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Cheapest commute from London Zone 3 to Slough...

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kevor

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Hi all, I'd really appreciate your help with a conundrum...

My wife is about to start a new job. She'll be travelling from Walthamstow Central to Slough (via Paddington) at peak time, three days a week. She works from home two days a week.

She also tends to take a few trips every weekend on the tube around London.

From what we can tell the cheapest option for transport is to just buy daily Anytime Day Return tickets for £19.40 and use PAYG on the tube the rest of the time. This will cost more than £3k a year! Are there any cheaper options?

(She's 32 y/o if that matters for any railcard deals)

Edit: side note, from time to time she may end up needing to go into the office five days a week for a month or two here and there, but she's not sure yet? What will be the best thing in those situations?
 
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sharpley

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The cheapest way to Slough from London is the 81 bus from outside Hounslow West station direct to Slough. Its a TfL bus service so can use Oyster and contactless, and its the only service to Slough that you can use Oyster on. Its a hell of a journey from Walthamstow though so not advised, the bus alone will take the best part of an hour.
 

yorkie

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Agreed. Cheapest as defined in the original question is by bus.

But I'm not sure the cheapest will be the best value, given time arguably has a value...

Trains could be used avoiding Zone 1, but likewise it's going to be too time consuming, surely.
 

sharpley

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You can get to Ealing Broadway from Walthamstow using PAYG / Oyster, then get the train there to Slough. Ealing Broadway - Slough anytime return is £10.70. Will take longer than from Paddington though.
 

Hadders

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It probably won't make a difference but contactless (but not Oyster) is coming to Slough in December. It probably won't make a difference but might be worth checking the position then as well.

MOD Note: Contactless PAYG fares don't start until Jan 2020.
 
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kevor

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The cheapest way to Slough from London is the 81 bus from outside Hounslow West station direct to Slough. Its a TfL bus service so can use Oyster and contactless, and its the only service to Slough that you can use Oyster on. Its a hell of a journey from Walthamstow though so not advised, the bus alone will take the best part of an hour.

Yikes, 5 hour round trip including the walking before and after! On a good day. I don't think I'll suggest that!

It probably won't make a difference but contactless (but not Oyster) is coming to Slough in December. It probably won't make a difference but might be worth checking the position then as well.

When Crossrail opens in Slough can we expect Oyster fares to be relatively inexpensive?
 

yorkie

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si404

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When Crossrail opens in Slough can we expect Oyster fares to be relatively inexpensive?
No, as there won't be Oyster, and thus no Oyster fare! :P

Contactless PAYG-wise, I can't see it being that cheap as GWR will set the fare. I'd imagine, however, that TfL would have it that the Walthamstow-Z1 section would be at no extra cost to the Z1-Slough section (like how Walthamstow-Ealing Broadway costs the same as from either suburb to Z1).

Based on other new additions to PAYG, weekly seasons on paper will probably work out cheaper than weekly capping.

But we don't know much yet about the fares that will come in in January (a couple of weeks after TfL service begins), beyond Oyster not being valid.
 

Hadders

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When Crossrail opens in Slough can we expect Oyster fares to be relatively inexpensive?

You've fallen for the spin if you believe that Oyster is always cheaper! It's not, especially where he journey is outside the original 6 zones.

PAYG fares will be available on Contactless, but the idea that this will result in fare decreases is largely a myth.

Is the correct answer. It's another option to consider but that's all.

If you use contactless and you start your journey by tapping in at the first station before 06:30 then it's likely that you will be charged an Off Peak fare.
 

kevor

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Boo and thanks the link. I'm not up-to-date on my Crossrail news.

Contactless PAYG-wise, I can't see it being that cheap as GWR will set the fare. I'd imagine, however, that TfL would have it that the Walthamstow-Z1 section would be at no extra cost to the Z1-Slough section (like how Walthamstow-Ealing Broadway costs the same as from either suburb to Z1).

This could add up to some decent savings for her I suppose. Thanks.
 
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kieron

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A return from Walthamstow Central to Slough costs £19.40, as you say.

A return from Walthamstow Queen's Road to Slough costs £16.50, and NRE* says you should start the journey with a walk to Walthamstow Central.

A return from Ealing Broadway to Slough costs £10.70. A peak single from Walthamstow Central to Ealing Broadway costs £3.30, or £1.70 avoiding zone 1.

* You may need to delete any nationalrail.co.uk cookies you have for this link to open correctly.
 

kevor

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A return from Walthamstow Queen's Road to Slough costs £16.50, and NRE* says you should start the journey with a walk to Walthamstow Central.

That's amazing and bonkers. I think she'll probably do this. Thanks for the tip.

A return from Ealing Broadway to Slough costs £10.70. A peak single from Walthamstow Central to Ealing Broadway costs £3.30 [...]

Out of curiously, would she be allowed to take this trip via paddington on the fast train? Or would she actually need to change at Ealing Broadway?
 
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MarlowDonkey

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Would she be allowed to take this trip via paddington on the fast train?

Wouldn't the rules on split ticketing apply, so a direct Paddington to Slough service would need to stop at Ealing Broadway? There are some in the morning peak that don't stop anywhere else.
 

si404

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Or would she actually need to change at Ealing Broadway?
It's the Oyster fare (paper ticket is £4.90), so you'd need to get out and tap out at Ealing Broadway, or end up getting charged a maximum fare. And likewise, on the way back, tap in at Ealing Broadway or arrive at Paddington without a valid ticket and get charged a penalty fare (which is even worse).
 

kieron

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Sorry, I should have said that was an Oyster/contactless fare, so means touching an Oyster reader in Ealing. Unfortunately, it costs more to travel on this section using paper tickets.
 

PeterC

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The Queens Road fare gives an intinary via Liverpool Street rather than the faster, if more crowded, tube journey from Walthamstow Central to Paddington.
 

kieron

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To be fair, it does the same thing if you start from either station (it gives a few different routes, but they all seem to go through another London terminal before Paddington). My point was just that it doesn't insist on you using an Overground train or anything like that.
 
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