City straight to Princes Park or your Dartford hotel, with flight tracking and meet-and-greet. The return to the airport after the game can be booked at the same time, all on one quote.
Quickest is WhatsApp on +44 7466 237870 — send the fixture, the kick-off time, your pickup, and the party size, and a fixed quote comes straight back. You can also reserve online or call +44 1474 554933. Payment is by card or bank transfer, with corporate-account invoicing for hospitality and business bookings.
Yes. RushXO Ltd (Companies House 16464640) is a licensed private hire operator, ICO-registered (ZC112187), accounting for VAT in line with HMRC's rules. Every journey is pre-booked through the licensed operator with the fare and driver arranged before travel.
RushXO runs fixed-fare, pre-booked private hire to and from Princes Park and across the whole of Kent, 24/7 — group minibuses for the supporters' party, away-day transfers, airport runs for visiting fans, and a pre-booked pickup for the full-time getaway. Fares are confirmed in writing before kick-off and don't surge however long the game over-runs. From a saloon to a nine-seater minibus, with executive and accessible vehicles on request. Tell us the fixture and the party size over WhatsApp and a quote comes straight back.