Page 3 | To have not reasoned how expensive travel within London is!

Balletdreamer · 04/10/2024 11:15

The actual prices are tricky to find on their website - https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/new-fares. Looks like your weekly cap info might be wrong op sadly.

Fares from 3 March 2024

What changed with TfL fares in 2024

https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/new-fares

Balletdreamer · 04/10/2024 11:08

Depends how many zones she travels in. I travel zone 1-4 and the daily cap is £12. Cheap compared to rail and bus travel outside London!

pinkpopcorn123 · 04/10/2024 10:52

Seems really cheap to me. Nearest big town to me is £9-20 return per day (also has nearest 6th form) by train. Rubbish service, hourly often cancelled at short notice. Bus takes forever. I'd happily take £27 for London's transport.

DannSindWirHelden · 04/10/2024 10:52

dutysuite · 04/10/2024 10:45

And it’s why people won’t be forced out of their cars.

You'd have trouble running a car on 50 quid a week, even before depreciation.

MargaretThursday · 04/10/2024 10:49

MarkWithaC · 04/10/2024 10:43

'most' is the operative word here. Some companies don't take part.

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Indeed. Under 16s don't get half price either, I think it's 75% of the adult cost

It's fake economy as people don't use it because of the cost.

dutysuite · 04/10/2024 10:45

And it’s why people won’t be forced out of their cars.

Glittertwins · 04/10/2024 10:45

Flippingflamingo · 04/10/2024 10:32

Thank you everyone for your help! Looks like there are a few options for us to consider to make it a little cheaper.

Niece had a very rough start to life and has had to overcome so many hurdles to get to uni, I am so proud of her. Sadly her DM hasn’t even wished her good luck, never mind contributed anything financially so I try to do my bit where I can.

I did the 6 hour round trip to drive her there the other weekend and got to look around.

You sound like a lovely aunt

MarkWithaC · 04/10/2024 10:43

LaerealSilverhand · 04/10/2024 10:42

Really? I thought the last government had capped most bus fares to £2 until the end of the year. One of the few good things they did.

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'most' is the operative word here. Some companies don't take part.

DataColour · 04/10/2024 10:42

@Blueroses99 I agree. Although I don't think child fares for buses are free everywhere. Certainly not in Manchester. My DD takes a bus once a week to an activity after school with her friend and every Thursday she is scrambling round for a pound for the bus!

LaerealSilverhand · 04/10/2024 10:42

MargaretThursday · 04/10/2024 07:15

It's cheap compared to here!
It would cost me pretty close to £5 just to go into town (6 minutes drive) return ticket. It costs less than that to park for hours

Unsurprisingly at that cost, the main people who use the buses are the over 60s with the free bus passes.
Apparently the bus company has to keep the price high to cover the cost as no one uses the bus!

Really? I thought the last government had capped most bus fares to £2 until the end of the year. One of the few good things they did.

YourLastNerve · 04/10/2024 10:41

When i was at uni in london students didn't get the tube because buses were cheaper. We walked a lot.

Is she being sensible about walking more rather than getting the tube everywhere

Original poster

Flippingflamingo · 04/10/2024 10:39

harvestdesigns · 04/10/2024 10:37

Can you not offer to get her a monthly Santander bike pass instead? That’s £20 a month for unlimited rides

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with her using bikes, especially as some of her travel will be after dark if she has been out drinking!

My priorities were making sure she can always get to lectures, and that she can get home safely after socialising.

OP posts:

harvestdesigns · 04/10/2024 10:37

Can you not offer to get her a monthly Santander bike pass instead? That’s £20 a month for unlimited rides

Blueroses99 · 04/10/2024 10:34

DataColour · 04/10/2024 10:12

Not saying this applies to OP's niece, but so many students these days a little bit lazy when it comes to walking. I work in a Uni and students queue up for ages for a shuttle bus that takes them max a mile down the road.
When I was a student in London in the late 90s we walked everywhere!

I did too but as child fares on buses etc are now free, there’s less incentive to walk for short distances. And even when it stops being free, many continue to use public transport for short journeys as they’ve always done.

MarkWithaC · 04/10/2024 10:33

TickingAlongNicely · 04/10/2024 10:15

I have a theory that money now being mainly digital rather than coins and notes means it doesn't feel real in the same way. So easier to spend without realising

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Not to mention when a generous aunt has said she'll cover your travel for you!

Original poster

Flippingflamingo · 04/10/2024 10:32

Thank you everyone for your help! Looks like there are a few options for us to consider to make it a little cheaper.

Niece had a very rough start to life and has had to overcome so many hurdles to get to uni, I am so proud of her. Sadly her DM hasn’t even wished her good luck, never mind contributed anything financially so I try to do my bit where I can.

I did the 6 hour round trip to drive her there the other weekend and got to look around.

OP posts:

Original poster

Flippingflamingo · 04/10/2024 10:30

Toomanyemails · 04/10/2024 09:42

It's the tube too, but only off peak, it sounds like she'd save a lot. And of course if she's doing day trips having the Railcard will help.
You need a physical oyster card to get the Railcard discount, which costs £7 if you don't have one, and she'd need to remember to use that for all journeys because the weekly caps apply per payment type.

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Thank you! I bought her a physical Oyster card and I have all the log in details so I can see where she is travelling.

I will ask her to link her young persons railcard to it and then monitor her travel this month. If it looks like a student oyster with a monthly pass would work out cheaper we will get one once the system is running again.

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Zen · 04/10/2024 10:29

I’m surprised it’s that much tbh. West Midlands metro is £7 zones 1-4 unlimited and buses are around £5 day. Mind you I live in a village with no buses at weekends and 2 a day in the week so I need to drive to civilisation to get to where public transport exists.
Contributing a set amount sounds sensible and she might find things are in walking distance after all if travel expenses are not unlimited.

OldieButBaddie · 04/10/2024 10:28

If you get a zones 1-3 monthly student oyster travelcard it works out cheaper than the zones 2-3 one weekly so she could get to use in in zone 1 too
It's 134 a month
If you multiply that by 12 and divide by 52 it's £30.90

independencefreedom · 04/10/2024 10:25

Flippingflamingo · 04/10/2024 06:59

Niece started uni in London a few weeks ago and I offered to pay to keep her Oyster card topped up as my contribution.

However I have just discovered she has spent £27 on it from Monday to Thursday this week!!

I really want to be able to pay it for her, but it’s not sustainable for me to keep topping it up constantly.

I didn’t realise it was this much and thought there were daily caps on travel!

That's very kind of you - how nice that she'll have free travel if you're able to pay the £32 a week. Hope she's grateful!

Ifailed · 04/10/2024 10:22

Cycling in many parts of London is dangerous.

Says who, have you tried it?

DataColour · 04/10/2024 10:16

I only had £25 a week spending money and no way was I going to use any of it on buses!

FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 04/10/2024 10:16

She doesn’t really have an incentive to walk or bus does she? I’d contribute a set amount and let her use it as she likes.

TickingAlongNicely · 04/10/2024 10:15

DataColour · 04/10/2024 10:12

Not saying this applies to OP's niece, but so many students these days a little bit lazy when it comes to walking. I work in a Uni and students queue up for ages for a shuttle bus that takes them max a mile down the road.
When I was a student in London in the late 90s we walked everywhere!

I have a theory that money now being mainly digital rather than coins and notes means it doesn't feel real in the same way. So easier to spend without realising

DataColour · 04/10/2024 10:13

@Motnight well I haven't felt unsafe, and neither have my teenage DCs. Can't live risk free in life.