London

[RomanyRoots]

To ask for help understanding public transport and Zones.

Ok, firstly, please be gentle I am anxious about travelling round London due to a mix of the crowds, pace and learning difficulties. Really bad with maps and direction.

I need to know what the zones are and how to get to certain areas. What form of transport to use and how to pay for it.

Basically an idiots guide to getting round London.

Have been a few times but usually been driven, never made my own way.

Do you have a smartphone and Google maps?

You can download an app called tube map to check all the zones. Also look at tfl

If you let us know where you're going then I can give more specific advice

You can use contactless cards on public transport, easier than tickets or oysters

Also to really blend in, don't make eye contact with anyone

wouldnt it be easier to google, tfl??

Are you travelling around or just in and out to one area or one destination ? On one day only or generally more long term ? Answers will help us help you. Headline - it is much easier than it seems.

Tfl journey planner is really helpful, which areas are you needing to go to?

Download a TfL map and also grab a hard copy from the station (in case your battery runs out).

The zones run outwards, so central London being Zone 1 and Zone 6 being waaaaay out (), leading largely to residential areas.

Back in the day, you’d have to buy the appropriate travel card to get around but now you just tap in and out with a contactless card or your phone (if you have a wallet set up).

Download city mapper

The tfl journey planner is handy, but honestly the Google maps on you phone is easier and built into most phones. You can also set it to preferred method of transport bus rather than tube if the to be causes you concern. It also will give you the walking time which can be a good alternative

As some posters have mentioned, this website is useful

tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

Will you need to be travelling around or are you just going to a destination and leaving?
Do you need help with the cost of various options?

Aw, sorry forgot to say where.

I'm looking at two scenrios either staying over or several visits. I won't know for some time but the areas are th'Albert Hall
Greenwich, Barbican, Marylebone, at the moment.

You don't need tickets or an oyster card, burst use your contactless bank card to tap in and out, make sure you do this every time you get on and off a bus, you'll need to to get in and out of tube stations so can't forget, it will look at your journeys over 24 hours and charge you the lowest possible combined fare, so that's easy. Add in tfl planner linked above and it's really easy. Also don't worry about running for tubes etc, if you miss I've it will be mere minutes to the next one, not like national services where there might only be a train every 30 minutes or so.

You can use your contactless card on buses, underground and overground.

The TFL app is brilliant. The journey planner bit allows you to type in 'to' and 'from' and plans your journey for you.

There are usually people on the underground (usually bottom of escalators) who can help.

You'll be just fine and if you do get lost, stay calm and know that you're never too far from anywhere in London!

You don’t tap a card to get out of the bus, just when you get in. Tubes, overground and local rail all work with tapping in and out.

The cheapest way to do it is to use your contactless card.

Zones make a bit of difference with costs but fares are capped so once you get to a certain amount, you don’t pay any more.

Also it doesn't sound like you'll be going out of zones 1 or 2 as a visitor, so don't worry too much about the zones.

was also going to say you dont tap your card when you get off the bus.

Tubes and the DLR (for Greenwich) really are pretty straightforward - and at least you know when you need to get off, whereas on a bus in an unfamiliar city there's always that fear that you won't get off at the right place. The Underground itself is well signposted once you're in the stations - so it's crystal clear where to go to get the Central Line Eastbound, for example - and while it's busy, that doesn't mean you need to move fast. You can just amble along working out what you're doing and if you miss a train there will be another one in minutes.

If you are travelling with someone else they will need their own contactless debit card or Oyster card - two people can’t use one.

As another poster has already said the city mapper app is great

I wouldn't worry about zones. When you know where you are going to, plan your journey the tfl journey planner. You can always write it out, if that seems easier for you.

I would stick to the tube and walking. Just because it's easier to get your head around than a bus, and the tube is very clearly signposted.

Just use your contactless card to tap in and out.

Tube is best. Buses are massively slow I find as traffic is so bad & routes are complex. You can now pay as you touch in & out with your bank card at ticket gates on the tube. Or get an Oyster card that you load with money & use that (faffy tho I find) . TFL website has Oyster application forms & has a tube map with Zones & stations on it. (Or bag sized mini paper ones are at every station) . Zone 1 is central London so most expensive to travel to & live in. Zone 4 to Zone 1 is roughly 40minutes (zone 4 is good for affordable rents).

You can also stop people and ask them for directions, just as you would anywhere else. Most tube stations have staff who are happy to answer questions, as are most Londoners (especially pedestrians waiting at a red light to cross the street, since they are stuck in one spot then anyway).

As others have said, zones don’t matter because you just tap your contactless bank card when you go in and out of the tube or when you get on (but not off) a bus, and you will be charged the right amount.

Ok. So the ‘zones’ retry much just dictate how much your fare will cost. It’s not a massive difference and I generally ignore really. If I were you I would go to the tube station, tap your contactless card on the reader and ask for directions to the tube station you need to get to (the staff are always really helpful) and for the love of god please avoid rush hour.

I second downloading city mapper. I use it all the time and tell any friends who come to London to use it, they all rave about it after having struggled navigating themselves in the past

Citymapper + contactless card and you can't go wrong, honestly - it gives step by step directions from where you are to wherever you want to go. It's brilliant.

Use the Tube whenever possible as it's the easiest. Tap in and out of Tube stations. If there's a choice big lifts or stairs it probably means there's a zillion stairs so take the left. When you go down to the Tube there is usually two platforms, one on the left and one on the right. There will be a map in front telling you which one you want to get (depending on what direction you're going). Find your destination and go to that side.

Get on the bus at the front and tap in - no need to tell the driver your designation - and get off in the middle (no tapping when you get off).

Wow thank you all for your replies.
Modern technology eh?
It's scary the thought of all those people and trying to get around, it sounds like planning is the best way forward. The tips were most welcome too, wasn't sure if busses were better or not.
I'm the same in most cities, except Manchester, but i know where i'm going. Still have the same problem on public transport though.
My legs are huge as I walk everywhere.
many thanks again.