Travelcard
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Image:London-underground-travelcard.jpgA Travelcard is an inter-modal ticket, valid for a period of time varying from one day to a year, for use on most public transport in London. The ticket is issued by Transport for London and National Rail outlets and can be used on the services of either.
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History of Travelcard
Prior to the introduction of the Travelcard, London commuters had to pay separately for each mode of transport that they used: buses, Tubes and railways. This inevitably produced considerable inconvenience, as it led to delays in changing from one means of transport to the next, and it also required people to hold multiple travel passes.
The introduction of an integrated ticket was one of the key promises made in 1981 by the newly-elected Labour administration of the Greater London Council, headed by council leader Ken Livingstone. The policy, marketed under the slogan "Just The Ticket", introduced an integrated ticket for London Transport bus and Tube services. It was eventually extended in January 1985 to include mainline railways in the capital, despite strong opposition from the Conservative government. The scheme was a considerable success and was extended during the 1980s and 1990s as new transport routes were opened in London.
By 1985, there were actually two travelcards: the Travelcard itself, which covered only the buses and Tubes, and the Capitalcard, which covered bus, Tube and rail services. Today's Travelcard is the equivalent of the original Capitalcard, a name which was dropped around 1989.
Transport modes
A Travelcard entitles the holder to use the following modes of transport within Greater London:
Travelcards also entitle the holder to discounts on some London River Services.
Periodic validity
Travelcards are issued for periods of one, three and seven days, or for any period from one month to one year. A Travelcard is valid up until 04:30 on the day following its last day of marked validity.
One and three day Travelcards can be purchased in either peak or off-peak variants. The peak variant can be used at any time, whilst the cheaper off-peak variant can be used at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, but not before 09:30 on other days. Travelcards for seven days or longer all allow travel at any time of day.
Paper and Oyster
Image:Oyster card front small.png When bought at a Tube station or other Transport for London agent, one and three day Travelcards are sold on a paper ticket with a magnetic strip and Travelcards lasting seven days or more are loaded on to an Oyster Card.
The zones
Travelcards provide travel within six numbered zones arranged concentrically with Zone 1 (which includes the central areas of The City and the West End) at the middle and Zone 6 (which includes London Heathrow Airport and places such as Kingston upon Thames, Uxbridge, Upminster and Orpington) at the outer edge (Travelcard zones map on TfL website).
The zones are used in different ways on each mode of transport, such that:
- On the London Underground, the Docklands Light Railway, and National Rail, the Travelcard is only valid within the zones indicated on the ticket;
- On London Buses, any Travelcard can be used for any journey within Greater London, irrespective of the zones indicated on the ticket;
- On Tramlink, any Travelcard valid in one or more of zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 is accepted for any tram journey.
Zone combinations
Travelcards are sold in a limited number of combinations of adjacent zones with different combinations available depending on time and length of validity. Travelcards for only one zone are not sold.
| Validity | Peak combinations | Off-peak combinations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 2-6 | 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, 2-6 |
| 3 days | 1-2, 1-6 | 1-6 |
| Weekly and longer | At least two adjacent zones | n/a |
Beyond the fringes
There are circumstances in which Travelcards can be used outside Greater London. These are:
- The London Underground Central Line includes five stations outside Greater London within the Epping Forest district of Essex (and two on the boundary) which are included for fare purposes in zones 5 or 6;
- The London Underground Metropolitan Line includes seven stations outside Greater London. For fare purposes these stations are arranged into four further zones (A, B, C and D), according to their distance from Central London;
- There are 14 National Rail stations just outside Greater London, such as Elstree & Borehamwood and Thames Ditton, which are included in Zone 6;
- There are some bus services that cross the Greater London boundary on which Travelcards are valid for the whole route including the sections outside Greater London;
- Travelcards can also be bought for travel between any National Rail station outside Greater London, and a Travelcard zone within Greater London. Such Travelcards can only be bought from National Rail stations, and are not issued in three day forms. These Travelcards essentially combine a Travelcard, for use within the zonal area, with a rail return (for one day Travelcards) or season (for longer validities) ticket from the nominated station to the travelcard zone boundary, and are valid in the same way as if such a combination was issued separately. One day Travelcards which include validity on National Rail routes outside Greater London are only valid for one journey in each direction on the rail route. Once the return part of the rail journey is completed the travelcard ceases to be valid.
Exceptions
A few public transport routes in London do not accept the Travelcard. The most significant is the Heathrow Express fast rail shuttle to Heathrow Airport, which is not part of the Travelcard scheme despite operating wholly within the zonal boundaries. The slower Heathrow Connect accepts Travelcards for some of its distance but not on the last leg to the airport.
Thames riverboat services, notably the commuter service operated by Thames Clippers, are not fully integrated into the Travelcard scheme. However, they do offer substantial discounts (usually a third off the normal price) for Travelcard holders.
Extensions
When travelling beyond the zonal validity of a paper travelcard on the London Underground an extension ticket can be purchased. When the travelcard is charged to an Oyster Card the relevant fare is automatically deducted from the Pre Pay balance on the card (at a slighty discounted rate).
When travelling on the rail network beyond the zonal validity of a travelcard or outside London, travelcard holders can buy 'ticket extensions', which are slightly cheaper than a ticket to cover the whole distance, since the travelcard already covers the journey as far as the edge of the zone. Such tickets state 'Boundary Zone N' as the departure and/or return station. However, these tickets are not available from machines or from stations outside London.
Photocards
Photocards are plastic cards containing a photograph of the ticket holder. When certain tickets are purchased they are "linked" to the photocards so they can only be used by that person. They are only required for travelcards of seven days or more which include travel on the National Rail network outside London, or Travelcards of a week or more's validity issued on a paper ticket by a National Rail station. Special photocards are issued to those who receive a discount, such as students.
Performance discounts
Where a travelcard is sold by a National Rail operator, and depending on the operator issuing the card, Travelcards of a month or more validity can attract discounts due to poor service when renewed. There are two performance monitors, the number of trains cancelled and the number of trains running to time, and if one or other of these monitors falls below a certain threshold a discount of 5% (or 10% if both monitors are below the threshold) applies to all renewed season tickets (including Travelcards) with a month or more's validity.
Sources
- Transport for London 2006 Fares and Tickets Guide (846KB PDF), valid from 2 January 2006.
See also
- Carte orange similar to Travelcard, used in Île de France