For
the visitor to London, the question of which travel pass to purchase
can be very confusing.
There is no simple answer, it all depends ...
Scope:
Both cards cover most of the public transport available to you.
- The entire London
Underground network.
- The entire London
bus network.
- The overland rail
network
- Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
- 33% discount on
river services
Importantly, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airports are far outside
the area covered by both cards. At Heathrow you can use both on the
London Underground and public buses, but not the Heathrow Connect
and Heathrow Express dedicated airport trains. |
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The
main difference between Travelcard and Oyster Card in terms of scope
are the overground trains, not the London Underground or DLR (Dockland
Light Railway)
The Overground has been slow implementing the ticketing systems to
recognise Oyster Cards..
For most visitors, this has little impacts, indeed in 2010 the coverage
of Oyster expanded enormously. However its probably worth checking
the map link below depicting the overground train lines that are covered
by Oyster.
Map
showing where Oyster is valid on overground rail system
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.
The more zones you travel, or the more zones that your pass covers
the more you pay. Most visitors only go out of Zone 1 the central
area on their way to the airport.
However, popular attractions like Hampton Court, Greenwich, Wimbledon
and Kew Gardens are examples of places outside Zone 1
Rail
& Underground Zonal Map |
What
is cheapest - Travelcard or Oyster Card:
You didn't really expect a simple answer, did you ?
Whichever pass you obtain it will be much, much cheaper than paying
for each journey using cash.
Oyster
Pay as You Go v Cash Fares For Single Journey Zone 1
(from 2nd January 2010) |
| Underground |
Bus |
| Cash |
Oyster |
Cash |
Oyster
|
|
£4.00
|
£1.80 |
£2.00 |
£1.20 |
| |
Travelcard is a flat rate pass, you pay a set fee for the zones required
and there is unlimited travel. Travlecard has very good 2
for 1 admission offers that can save you a lot of money.
Oyster Card Pay As You Go, means you are charged a discounted journey
rate for each journey. There is a daily price cap on Oyster, where,
however many journeys you make in a calendar day, you are never charged
more than the price cap.
From the table below you can see that the Oyster price cap is identical
to the 1 day Travelcard price. If you will be in London for 4 days
or less then Oyster will never be more expensive than Travelcard and
can be cheaper if on one of the days you do not hit the price cap.
If you are staying 5 or more days, the daily price cap of Oyster Card
works out more than the average cost per day of a 7 day Travelcard
making the 7 day Travelcard the better buy.
Oyster also has the inconvenience for short term visitors of making
a deposit and subsequently reclaiming this deposit plus any outstanding
balance on your Oyster Card. |
| Oyster
Price Cap v Travelcard Daily Prices (from 2nd January 2010) |
| Zones |
Oyster
(Peak) |
Travelcard
(Peak) |
Oyster
(Off peak) |
Travelcard
(Off Peak) |
Travelcard
7 Day Peak |
|
1-2
|
£7.20
|
£7.20 |
£5.60
|
£5.60 |
£25.80 |
|
1-3
|
£8.60
|
£8.60 |
£6.30
|
- |
£30.20 |
|
1-4
|
£10.00
|
£10.00 |
£6.30
|
£6.30 |
£36.80 |
|
1-5
|
£12.60
|
£12.60 |
£7.50
|
- |
£44.00 |
|
1-6
|
£14.80
|
£14.80 |
£7.50
|
£7.50 |
£47.60 |
|
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Peak
v Off Peak - Travelcard / Oyster Card Definitions:
Travelcard - If you intend to travel before 09:30, Monday to Friday
then you need a peak Travelcard. On Saturdays and Sundays all travel
is off peak. There is no evening peak period.
Oyster Card - Peak rate fares will levied if you travel between 06:30
and 09:30 or from 16:00-19:00 Mondays to Fridays.
Peak daily caps are triggered by travel between 04:30 and 09:30 Monday
to Friday
All travel at weekends and holidays are off peak. |
The Oyster Card Deposit
With Oyster Card Pay as You Go, you pay a £3 deposit plus however
much you wish to store on the Oyster Card to pay fares up to a maximum
of £90.
At the end of the stay you need to surrender your Oyster Card and
claim back the deposit plus any outstanding balance on your credit
card.
If you are coming back to London at a future date you can keep the
Oyster Card and resume using it immediately on your return.
There are no deposits on Travelcards, you pay up front and dispose
of the ticket when it expires.
Oyster Card
& Travelcard Offers - 2 For 1 Entry To Attractions
Travelcard have offers that are particularly attractive to visitors,
especially the 2 for 1 admission offers to attractions.
The Travelcard offers for example include 2 for 1 admission to the
Tower of London and many other top attractions that the sightseeing
visitor will often visit. Savings can be significant, and you cannot
get these with an Oyster Card.
Note : 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).
The scheme is sponsored by the railways.
Travelcard
2 for 1 Offers
Children Under 16
There are no family tickets available on London's public transport,
the main reason being that free travel is available for many children.
5-10 Years Old
Children under 11 travel free on London's buses and do not need a
photocard.
If your child is aged 5 to 10 and needs to travel unaccompanied on
Tube, DLR and London Overground services they will need a 5-10 Oyster
photocard to travel free at any time. Children accompanied by an adult
can travel free on Tube, DLR and London Overground services without
an Oyster photocard.
11-15 Years Old
Children 11-15 years old travel free on London's buses but require
a photocard.
A photocard is not needed for single or return tickets bought with
cash or for 1 Day Travelcards. For everything else your child will
need a photocard if you do not want to pay full fares.
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
Seniors
There are no special rates for seniors.
Senior residents of London can get a Freedom pass enabling free bus
travel.
National Concessionary passes issued by English local authorities
outside London are not valid for free travel on trams, the Tube, DLR,
London Overground and National Rail but are valid on London's buses,
(but not airport buses). |
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