Getting around town

If you are a tourist or a short-term visitor to London, please see this article on the best options for you. If you are a new or temporary Londoner, having just moved here (as a student, apprentice, or otherwise) you are in the right place. Here are all the options you need to know about getting around the city.

Pay-As-You-Go and Contactless

This is the cheapest way to go nowadays, unless of course you qualify for any of TFL’s many discount photocards. The Oyster is £5, however you can also you any contactless card. There is a daily cap when using these options that works out to being cheaper than a normal travelcard. There are, however, bus and tram passes that you can link with your Oyster if you plan on only using those services. Furthermore, the price cap differs on which Zones you use and travel through, so you should look through the options as there are too many to account for here.

Tip: Register your Oyster to protect it from loss or theft, keep track of your spending, your journey history, and apply for refunds. You will have to register your Oyster regardless if you want a travelcard or a bus & tram pass.

Register your Oyster here: https://photocard.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/showLogon.do

Bus & Tram Passes

Similar to a Travelcard, this pass allows you unlimited travel on bus and tram services throughout London (they aren’t Zoned!). You can get this pass on your Oyster for 7 days, Monthly, or Annually. Note, there is a cap on pay as you go regardless of where you travel as well. Look for the red roundel bus symbol and you can use it. Not valid for river services or the Emirates Air Line.

Oyster Photocards

These are the travelcards that are offered at a significant discount to help those in special circumstances, from students, to apprentices, to seniors, veterans, and more. Here’s the rundown of the options. You can combine railcards with these photocards to get an additional 4% off. Regardless of how discounted these travelcards are, however, you should still determine your use and whether or not pay as you go is cheaper or not, as there are exceptions. There is also an administrative fee that varies depending on which Photocard you are applying for. For a full run-down of the (many) photocard options available, please see our article on them here.

Special Deal Passes

If you are on Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 13 weeks, or Employment and Support Allowance, are between 18 and 60, and live in London, you can get a discounted Bus & Tram Photocard. You must also not have any other discounted travel options to get it, though! This pass will give you pay as you go at half the adult rate and half off 7 Day and Monthly Bus & Tram Passes. This pass is valid up to six months before it expires.

National Railcards and Gold Cards

One more option for discounts is to buy a railcard. Railcards can be purchased for a yearly sum and they offer you discounts on travelcards and pay-as-you go fares. Qualifying railcards are the Senior Railcard, 16-25 Railcard, Gold Card, and the HM Forces Railcard. Once you add the Railcard to your Oyster you can get 1/3 off of off-peak pay as you go fares, and 1/3 off of off-peak daily caps, as well as 1/3 off of off-peak day travelcards and off-peak National Rail services. The Disabled Persons Railcard will give you 1/3 off of both peak and off-peak pay as you go fares and daily caps – make sure you aren’t eligble for the Disabled Persons or the Older Persons Freedom Pass before you get a railcard!)

Tip: Railcards are wonderful for students and young people!