Mayor sets out 2006 fares package

[Dave A]

Full document here - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/press-releases/press-releases-content.asp?prID=534 (Seems a bit confusing )

A round up:

"The new fares package will come into effect on 2 January 2006. Full details about the 2006 fares will be published online in December."

"London Mayor Ken Livingstone today set out the proposed 2006 Tube and bus fares package, which aims to persuade more passengers to pay as they go using an Oyster smartcard rather than cash."

"The new fares package proposes lower or frozen Oyster single fares and daily price caps, which is the amount you pay for a day's travel, however many bus and Tube trips you make."

Oyster Card

The Tube Zone 1 Oyster fare down from £1.70 to £1.50 and as the equivalent cash fare will be £3, this will be a saving of £1.50

The Tube Zones 1-2 Oyster fare down from £2.10 to £2 from 7am to 7pm Monday-Friday; and reduced by a quarter from £2 to £1.50 at other times, to encourage greater use at times where there is spare capacity

A single journey in Zones 2-6 will cost £1 on Oyster if you pay as you go, compared to £3 if you use cash

The bus and tram morning peak Oyster fare is frozen at £1; and at 80p at all other times

All daily price caps for bus, Tube, DLR and tram travel are reduced or frozen and are set at 50p less than 2006 adult One Day Travelcard prices

The maximum Oyster single fare that applies on the Tube and DLR outside the hours of 7am to 7pm Monday-Friday is frozen at £2.

Single cash fares will increase to support the drive to shift passengers from cash to Oyster.

Cash single fares rise to encourage the switch to Oyster. The minimum Tube and DLR adult cash fare rises to £3 and the cash single bus or tram fare to £1.50

Travelcard fares increase on average by inflation plus one per cent

Under 16s already travel free on buses and trams and, from September 2006, free bus and tram travel will be extended to under 18s in full time education.

Adults

The cash single fare on buses and trams will increase from £1.20 to £1.50.

Oyster single fares are frozen at £1 in the morning peak and 80p at all other times.

The One Day Bus Pass will increase to £3.50 but the Oyster price cap on buses will be frozen at £3.

The weekly Bus Pass will increase from £11 to £13.50.

On the Tube, the Zone 1 single cash fare will increase from £2 to £3 but the Oyster fare will reduce from £1.70 to £1.50.

The Zone 1-6 single cash fare will be set at £4 compared to £3.80 today with the Oyster fare frozen at £3.50.

Outside Zone 1, the cheapest cash single fare will increase to £3 from £1.30 but the comparable Oyster fare will be reduced from £1.10 to £1.

Travelcard prices will typically increase by around four per cent.

For example, the Zones 1-6 weekly Travelcard will increase from £39.50 to £41.

Children

The Zone 1 Travelcard will be withdrawn, but the equivalent Oyster fare is set at £1.50.

Daily Oyster price caps for travel on buses and Tubes will be set 50p below the 2006 prices of the equivalent One Day Travelcards.

The maximum adult Oyster single fare on the Tube outside the hours of 7am to 7pm Monday-Friday is frozen at £2, with discount Oyster fares applying until 7am in 2006 rather than until 6.30am today.

The Family Travelcard will be withdrawn but a £1 Off-peak Child Travelcard will be available for up to four under 16s accompanied by adult Travelcard holders.

The Child Off-peak Travelcard will be frozen at £2.

Child fares on the Tube will generally move to half adult fares, with new child Oyster fares introduced.

There will be a maximum child Oyster single fare within Zones 1-6 of £1 at all times of day.

The child daily price cap for bus, Tube and DLR travel from 9.30am Monday-Fridays and all day at weekends will also be £1.

 

[Tom]

Does that mean I have to get another effing Oyster card when I go to London?

 

[Dave A]

It depends. A Paper child travelcard will still remain at £2 for off-peak or £1 if with an adult with a paper travelcard, off-peak.

It doesn't seem to mention peak times and I would have thought they would stay the same anyway!

 

[Met Driver]

I'm in total agreement with all this. Lots of people are saying "We don't come to London enough to warrant getting an Oyster Card". This doesn't matter. The whole point of PrePay is to pay for single journeys. 'Oyster' is not a fancy name for 'Travelcard', which is what many people seem to think.

 

[yorkie]

On the other hand, if you live outside London, it is cheaper to get a travelcard from somewhere else. For example I get mine from Grantham (or Newark, or Peterborough depending on GNER calling patterns). This saves me approx £15 (compared to a Saver to London + travelcard).

 

[Coxster]

But if you are going all around London, it will be cheaper to get a travelcard anyway.

 

[Dave A]

But, there is a downside to Oyster.

I heard that you can't use Oyster on National Rail Networks? If this is the case, then, for example, if I buy a 1 day travelcard on my Oyster, but have to do New Southgate to King's Cross on the WAGN, so from outer London to inner London, I wouldn't be able to do it as they don't accept Oyster. Even though the travelcard is valid, how would I prove it?

This means that a Oyster travelcard can only be used on Bus, DLR, Tram & Tube, even though it is also valid for National Rail services in London. :?

 

[Met Driver]

You cannot get a 1 day travelcard 'on' Oyster. You can purchase a standard paper one from a LUL touch screen machine, the cost of which is deducted from your prepay balance. If you are only travelling on the Tube/Bus/DLR/Tram it is cheaper just to use prepay, as the balance deducted will never be greater than the cost of a one day travelcard (this is known as 'Price Capping').

If your Oyster card has a period (7 day or longer) travelcard loaded on it, you can use it on any NR service within the zones that the travelcard is valid in. However, it is prepay that can only be used on certain NR services. Basically, only ones which start and finish from a LUL-operated station (eg. Harrow on the Hill - Amersham).

 

[Coxster]

You cannot get a 1 day travelcard 'on' Oyster. You can purchase a standard paper one from a LUL touch screen machine, the cost of which is deducted from your prepay balance. If you are only travelling on the Tube/Bus/DLR/Tram it is cheaper just to use prepay, as the balance deducted will never be greater than the cost of a one day travelcard (this is known as 'Price Capping'.

If your Oyster card has a period (7 day or longer) travelcard loaded on it, you can use it on any NR service within the zones that the travelcard is valid in. However, it is prepay that can only be used on certain NR services. Basically, only ones which start and finish from a LUL-operated station (eg. Harrow on the Hill - Amersham).

I seem to understand now Cheers for that explanation.