My wife, two children (age 14 and 15) are coming up to London on weekend of Saturday 26 and Sunday 27th March. We will be using tube over the weekend to get to Wembley, Tate Britain, Victoria and Albert Museum, Hanger Lane, Lewisham etc. What will be the cheapest way to pay for travel for the four of us over the weekend?
Contactless card, Oyster card or Travel cards. Contactless and Oyster payments are capped at the cost of a one day Travelcard.
U16s get child discount. If you want child discount you need Oyster and a member of staff at Tube station will set up the card with Young Visitor Discount.
If good old Mayor Kahn hasn't completely wrecked London's transport network (he's trying so damned hard!), then TFL (Transport For London) web site should answer lot's of your questions.
Long time since I had to pay for travel, so not up to date on charges, but generally buying a pre-payed Oyster card (you can top it up as needed) for each of you, is cheaper than paying individual fares as you go, and much quicker through the barriers as a touch and go system. Many if not all buses are CASHLESS, so payment ONLY by Oyster/Credit/Debit card, many (if not all by now) tube stations have no ticket office and are ticket by machine or Oyster card on the automated barrier. Plenty of travel inspectors doing random checks on tickets, so wise not to try cheating, hefty fines! On tube/trains Oyster card/ticket is used on both entrance and exit barriers, on buses Oyster/payment card is ONLY on entrance. Keep your Oyster card separate from other 'contactless' cards like Debit and Credit Cards, as the automated readers may bill to your other cards, not deduct from the Oyster credit if you just present a wallet full of cards to the reader.
Beware, w/e is when much maintenance work is done, and pretty normal for some part of the Tube/Rail network to be unavailable! Avoid if possible the substitute bus service put on in lieu of cancelled trains, it's usually dire in many respects! Info available on TFL web site for closures etc. Check close to your travel dates/times as much is very last minute! If travelling by bus (not sure they even issue timetables anymore!), reckon on your journey being little faster than jogging pace, London's roads do not move quickly, so allow plenty of time!
The TFL route planner is really rather good, and various phone apps duplicate the service, making travel much easier and less stressful as sometimes getting from A to B can be 'illogical' as most of the tube/rail network is radial like spokes on a wheel and very little goes directly across London, usually a case of going further into London to come back out again! - beware of crossing 'Tube Zones' and having the right paper ticket to travel in that zone, that's one reason for using an Oyster card which covers all zones, albeit with your credit being eaten at a greater rate for crossing zones.
And finally, think public transport requires the wearing of masks still, although many don't, but fines/being kicked off does happen!
This is London, sadly somewhat overrun with petty criminal types these days, try not to look too much like gullible tourists, and keep valuables safely tucked away from pickpockets and bag snatchers! It's not quite Sodom and Gomorrah, so no need to be paranoid, but it's far worse than most people living outside big cities are used to and would normally guard against! Common sense caution mostly covers it.
Enjoy your 'Grand Tour' of London.
BTW, I do live in the burbs, in the shadow of a certain stadium arch, so it's all a way of life to me.
For adults you don’t need an Oyster card (which you would have to pay £5 each for), each use a contactless card or Apple Pay or similar on your phone. Use the same one all day and it will automatically cap it at the appropriate travel card for your day’s travel. Make sure you do tap in and out (in only on buses) because if you don’t you get charged for the maximum length journey you could have made. On the tube you have to tap t get through the barrier but often coming out of the DLR or a tram, and some stations, it is an open gate and you need to spot the yellow card reader.
For your children get Oyster cards before you leave home and then get the Young Visiter Discount applied once you arrive, scroll down on this page to Travelling With Children https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card
City Mapper is an excellent app to use for finding your way around in all the various means of transport.
Some tips:
Have the card you are using to pay in your hand before you approach the barrier. You will be much more loved as a visitor if you don’t stand at the gate rummaging through your bag while busy commuters queue behind you.
Likewise, once through the gate keep walking! Don’t stop dead and decide which way to go for the escalator. Move away from the barrier snd then look at signs.
Same at top and bottom of escalators.
It may well be obvious but so many visitors unintentionally cause mini pile ups like this.
And we really do stand on the right on escalators, and not side by side.
And generally people are very happy to advise visitors on things like ‘does this train stop at…’.
Oyster card, and you can get them in advance by post, and get them reloaded with sufficient money to cover your trip.
You can get them when in London from a ticket machine too, however, not something I would recommend in a hurry.
Not certain if you can use just one card for 4 people as in paying the same trip for 4 different people, as I have only used one card at a time being a solo traveller.
DK
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Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Travel advice in London
via mobile 04/2/2022 at 10:12pm
