Pricing for how Londoners use public transport is undergoing a shake-up, with one-day Travelcards set to go amid Elizabeth line fares confusing passengers.
Transport for London confirmed on Tuesday (October 10) that the “Lizzy” is neither a Tube line nor a national rail service, which puts it at odds with pay-as-you-go fare capping.
TfL has now set the record straight on the Elizabeth line but there will be further impact on customers in January if Travelcards are phased out.
In September, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan confirmed that the passes, which allow unlimited daily travel around the capital, are due to be scrapped, to raise £40m in revenue for the network.
A TfL spokesperson said they are continuing to look for “alternative options”.
“While this six-month notice-period is now under way, this decision remains reversible and does not therefore mean that day travelcards will be withdrawn,” they explained.
However, in the likely event day travelcards are scrapped, people travelling into London will be keeping a keener eye on the pricing of individual journeys. This is a rough guide to how much they could cost.
How much is it to use the Tube?
For adults, it costs as little as £1.80 to use the Tube using contactless or an Oyster card in off-peak hours — and the cheapest journeys can be made for £1.90 at peak times.
Using cash, it will never be less than £6.70.
When crossing zones, it can go up to £8 per journey at peak times. However, users can be savvy to avoid the most expensive fares. This can be done by avoiding Zone One at certain times; in the example of travelling from Walthamstow to Croydon, £4 can be saved by changing for the Overground at Highbury and Islington.
There are cheaper fares for young people, students, and railcard holders.
For further details, visit the TfL website.
How much are London buses?
For adults, the Hopper fare gives you unlimited journeys for £1.75, made within one hour of touching in with a card or Oyster. There is a cheaper rate for concessions.
TfL states that if you do not have enough credit on your Oyster to pay the fare or your Bus & Tram Pass or Travelcard has just expired, you can make one more journey on a bus.
In addition, adults will pay no more than £5.25 a day for any journey.
How much is a day travelcard?
It depends on how far you need to go and what zones you will travel through.
For Zones one to four, a daily one-day anytime travel card is £15.20, but the prices change if you pay monthly.
Monthly costs for zones one and two are £156.30, zones one, two, and three cost £184, and Zones one, two, three, and four will set you back £224.70.
A day travel card for zones one to five is £21.50 or £267.30 monthly.
How much does it cost to use the Overground?
Like the Tube, the cost of the Overground is dependent on the length of the journey and if you go through zone one.
Adult journeys can be made for as little as £1.90 off-peak but can be as high as £8 if you go via zone one at peak times.
There is a daily cap of £14.90 and a weekly cap of £74.40.
How much does it cost to use the Elizabeth line?
Elizabeth line fares are the same as the Tube on journeys within TfL’s fare zones, which extend to Brentwood in Essex.
However, beyond this, special fares kick in.
Passengers travelling to and from Shenfield in the east, and to or from all stations beyond West Drayton in the west, are charged “special” rates equivalent to national rail fares.
Premium fares are also levied on journeys to and from Heathrow.
For example, Paddington to Liverpool St (peak) costs £2.80, Heathrow to Paddington (anytime) costs £12.20, and Bond Street to Brentwood (peak) costs £9.60.
Oyster cards cannot be used west of West Drayton — meaning passengers have to use contactless or buy a paper ticket if they travel on this line any further.
TfL has this week admitted that the status of Elizabeth line is ‘confusing’ passengers over fares.
TfL’s customer director Emma Strain said: “Some people think it’s a Tube line. Some think it isn’t a Tube line. Both of them are confused. It is a tricky one for us.”
Elizabeth line fares are the same as the Tube on journeys within TfL’s nine fare zones, which extend to Brentwood.
