Travelcard

Before the introduction of the Travelcard, tickets for the London Underground were purchased on a 'point-to-point' basis between two stations, either as a single, return or season ticket; and were priced according to distance travelled. Tickets for travel on London Buses and British Rail were purchased separately. London Bus fares were doubled and London Underground fares increased by 91%. and in 2005 a 3-day version of the Travelcard was launched (they were discontinued in 2010). Travelcard season tickets were made available on electronic smart cards, known as Oyster cards, from 2003 and by 2005 Transport for London ceased selling season tickets on paper tickets, although they continued to be available from National Rail stations until 1 June 2022. In July 2023, TfL and the Mayor of London announced that from January 2024, one day Travelcards would no longer be sold or accepted on the TfL network, citing unfavourable revenue sharing terms between TfL and the Train Operating Companies on which the tickets are valid. 7-day and longer Travelcards will be unaffected. However, in October 2023, it was announced that due to a renegotiation on revenue sharing, one day Travelcards would be retained. ==Operation==

Usage A Travelcard entitles the holder to unlimited travel in Greater London on London Buses, London Trams, London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Elizabeth line and National Rail services. On the London Underground, London Overground, DLR and National Rail, the Travelcard is only valid within the zones indicated on the ticket. although as of 2011 one-day travelcards not including Zone 1 are no longer sold. Travelcards are issued for periods of one day or seven days, or for any period from one month to one year, known as a season Travelcard. Services outside Greater London outlet There are various services outside Greater London on which Travelcards can be used. There are some London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail stations located in the Home Counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Kent which are included in fare zones 4 to 9. A Travelcard covering the appropriate zones are valid for unlimited travel to/from these stations. Additionally, on some London Buses services that cross the Greater London boundary, Travelcards are valid for the whole route. From outside the London fare zones, outboundary Travelcards can be bought from some stations to a combination of London Zones, including zone 6, as either a day ticket or season ticket. An outboundary day Travelcard can be used to make one outward journey from the origin station to the boundary of zone 6, then one return journey back to the origin on the same day, with unlimited travel allowed within the zones shown on the ticket. Railway ticket barriers outside zone 6 will often retain the day ticket once the return journey has been made even though the travelcard part of the ticket remains valid until 04:30 the following day within the zone 6 boundary. An outboundary Travelcard season ticket can be used for unlimited travel between the origin and destination, and also the within zones specified on the ticket. In addition, Travelcards between Zone 1, 2 or 4 and Watford Junction, Zone 1 or 2 and Hertford East / Broxbourne, and Zone 1 or 2 and Shenfield are also available on Oyster cards, with a Travelcard for Hertford East / Broxbourne also including Watford Junction, and a Travelcard for Shenfield also including Watford Junction and Hertford East / Broxbourne as well. Furthermore, Travelcard ticket holders needing to go outside the covered zones can buy a "Boundary Zone" ticket, used in conjunction with the Travelcard. Such tickets are little known and can only be bought from ticket offices and some ticket machines, and a limited number of online retailers, as a result, many travellers, not realising that these tickets can be bought, ended up buying other more expensive tickets for their journeys. A class action lawsuit has been filed against the train companies requesting a total of £93 million in compensation. The case was dismissed in October 2025. Exceptions Although located in Zone 6, travel by Heathrow Express from Heathrow Central, Heathrow Terminal 4 or Heathrow Terminal 5 to London Paddington station is not included. The historical Heathrow Connect service did not accept Travelcards at the airport either; they could be used on the rest of its route between Hayes & Harlington and Paddington, but when this route was replaced by TfL Rail and later the Elizabeth line, this restriction was dropped and Travelcards are now usable there. Travel on the High Speed 1 rail link between London St Pancras and Stratford International is also not included unless the travelcard is marked "plus high speed" This is because High Speed 1 is considered to be "outside the zones" except for London St Pancras station. Revenue allocation The revenues from Travelcard sales are divided according to a scheme agreed by Transport for London and the Rail Delivery Group. A quarterly survey known as the Travelcard Diary Survey is undertaken, where travelcard holders are asked to record all the bus, rail and tube trips they have made using their travelcard. Both "in-boundary" and "out-boundary" (i.e. Travelcards in or outside the zonal areas) are surveyed, as well as day and monthly, weekly and annual Travelcards. Ensuring that a statistically valid sample that will give a fair and accurate allocation presents a challenge. The average mileage recorded on each mode is then calculated to give allocation factors of the Travelcard revenue to tube, bus and rail. Additional benefits Travelcards entitle the holder to a 33% discount on scheduled London River Services and 25% on the London Cable Car. Travelcards issued on paper tickets at National Rail stations are also treated as 'train tickets' for the Days Out Guide 2-for-1 offers at most attractions participating in the scheme. ==See also==