Docklands Light Railway (Tickets)

[John_158]

Is there a Day Travel Card that can just be used on the Docklands Light Railway or do i have to by the full London Travel Card (Day).

 

[Mojo]

Is there a Day Travel Card that can just be used on the Docklands Light Railway or do i have to by the full London Travel Card (Day).

There is a DLR and river one day pass, but at £12, it's more expensive than the normal Travelcard.

For the DLR, you'd need (peak) a Z1-3 Travelcard which costs £8.60, or (off-peak) a Z1-4 Travelcard which costs £6.30.

However, if you're not using National Rail services then you'd be better off with an Oyster Card, which has price capping for Z1-3 (peak) at £8.10 or Z1-4 (off-peak) at £5.80. This also has the advantage that if you travel less than £8.10 or £5.80 then you only pay for the journeys you've made.

 

[John_158]

So in genral it is cheaper to Buy the London Day Travel Card for £6.30 But can you get Rail Card Discount on Travel Crads ?

 

[Mojo]

So in genral it is cheaper to Buy the London Day Travel Card for £6.30 But can you get Rail Card Discount on Travel Crads ?

Not sure, but you can get a railcard discount on Oyster price capping.

 

[clagmonster]

Yes, you can. A railcard discounted all zones off-peak day travelcard is £5. For that matter, so is a zones 1-4 and a zones 1-2.
With an Oyster, daily price capping with a railcard is shown on the following link: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/singlefares/6769.aspx If you look around that website, you will find more information about Oyster.

 

[John_158]

Thanks

 

[Mojo]

Yes, you can. A railcard discounted all zones off-peak day travelcard is £5. For that matter, so is a zones 1-4 and a zones 1-2.
With an Oyster, daily price capping with a railcard is shown on the following link: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/singlefares/6769.aspx If you look around that website, you will find more information about Oyster.

Note though that you can't buy a railcard discounted Travelcard from an LU ticket office.

 

[clagmonster]

I managed it for a zone 1-D a year or so back at Kings Cross LUL. In fact, BR ticket offices were unable to sell me that particular ticket. If you wish, you can also buy the zone 1-6 ticket online, on the National Express site ask for London terminals-zones R1256.

 

[Mojo]

I managed it for a zone 1-D a year or so back at Kings Cross LUL. In fact, BR ticket offices were unable to sell me that particular ticket. If you wish, you can also buy the zone 1-6 ticket online, on the National Express site ask for London terminals-zones R1256.

Interesting, that's not what the Railcards website seems to think so I guess it must be possible, although maybe not always done.

 

[John_158]

Yeh i think when i go i shall get all the tickets at once from Rainhill probably.

 

[A60K]

Interesting, that's not what the Railcards website seems to think so I guess it must be possible, although maybe not always done.

It is an official LU offer - a Z1-6 with any Railcard is £5, if you want to include the outer Met branches as well with Z1-9 it costs a bit more (basically 66% of the full price ticket). I agree that it's not well publicised, but it's been around for a long while - at a guess since the Travelcard and Capitalcard were combined some 20-ish years ago. You do need to buy at a window though, rather than a machine - and if you meet with blank looks (happened to me only once though) ask the clerk to try 'reduced' Travelcard.

 

[Mojo]

It is an official LU offer - a Z1-6 with any Railcard is £5, if you want to include the outer Met branches as well with Z1-9 it costs a bit more (basically 66% of the full price ticket). I agree that it's not well publicised, but it's been around for a long while - at a guess since the Travelcard and Capitalcard were combined some 20-ish years ago. You do need to buy at a window though, rather than a machine - and if you meet with blank looks (happened to me only once though) ask the clerk to try 'reduced' Travelcard.

I wouldn't say it's poorly advertised - the website states that you can not purchase such a ticket from LU - although that it does exist. Although it's a good deal nonetheless, although not required in my case.

 

[mackenzie_blu]

Just point out that the DLR's latest extension to Woolwich Arsenal is in zone 4 so if you plan to visit there then make sure you have a zones 1-4 travelcard.

(Someone mentioned a zone 1-3 which wouldnt be valid to Woolwich)

 

[Daniel]

(Considering I've been sitting in an LU excess office today totally bored out of my head..)

We can sell discounted travelcards due to an NR railcard. On the ticket issuing screen listed like this

---
Day Travelcard
Day Travelcard (Off Peak)
Day Travelcard (Discounted)
---

or something similar.

If they still can't find it, tell them its the same as when they do a £1 travelcard for accompanied children if the parent has a travelcard, (they just change the reason from Travelcard to 16-15, Senior etc. Railcard).

 

[John_158]

That would be F1 then F7 would it ?

