TfL and Sadiq Khan plan to end day travelcards ‘must be in best interest of passengers’

TfL is consulting on whether to withdraw day travelcards, meaning passengers would have to use pay-as-you-go or buy paper tickets to use its services.
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The government said it expects the mayor of London and TfL to “deliver reliable services and act in the best interest of passengers”, after the transport body proposed the withdrawal of day travelcards.

Transport for London (TfL) recently unveiled an online consultation document in which it says it is exploring potentially withdrawing day travelcards from its services.

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Day travelcards provide unlimited travel on TfL’s trams and buses, plus the tube, Overground, Elizabeth and DLR lines, as well as National Rail services in London. For those travelling into the city, the day travelcard can be added to their train ticket, giving them full access to services around the capital.

If removed, those customers would have to use pay-as-you-go via contactless or Oyster or buy paper tickets separately for London if they wish to use TfL services.

According to TfL’s website, a one-day, adult travelcard covering zones one to four currently costs £15.20.

The online document states TfL is exploring its withdrawal “because of conditions of government funding settlements that have been necessary due to the devastating impact of the pandemic on TfL’s finances”.

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It adds that the transport body must implement changes which will generate “between £0.5-£1bn per year of additional revenue from 2023”, again as part of the financial arrangement.

A government pointed to the funding it has provided to support the capital’s transport services since March 2020, totalling more than £6bn, noting that the responsibility of how the system is run is devolved to the mayor of London and TfL.

“We expect the mayor and TfL to deliver reliable services and act in the best interest of passengers,” they added.

A TfL spokesperson said: “As required by conditions of the government’s funding settlements, we are considering proposals to generate additional income.

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“One of these proposals is withdrawal from elements of the Travelcard Agreement, such as TfL’s acceptance of day travelcards, but we are not proposing to make any changes to the daily pay as you go caps on contactless or Oyster. We are in the process of contacting stakeholders to help inform this work.”

A spokesperson for the mayor, Sadiq Khan, reiterated that the government’s funding deal has “forced” TfL to consider ending day travelcards for those travelling from outside London.

The spokesperson continued: “The mayor has done everything in his power to offset the worst consequences of the funding deal. This includes providing extra funding from City Hall to prevent bus cuts and to ensure weekly and longer-term travelcards are not be impacted. There are also no proposals to make any changes to the daily pay-as-you-go caps on contactless or Oyster cards.

“The mayor will continue to lobby the government for the national investment London needs so that we can continue delivering a world-class transport network– something that is so crucial to building a greener, fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.”

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TfL earlier this year announced it is expecting to return to operating financial sustainability in the coming year, thanks to an anticipated growth in passenger demand, and widening its sources of income.

The engagement into whether to withdraw the day travelcards will end on May 23. For more information, visit TfL’s consultation page.