Yesterdays vision of the future - Paper visitor pass in 2018

Here are some thoughts on why TfL have done what they have.

- by removing NR services from the validity it means all the revenue is TfL's. More money in the bank. I also suspect many visitors never touch NR services for sightseeing purposes.

- by selling only through a limited number of TfL controlled outlets it avoids commission payments. More money in the bank.

- I suspect TfL has had feedback from staff and others that some visitors wanted a weekend ticket and didn't want to faff around with bank cards or Oyster

- Some visitors are likely to be unwilling / unprepared to go through the palaver of online accounts just to keep track of their travel costs.

- Use of bank cards may be a disadvantage for visitors if they are lumbered with a poor exchange rate or fees for using their bank cards on London's transport services

- TfL are just copying what most other transport authorities do in terms of offering a "rip off" tourist style product.


I agree it looks a bit inconsistent but I suspect TfL have their reasons.

Wasn't the original Travelcard a non-BR thing anyway? With the Capitalcard later allowing travel on BR as well.

So this is just going back to the original Travelcard idea of London's specific travel systems being under one ticket, and the 'not just London' stuff being more expensive. Although it's interesting that the extremes of the Met and London Overground aren't included, that probably makes sense for a 'visitor' pass.

Yes the original Travelcard excluded BR because the Thatcher government said that if the GLC paid BR extra subsidy to accept they could BR's grant by the same amount. Thatcher was also not going to give Ken Livingstone's GLC a potential propaganda victory given the hoohah over Fares Fair and the Law Lords. Such were the enlightened attitudes back then. Travelcard was born from the GLC's "Just the Ticket" initiative in 1983 to try to reverse the worst impacts of the Law Lords decision and to simplify fares. LT had no option but to curtail its use to its own services. Of course Capitalcard was later added a higher price which dealt with the subsidy issue but created an unwieldy ticket range. However it would have simplified a proportion of season ticket sales for British Rail although I think season tickets just to "London Terminals" were retained for those who wanted the choice of just rail travel and a walk to the office.

I haven't checked the history and dates but we did eventually get the single Travelcard product with BR (later TOC) services wholly [1] incorporated. Of course we have gone from those relatively simple benign days of Travelcards, zonal fares on LT and BR doing what it (largely) wanted to today's byzantine fares structures with cash fares, multiple Oyster pay as go tariffs, contactless, caps, Travelcards, TOC only smartcards, TOC specific "bargain" fares etc etc. And now TfL add a TfL only ticket back. What fun for everyone.

[1] I am deliberately ignoring Heathrow Express, Eurostar, some "Inter City" TOCs and Hi Speed before anyone goes into "you're wrong" mode about validities in the zonal area.

They still exist. I have one. It is £580 a year (23%) cheaper than the Travelcard.

(I have been on one bus and two Tubes in the past month).

How would the tourists get to those stations? (although I note the Piccadilly Circus Visitor Centre is included)

The stations where it has been piloted seem to be the most obvious ones from where tourists might start - stations serving large numbers of hotels, main line termini, (although curiously not Charing Cross), and Heathrow (City Airport station is on the DLR and thus unstaffed).

YES I KNOW!

(sigh - why the h*ll do I bother?)

Hopefully it's because quite a lot of us find what you have to say interesting, I know I do.