Pony Express offers a dedicated on-board courier (OBC) service into Oakland, California for shipments that genuinely cannot wait: one courier, one bag, hand-carried from collection anywhere in the UK to delivery in the Bay Area. Pricing is always by quote — call 0800 288 4052 for an instant, no-obligation quote.

The on-board courier process

Your shipment travels as the courier's accompanied hand luggage the entire way — through UK check-in and security, on the aircraft, through US immigration and customs, and out to the final address — rather than being handed off between freight handlers and warehouses.

Flight routing into the Bay Area

Direct or one-stop services from Heathrow put a courier into San Francisco or Oakland International Airport (OAK) inside a single flight day, with OAK itself sitting minutes from the Port of Oakland and the East Bay logistics corridor along I-880 and I-580.

What moves through Oakland

As the Bay Area's principal container port and a major logistics and biotech hub, Oakland generates constant demand for urgent parts, prototypes, semiconductor and hardware samples, and time-sensitive legal and financial paperwork tied to the region's tech and life-sciences firms.

Customs and onward delivery

The courier carries full commercial invoices and shipping documentation and works with a US customs broker for formal clearance where required, so goods move straight from OAK to addresses across Oakland, Berkeley and the wider East Bay without warehouse dwell time.

Frequently asked questions

• How soon can a courier travel? Often the same day, subject to seat and flight availability.
• Is UK-wide collection available? Yes, we collect anywhere in the UK before departure.
• What can be hand-carried? AOG parts, prototypes, documents, medical items and high-value goods.
• Do you clear customs? Yes, with full documentation and broker coordination at destination.
• What's the price? Each OBC run is quoted individually — call for a fast quote.