 

[A60K]

I wouldn't say it's poorly advertised - the website states that you can not purchase such a ticket from LU - although that it does exist. Although it's a good deal nonetheless, although not required in my case.

Mmm, I see what you mean - that section of the Railcard website seems to have been 'simplified' in the way that the tickets were 'simplified' last year!

I think I first heard about the Railcard Travelcard discount at LU ticket offices from a Barry Doe column in Modern Railways, and that was many years ago now. It was certainly mentioned in one of the TfL fares and tickets leaflets recently, but I don't have that to hand.

The Railcard website states:
"9. Can I use my Railcard for tickets for travel on the London Underground?

All discounted rail tickets bought using your Railcard routed 'between London termini' are valid for cross-London transfer on the London Underground. Off-Peak Day Travelcards (All Zones only) are also available, subject to a minimum fare. Please note, however, that you cannot use your Railcard to obtain a discount when purchasing tickets from a London Underground booking office."

Therefore it implies that only cross-London National Rail tickets (Underground between London Termini) or All-Zones Off-Peak Travelcards can be bought with a Railcard. Not true - for example, an Oxford to London Underground Zone 4 (e.g. Woodford) Saver is £28.50 undiscounted, with Railcard £18.80.

From a reading of this you would probably conclude that to use your Railcard would mean a National Rail-only discounted ticket to Paddington and then Underground-only singles to/from Woodford, or the undiscounted through fare to Woodford.

If you were doing this journey out one day, back the next, and took the leaflet at face value you would end up paying £14.85 Oxford - London Terminals Railcard Saver, plus two £4 singles on the Underground.

The other thing, unless it's changed very recently, is that contrary to the website, you *can* use your Railcard for tickets at London Underground ticket offices where National Rail services also serve the station, if there isn't a National Rail ticket office at the station (e.g. Amersham, but not Paddington).

I'm not sure of the exact extent of the ticket range involved (possibly CDR/CDS tickets only), or the destinations available - would be interesting to find out if anyone knows or can point to such info.

The Railcard Discounted Travelcard is available at all LU ticket offices, regardless of whether National Rail services serve the station or not.

I can only conclude that either the Railcard website text was written by someone who didn't know what the situation is regarding LU discounted tickets, or that (possibly more likely) they did have all the information and decided it was too complicated to put on the site and went for the lowest common denomiator (i.e. no Railcard discounts on LU) instead. Not very good, either way :roll:

 

[Mojo]

I know when I once travelled from Amersham to Aylesbury the tube ticket office couldn't sell First Class tickets, although no longer relavent as Chiltern are now standard class only.

To be honest though, I can't see why anyone would need to pay £4 to travel across zone 1 when it's £1.60 on Oyster. I've always considered it a lost opportunity that, technically cross-london National Rail tickets aren't valid on the 205 bus which links the northern stations.

 

[John_158]

I bough a Lincolnshire Day Ranger Ticket from Doncaster Station a GNER / Nat EX East Coast Station but yet at the time of using it i did not have fa leaflet about it only a map from Nat Rail Site and just assumed it was valid on any TOC only looking a day or so later on that it was only Valid on Northern and EMT but fortunately i was unchallenged.

But in my view if you can By a Ticket like that at a Nat Ex East Coast Station you should be able to use it on there services.

I think that instead of simplifying things they have mad it more confusing to travel by train with all these funny names of tickets and complicated restrictions.

What was wrong with Cheap Day Return and Standard Day Return etc i ask ?

And with regards to the Discounted London Travel Card as the apropriate poster said they can issue it from there machines, So why does the publications say other wise ?

 

[Daniel]

This is a list of tickets available for me to issue at Oxford Circus station, an LUL station in Zone 1 with no NR interchange.

Single LU/DLR
Return LU/DLR
Bus&Tram Pass 1 Day
Bus&Tram Pass Season
Day TC Anytime
Day TC Off-Peak
Day TC Off-Peak (Discount)*
Extension LU/DLR
Extension NR Off-Peak Day Sgl
Extension NR Off-Peak Day Rtn
Extension NR Rtn Anytime
Extension NR Sgl Anytime
Fare Paid
Group Day LU/DLR/LO
HEx Single
HEx Return
HEx Off-Peak Return
NR Day Single
NR Day Return
NR Off-Peak Day Return
NR Off-Peak Day Single
NR TC o/s Zones
NR TC Anytime
NR TC Off-Peak
Priv Day LU/DLR/LO
Priv Zone LU Season
Priv Zone LU/NR Season
Platform
Penalty Fare Ticket
Travelcard (3 day Off-Peak)
Travelcard (3 day Anytime)

This is in addition to the Oyster Card menu, where you have the following options:

Travelcard
Bus&Tram
Pre-Pay


* The available discounts listed are as follows:
Annual Gold Card
NR Railcard, Disabled Persons
NR Railcard, Family
NR Railcard, HM Forces
NR Railcard, Network
NR Railcard, Senior
Travelcard
NR Railcard, Young Persons


An NR Railcard discount can also be applied to a registered Oyster card, which would lower the price at which the card caps for the Anytime/Off-Peak day travelcard.

