"TFL-issued" Travelcard Discounts on Uber Thames Clippers

[trainJam]

Perhaps not directly rail, but related to transport in London:

A few years ago (before Uber ran it, MBNA iirc) I remember buying a discounted Thames clipper boat ticket with an out boundary travelcard (ie Birmingham to London Zones 1-6).

I have checked the Thames clipper website (https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/ticket-information)

There is still a discounted fare, but an emphasis on "TfL-issued" which I don't remember.

Does this mean that Outboundary travelcards are not suitable (my specific dilemma, issued at Birmingham)?

More generally (including inboundary), does it specifically mean tickets issued by TFL printers/stations? In other words, would a travel card issued at a NR station in London Fare Zones (e.g. Orpington) be unsuitable?

What ineligible types/issuing locations/retailers are uber Thames clippers implying?

 

[CyrusWuff]

My suspicion is that the only format that will actually be rejected is a Travelcard that's held on an ITSO Smartcard, as staff will be unable to validate it. NR-issued paper Travelcards will almost certainly be accepted, as otherwise you could end up with the situation that one bought from a London Underground ticket machine at Stratford (for example) is accepted, but one bought from the Greater Anglia Ticket Office isn't.

That said, I've been around long enough that it wouldn't surprise me if they did reject such a ticket!

 

[Edvid]

I've travelled on Thames Clippers with a discounted ticket + NR-issued paper Travelcard (most recently in mid-2023) several times without issue, so it should be fine.

 

[MrJeeves]

My suspicion is that the only format that will actually be rejected is a Travelcard that's held on an ITSO Smartcard, as staff will be unable to validate it.

They can use their RIDs to inspect it. I've genuinely had success with this once.

The conversation went a bit like:

Them: Can I see your Travelcard please?
Me: Here.
Them: It's on that?
Me: Yeah, it's on my Smartcard.
Them: *scans it* Oh wow, I've never seen one like that before.

It was a couple of years ago now... I don't really remember when but I'll try and dig out the email confirmation from the app to date it.

Easier than I thought. This was 31 August 2022. I'd assume it's not changed since!

 

[Edvid]

Thames Clippers fares will change in two weeks' time:

From Sunday, 2 March 2025, our fares at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers will change. While most ticket types will see a price increase, season tickets and the Cross River fare will remain frozen. Additionally, the price of the 20-ticket carnet will be reduced by 1.4%.

Changes include a 60p increase to £4.75 for Travelcard-holder adult singles, which unlike regular adult singles aren't discounted for website/app/Oyster/contactless purchases. Fare rises will be steeper for singles/returns bought on the pier and Travelcard singles.

Full March 2025 fares list

 

[Edvid]

Bought one as an M-ticket through the Uber app today; it's an Aztec code and its ID is 11 digits long like rail eTicket UTNs.

As a 90-minute dynamic image upon activation inspection with a 'mark 1 eyeball' sufficed, but I thought Thames Clippers would have scanners for static PDFs (website purchases) at least.

 

[mickey]

Confirming that both out- and in-boundary travelcards are accepted. What staff are looking for is the TfL roundel on the ticket (assuming it’s ccst) - I think this is what they mean with the reference to ‘TfL’ in the instructions.

 

[tram21]

Confirming that both out- and in-boundary travelcards are accepted. What staff are looking for is the TfL roundel on the ticket (assuming it’s ccst) - I think this is what they mean with the reference to ‘TfL’ in the instructions.

So a NR-issued Super Off Peak Day Travelcard from Nottingham will be accepted? Which is great if true as I always thought it had to be one of the ones printed on 'Underground ticket paper'

 

[redreni]

So a NR-issued Super Off Peak Day Travelcard from Nottingham will be accepted? Which is great if true as I always thought it had to be one of the ones printed on 'Underground ticket paper'

That would be pretty discriminatory against south Londoners, who are far more likely to have a National Rail station as their local station and starting point.

I normally get inboundary Travelcards on National Rail CCST stock and have never had one rejected by Thames Clippers. I doubt it would be any different for an outboundary one, as they look pretty much the same.

 

[MrJeeves]

I normally get inboundary Travelcards on National Rail CCST stock and have never had one rejected by Thames Clippers. I doubt it would be any different for an outboundary one, as they look pretty much the same.

I've even had luck with a travelcard on ITSO on Thames Clippers!

 

[redreni]

I should say, in other contexts (e.g. BoJ along EL), I am normally in favour of the narrowest possible interpretation of the expression "TfL issued"! I think it's all the same to the Thames Clipper crews, though.

 

[Edvid]

Come the fare revision on 1 March 2026, some of the differences between adult PAYG/barcode singles and Travelcard-discounted singles will be so small the latter - which are discounted specifically from paper pier singles sold at a premium - will effectively be superfluous in some cases. Thames Clippers have raised paper pier singles quite steeply in a recent fare revision or two so it looks like they want rid of pier ticket machines in the not-too-distant future.

 

[Hadders]

Thread re-opened for @Edvid to provide an update

 

[Edvid]

Thanks Hadders

A piece of this July's fares revision that went under the radar is Thames Clippers upping their fares again before they revert to previous levels at the end of August or October, depending on the fare.

Summer 2026 Update: New Timetable & Price Changes​

KEY DATES AT A GLANCE
Timetable changes: Saturday 27 June 2026 | Price changes: Sunday 5 July – Monday 31 August 2026

From Saturday 27 June 2026, we are introducing a new weekend timetable designed to maximise capacity and improve services across the River Bus network. From Sunday 5 July 2026, prices will increase across all platforms through to Monday 31 August 2026. While most ticket types will see a price increase, season tickets, Commuter AM, and the Cross River fare will remain frozen. Buying online or via the Uber or Thames Clippers Tickets apps remains the best way to save money.

In addition they also have peak / off-peak differentials for their PAYG and Travelcard-discounted fares during the next few months. As you can see they're pretty much the opposite of typical peak / off-peak hours!

Our off peak and peak hours:

Day	Time	Fare
Mon – Fri	06:35 – 09:27	↓ Off peak
Mon – Fri	09:27 – 06:35	↑Peak
Sat, Sun & bank holidays	All day	↑ Peak

The Oyster and contactless fares will be effective until 31 October 2026 when they will revert back to current prices.