Information AboutTravelcard |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TRAVELCARD | |
| fare collection systems | |
| public transport | |
| transport in london | |
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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 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 Concentric ally 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:
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. BEYOND THE FRINGES There are circumstances in which Travelcards can be used outside Greater London. These are:
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
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