| Children's
Fares (Children Less than 16 Years Old) |
|
Free
Travel For Children On Buses & Underground And The Need For Photocards
Under-5s
Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses
and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket.
Children in this category do not need Photocards.
Children 5-10
Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams without the need
for a Photocard.
They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are
travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under
11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground.
Under-11s
travelling with an adult will not be issued with tickets but will be allowed
to pass through the ticket gates at stations. Again no Photocard is required
for children travelling with adults.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.
11-15s
Children aged 11 to 15 years can get an 11-15 Oyster photocard
to travel free on buses and trams and at child-rate on Tube, DLR and London
Overground services.
Obtaining a Photocard
Visitors to London can order a Photocard in advance for their children
and collect on arrival.
Note you must apply at least three weeks in advance of your visit.
Advance
application for Child Photocard
Child Discounts Without Photocards
Child Travelcards
For visitors with accompanied children of 11-15 years old you can avoid
the whole photocard issue by simply purchasing a child 1
Day Travelcard. You need a photocard for childrens 7 day Travelcards
Underground Child Fares
There is a cash child flat fare of £2 per journey (zones 1 to 4)
on the London Underground, No Photocard is required.
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 |
Where
To Purchase Your Ticket
In
most of Central London you have to pre-purchase your ticket. Outside
Central London it is still possible to pay the driver.
The whole idea is to make boarding of passengers faster and journey
times quicker.
You can pre-purchase your tickets from: |
 |
- A
ticket machine by the bus stop like that pictured left. The machines
currently only take coins and give no change.
- Underground
/ Tube stations and London Travel Information Centres
- Over
3,000 ticket outlets including newsagents with a prominent sign
displayed in their window
- Using
a travel pass like the, London
Travelcard or Oystercard
Smartcard
|
In addition
to the Oyster Card option, there is the London
Travelcard, (see below)
When using a Travelcard in conjunction with buses you can use your
Travelcard in any transport zone whatever zones are covered by your
Travelcard.
e.g. If you have a Travelcard valid only for zones 1 and 2, you can
still use it on the buses in all the other zones. The zonal system
only applies to Underground and train journeys.
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| London
Travelcard Fares 2010 |
|
The London
Travelcard was the original London public transport pass where you pay
a flat fixed fee for unlimited travel in the time period purchased. You
throw away the Travelcard when you have finished with it. (Note Travelcards
cover calendar days, not periods of 24 hours)
In
2003, the Oyster Card was introduced. This is a smart card electronic
device. The Oyster Card is very flexible. Oyster Card tracks your journeys
and deducts a discounted fare from the amount loaded on your Oyster Card.
There is a daily cap on the amount that can be deducted, the same amount
as a Travelcard. Nearly all Londoners have Oyster Cards.
We have a dedicated page addressing the Oyster
Card v Travelcard what is best for you debate. For short term visitors
to London, the Travelcard can still often be the optimum solution, especially
if you have children under 16.
Most visitors will only need Zones 1/2 where all the attractions and hotels
are. (Heathrow Airport though is in Zone 6)
|
| London
Travelcard Prices (from 2 Jan 2010 ) |
|
Zones
|
1
Day
|
1
Day
(Off Peak*)
|
7
Days
|
1
Month
|
1
Year
|
|
1-2
|
£7.20
(£3.60)
|
£5.60
(£2.00)
|
£25.80
(£12.90)
|
£99.10
(£49.60)
|
£1032
|
|
1-4
|
£10.00
(£5.00)
|
£6.30
(£2.00)
|
£36.80
(£18.40)
|
£141.40
(£70.70)
|
£1472
|
|
1-6
|
£14.80
(£7.40)
|
£7.50
(£2.00)
|
£47.60
(£23.80)
|
£182.80
(£91.40)
|
£1904
|
*
Off peak = after 09:30 Monday to Friday, all day Saturdays, Sundays and
Holidays.
(£?.??) = Child under 16 years old
fare. (Free travel available, see child fares) |
Advance
Purchase Of Travelcards From Outside London
There are countless
outlets in London where you can purchase Travelcards. For visitors, the
ticket office of any Underground station will quickly sell you a card (credit
cards accepted) with no hassle.
You can order your Travelcard online and have it sent to your home address.
There is of course an administration and shipping fee in addition to the
cost of the Travelcard.
Online
Travelcard Shop
|
| 1
Day Group Travelcard Prices (from 2 Jan 2010 ) |
|
Zones
|
Adult
|
|
For
groups of 10 or more fare-paying passengers travelling together on the Tube,
DLR and/or London Overground. |
|
1-6
|
£3.70
|
£1.00
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