Mojo, I am sure the machines have the option to issue a first class ticket, even on LU Day Singles..?!

 

[John_158]

Does LU have the FasTis MAchines or are they diffrent but with the same soft ware ?

 

[paul1609]

The LU ticket office at West Brompton managed to sell me an off peak day single to Arundel with HM Forces railcard (id arrived from Heathrow on oyster) on LUL ticket stock.
By the way thanks to any LU staff for the reception at St James Park last Tues and the complimentary Oyster cards, we look forward to more of you coming to sea with us

 

[clagmonster]

An NR Railcard discount can also be applied to a registered Oyster card, which would lower the price at which the card caps for the Anytime/Off-Peak day travelcard.

Daniel, since you have mentioned it, I am popping down to London next week. I possess an Oyster card, which I have registered online, and also a YP railcard. Is there anything else which I need to take to the booking office in order to apply the railcard. Do I need to have the log in details for the Oyster website, for example. Also, when my railcard runs out, will I have to repeat the process. Many thanks for any help whatsoever that you can give.

 

[Daniel]

Afternoon clagmonster,

Provided your oyster card is already registered, the whole process should take no longer than a minute

You should bring your oyster card, your railcard and photocard, and preferably another form of photo ID.

You can do it at any LU ticket office. All we do is add a discount entitlement, stating which railcard you have and when it expires. That means that yes, you will have to come back when it runs out.

You will also need to carry your railcard with you when you travel in case you are stopped by a ticket inspector.

Also note that you don't actually get a discount on pre-pay journeys, it's just the price that it 'caps' at is lower - ('price capping' is when your card stops charging you as you have reached the price of a day travelcard).

 

[clagmonster]

Thanks for telling me about taking another form of ID, I hadn't thought about that. Thr other points are as I suspected. I am arriving at Kings Cross at the start of the rush, so shall probably carry out the deed at St Pancras Thameslink office, as I reckon the queues will be quieter than the LUL office.
Incidentally, purely out of curiosity, do ticket inspectors carry around some form of Oyster reading device with them these days, as I haven't seen one within Greater London since Oyster was introduced (in fact, I've not seen one on LUL for about 15 years).
Once again, many thanks for all of the gen.

 

[Daniel]

No problem. The ID is just to check your details against the details registered to your card, and match that with the photo on your YP

I'm not personally sure if the Thameslink T/O would deal with oysters administration?

Anyway, yep, RCI's carry MOVie readers, (basically a handheld oyster reader with a green and red light which illuminate respectively if your pass is valid there or not). National Rail inspectors also carry them in London and season tickets on Oyster card are valid on NR

 

[clagmonster]

You will need to get an Oyster card and have your Railcard discount concession loaded on it. This can be done at:

Tube station ticket offices
London Overground station ticket offices
Some National Rail station ticket offices

St Pancras is on the linked list of NR ticket offices which are capable of doing the job. If they fail, I will take the pain and queue downstairs. Once agian, many thanks for you help.

 

[Mojo]

Mojo, I am sure the machines have the option to issue a first class ticket, even on LU Day Singles..?!

It may have been with the old machines, but I tried it a good number of times and they couldn't do it. If it matters, it was a First Class Priv.

It didn't cause too many complaints though, as I sometimes sat in First anyway (prepared to pay an upgrade from someone with a SPORTIS who would charge me) and never had my ticket checked

 

[John_158]

I didn't think that you could buy a first class ticket with Priv discount as i thought it was Standard Class Only ?

 

[driver9000]

I didn't think that you could buy a first class ticket with Priv discount as i thought it was Standard Class Only ?

You can buy 1st class Priv tickets if you have a 1st class Priv pass.

 

[clagmonster]

Just to report back on the day, I went to St Pancras Thameslink booking office, where I was told by the booking clerk that they were unable to load the discount, and that I should go to the LUL booking office. As this goes against the LT website, I shall send LT a polite e-mail, to clarify the situation, and asking that if the booking clerk was correct, the website is revised.
At the LUL booking office, although I had already registered my card online, and loaded on some extra money, the card apparantely wasn't on the computer, so I had to fill out a paper form, but other than that the transaction was simple. Once again, many thanks to Daniel for your help.