London Travelcard Public Transport Pass
Transport Pass For 1 Day, 7 Days, 1 Month Or Much Longer For Buses, Trains & Underground
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| Travelcards Come On Oyster Cards As Well As A Travelcard! |
The London Travelcard is the original pass for public transport in London. The Travelcard is easy to purchase and unless you are going to make one single journey on public transport in London then you should really be looking to either purchase an Oyster or Travelcard and not pay for single tickets.
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| Local Buses |
| London Underground |
| Rail Services |
| River Services |
| Coach Services |
| Public Transport Maps |
| Transport Passes |
| Oyster |
| Travelcard |
| Oyster or Travelcard ? |
In 2003, the Oyster Card alternative was introduced. Most Londoners themselves will have an Oyster Card not a Travelcard for their transport needs.
For an adult traveling in London, the Oyster Card will always be cheaper or the same price as Travelcard for pure travel. However, for many short term visitors to London the Travelcard still may be the right product ...
Children under 18 - If you have children under 18 you may well need an Oyster Photo ID card in order to obtain child fares. The 1 day Travelcard is a way around this for those with children under 16.
(See our children's fares section).
No deposit - With Oyster Cards you have to pay a deposit and reclaim the deposit when you wish to surrender it. For people in town only a day or so this can be a hassle. Travelcards you just throw way when they expire, there are no deposits.
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| London Tour Options |
| Original London Tour Bus |
| Big Bus Hop On Bus |
| Guided Coach Tours |
| Amphibious Duck Tour |
| Black Taxi Tour |
| Rock Tour |
| Airport Transfers |
| Heathrow |
| Gatwick |
| Stansted |
| Luton |
| Cruise Port Transfers |
| Southampton |
| Dover |
| Harwich |
| Day Trips From London |
| Coach Tours |
| Private Tours |
| Stonehenge |
| Bath |
| Windsor |
| Oxford |
| Stratford Upon Avon |
| Cotswolds |
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2 For 1 Attraction tickets - There is a very attractive promotion sponsored by the railways. Buy a Travelcard from a Central London mainline railway ticket office and you can use coupons enabling 2 for 1 admissions to many of the main attractions in London like the Tower of London and discounts on many others.
Key point is that only Travelcards purchased from a railway station (not underground station) qualify.
5 Or More Days Travelling In A Row? - As a general rule of thumb if you are travelling 5 or more days in London then a 7 day Travelcard is better value than a Pay As Tou Go Oyster Card.
Confusingly the 7 Day Travelcard normally comes loaded onto an Oyster Card. You can mix and match 7 Day Travelcards and Pay As You Go Oyster on the same physical card to suit your needs.
What You Can Use Travelcard On
The Travelcard pass covers :
- The London Underground network.
- The London local bus network.
- The railway network in Greater London.
- Docklands Light Railway.
- 33% discount on many scheduled river services.
You cannot use Travelcard on the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect trains out to Heathrow Airport
Luton , Stansted and Gatwick Airports are well outside the area covered by Travelcard.
Transport Zones
The London public transport system is divided up into zones that radiate from the centre. Nearly all the hotels and the main sights are in Zone 1.
| Public Transport Maps With Zones Marked | |
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The more zones you travel, or the more zones that your pass covers the more you pay. For most visitors they only require a pass that covers Zone 1, the central area.
If you need to make the odd journey out of the central area, say Heathrow in Zone 6, its much cheaper to purchase a travel pass for zone 1, and purchase what is called an extension fare for zones 2 to 6 than purchase a travel pass outright for zone 1 to 6.
If you are making many trips on an occasional basis outside your zones then an Oyster Cards is almost certainly a better product for you.
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| Ticket Barrier |
How You Use Travelcards
For most buses just show the driver your Travelcard as you board. For the long "bendy" buses with 3 entrances just board at any entrance and be prepared to show your Travelcard if demanded.
For the Underground and DLR to gain access to the platforms, and to exit a station you have to pass through automatic barriers, (pictured left).
You are allowed through by inserting your Travelcard ticket into a slot in the barrier. If your Travelcard is valid the barriers will open allowing you into the station. On reaching your journeys end you repeat the procedure to gain exit.
If you change trains during your journey you do not normally have to pass through barriers when connecting at a single station.
Peak & Off Peak Travel
The peak travel period is if you travel between 04:30 and 09:29 Monday to Friday.
For a 1 Day Travelcard only, if you want to travel during this time you need to purchase the 'Peak' period 1 day Travelcard product. Travelcards for 7 days or longer are valid at all times.
Purchasing Travelcard Tickets
You can purchase a Travelcard from any Underground Station ticket office very quickly using a credit/debit card as well as cash. There are countless other outlets selling Oyster, commonly newsagents.
You can also order your Travelcard online and have it sent to your home address. There is however an administration fee and a shipping fee in addition to the cost of the Travelcard.
| London Travelcard Prices (from 2 Jan 2010) | |||||
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| 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 |
| (£?.??) = Child under 18 years old fare. (Free travel available, see child fares) | |||||
Group Travelcards
Especially for groups of 10 or more fare-paying passengers traveling together.
This Travelcard only comes valid for zones 1 to 6.
Fare is £3.70 Adults and £3.70 Children under 18
2 For 1 Offers With Cards Purchased From Railway Stations
If you purchase a Travelcard from a railway station, (not DLR or London Underground) you qualify for a wide range of 2 for 1 offers including many of the main tourist attractions in London. Offers include 2 for 1 admission to the Tower of London and the Hop on, Hop Off buses for example.
Important: To take advantage of these offers you need to download vouchers from the web site (link below) and you need to purchase your Travelcard from a rail station ticket office (not London Underground or DLR railway) and receive a card Travelcard.
London Transport Children's Fares (Children Less than 18 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 traveling 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.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.
Children 11-15.
Children aged 11 to 15 years must get an 11-15 Oyster photocard to travel free on buses and trams and at child-rate on Tube, DLR and London Overground services.
You can get around the photocard requirement by purchasing a 1 day Travelcard for the child, (longer length Travelcards do require a photo card) or paying the cash fare.
Children 16-17.
All 16 to 17-year-olds can travel at child-rate on bus, Tube, tram, DLR and London Overground services with a 16+ Oyster photocard.
Obtaining a Photocard.
Visitors to London can order a Photocard in advance for their children and collect on arrival at a travel centre. (There is a Travel Centre at Heathrow Airport as well as in Central London).
Note you need to apply (online) at least 3 weeks prior to arrival.
From 1 September 2010 non-London residents have to pay a non-refundable £10 administration fee
Advance application for Child Photocard
Senior's Fares
There are no special Senior's fares on London's public transport.
If you have an English senior's bus pass then you can travel free on London's red buses free.
If you're a permanent resident in a London borough aged over 60, you can apply for a Freedom Pass for traveling around London. The Freedom Pass entitles you to free travel on London's public transport - Tube, buses, trains, Docklands Light Rail (DLR) and trams.
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