I’ve tried to write this post several times over the last 3 months, but each time the complexity of the implications floors me. However, my friend Geoff Marshall has just posted a video which makes a good job of explaining how things could change. His co-presenter, Roger, has also written a blog post which goes into a lot more detail about what is happening. Both are well worth a watch/read.
Geoff has highlighted issues such as starting from different locations outside London and the effect of the amount of travel made when in London. He also touched on differences between the times of day that your ticket starts. Issues which he didn’t mention include using a railcard or travelling with kids, although Roger does touch on those in his blog.
So, the basic facts. As things stand day travelcards will be withdrawn sometime in January next year. Instead people will be expected to buy a normal return ticket to London (from outside the zones) and then use Oyster or contactless PAYG to travel within London. Even within zones 1-6 there are still people who prefer to buy a travelcard for the simplicity, but that option won’t exist under this proposal.
Personally I am worried that a lot more people will be coerced into using PAYG and run into difficulties. Things like arriving at Waterloo on a normal ticket and going down the steps from the mainline platforms towards the Underground and touching their card on the gates down there. Result is an unstarted journey to Waterloo NR. Even worse is the possibilty of inadvertantly missing a touch where a station is not gated and ending up with a penalty fare or prosecution. As Roger says, it’s a gamble by TfL, and if too many people are put off travelling to London by a bad experience with PAYG they may well end up losing money.
One thing I have not seen mentioned (and it may be because it is very niche) is the effect on stations outside the fare zones but within TfLs remit (e.g. Shenfield, stations west of West Drayton on the Elizabeth Line and, IIRC, some on Thameslink) where Oyster and/or contactless is available linked in with the TfL system.
Will these stations lose their daily caps? Will they lose travelcards as well?
Hi Rob,
Caps will remain wherever PAYG is available, but day travelcards will go.
Which is why this whole thing seems mistimed – PAYG on contactless bank cards is due to have a massive expansion over much of the SE within a year of out-boundary travel cards going, massively mitigating their removal as the same fare option would be available (especially if Project Oval also implements the adding railcards to contactless bank cards feature as planned) for adults using a large number of outside-London stations via the contactless cap.
It is very much mistimed, but being driven by a government that just doesn’t care. They hope everyone will blame the Mayor, but I’m not falling for their tricks.