TfL Visitor Pass

[island]

I see TfL has launched a new paper ticket aimed at fleecing tourists – it doesn’t quite get to Heathrow Express levels though.

The ticket, issued for 2 or 3 days, is priced at 2 or 3 times the adult or child paper zone 1-6 off peak day Travelcard fare. It has the same time restrictions as an off-peak Travelcard, but has no validity on National Rail (except London Overground and TfL Rail) nor to buy discounted river boat or cable car fares. As such, it is strictly worse than buying two or three day Travelcards, and of course far worse than using Oyster or contactless.

The URL contains a very dubious statement too: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-informati...on/best-ways-for-visitors-to-pay/visitor-pass

 

[Clip]

Seems pretty much the same as the old 2 or 3 day travelcard apart from the lack of use on national rail and discounts on the others. I guess this way TfL get to keep all the money to try and plug holes in their finances that may be coming.

Hard to work out just how many visitors would be using national rail anyway as the tubes got to all the main attractions anyway and is what visitors from abroad will be familiar with?

 

[higthomas]

Erugh! What has cities got with fleecing tourists for transport! I liked to think airport expresses excluded London was better than that.

 

[neilmc]

General rule for visiting any touristy city is to not buy ANY ticket aimed at tourists which gives you discount on museums, art galleries, etc unless you really intend visiting many such places. Simply turn up at the transport department and buy whatever the locals would buy. We have just been to Budapest and bought day passes at the airport which would allow up to FIVE people travelling together to pay HUF 3300 (about £9) for all trams, buses, trolleybuses, cog railway, metro, local rail network and river ferries (ferries weekdays only).

Last time we flew Easyjet their in-flight brochure detailed all the airports they serve and the transport links to the city centre. London, not surprisingly, was an absolute disgrace at cheating the tourist on various "expresses" with only the London Underground to Heathrow offering anything like a reasonable fare in comparison to those charges elsewhere in Europe. Makes me ashamed to be British.

 

[Be3G]

The fact this ticket is available from only a limited number of tube stations (and visitor centres) makes me wonder if it's not actually a paper ticket, but instead some kind of ‘Oyster card lite’ like the one-day bus pass. Hence only certain stations having their ticket machines loaded with this special Oyster card as an option for dispensing to those gullible enough to buy it.

 

[mmh]

I see TfL has launched a new paper ticket aimed at fleecing tourists – it doesn’t quite get to Heathrow Express levels though.

The ticket, issued for 2 or 3 days, is priced at 2 or 3 times the adult or child paper zone 1-6 off peak day Travelcard fare. It has the same time restrictions as an off-peak Travelcard, but has no validity on National Rail (except London Overground and TfL Rail) nor to buy discounted river boat or cable car fares. As such, it is strictly worse than buying two or three day Travelcards, and of course far worse than using Oyster or contactless.

It being the same price as the equivalent travelcard means it's not in a way fleecing the tourist, unless they're going to use National Rail, which most don't. It's TFL fleecing the TOCs by creating a ticket with no benefit to anyone other than themselves by being able to keep all the revenue from these tickets. It's pretty disgraceful, they should be directing tourists to just buy a normal travelcard, or explaining Oyster/Contactless to them better. Plenty of other cities manage.

 

[318266]

I know why it isn't accepted on the Heathrow Express, but if you are landing on a BA flight from Boston in T5, for example, the trains are the Piccadilly line or the express.

 

[swt_passenger]

I know why it isn't accepted on the Heathrow Express, but if you are landing on a BA flight from Boston in T5, for example, the trains are the Piccadilly line or the express.

Now also free transfer to T2/3 on Heathrow Express then use TfL rail (used to be Heathrow Connect prior to May change.)

 

[318266]

O.K., it wasn't there on the website.

 

[Mag_seven]

but has no validity on National Rail (except London Overground and TfL Rail)

Is TfL now trying to distance itself from National Rail (other than TfL Rail and London Overground)? Other examples of this is the disappearance of the Thameslink central section on the tube map

 

[island]

The fact this ticket is available from only a limited number of tube stations (and visitor centres) makes me wonder if it's not actually a paper ticket, but instead some kind of ‘Oyster card lite’ like the one-day bus pass. Hence only certain stations having their ticket machines loaded with this special Oyster card as an option for dispensing to those gullible enough to buy it.

It is a paper ticket. I’ve seen one, it’s issued on standard LUL roll stock.

 

[Busaholic]

How on earth is your average tourist going to be aware of how to tell a National Rail service, even if they speak excellent English? It's a very cynical move by TfL and just the sort of behaviour that a decent, competent Mayor should overrule, and tell TfL why, and not to repeat it.

 

[Hadders]

This is very strange. Why exclude National Rail services? This is just going to cause trouble, particularly as TfL Rail is a National Rail service.....

 

[CyrusWuff]

Essentially they've reintroduced the LT Card but by another name. As for why NR isn't included, I'd assume that all of the revenue remains with TfL instead of going into the Travelcard "pot".

 

[Bensonby]

Why would anyone buy this when the contactless fare cap is much more competitive?!

 

[PeterC]

Why would anyone buy this when the contactless fare cap is much more competitive?!

Not having a contactless card would be a good reason for a start as would having one of the overseas cards that aren't accepted. Also many people are still nervous about contactless. For an overseas visitor forex charges may make daily use of a card by each family member less attractive than buying these tickets in one transaction.

 

[swt_passenger]

Weren’t you once able to buy an inboundary travelcard valid for a few days until it was binned in some sort of rationalisation?

 

[jon0844]

Is TfL now trying to distance itself from National Rail (other than TfL Rail and London Overground)? Other examples of this is the disappearance of the Thameslink central section on the tube map

TfL seems to be struggling for money, so maybe this is the start of a series of ways to maximise revenue but maintain the fares freeze for locals.

 

[Be3G]

Weren’t you once able to buy an inboundary travelcard valid for a few days until it was binned in some sort of rationalisation?

A couple of decades ago a weekend travelcard existed. More recently there was a 3-day travelcard available if my memory's correct.

 

[jfollows]

For an overseas visitor forex charges may make daily use of a card by each family member less attractive than buying these tickets in one transaction.

True, but I believe TFl only bill once per day for contactless, not once per transaction, so this shouldn't really be a major consideration. It does sound like it's preying on the unwise and unwary as others have stated, really, but I'm sure I've done similar when abroad (Paris Visite for example).

 

[matt_world2004]

I personally think tfl should get together with tocs and develop a travelcard product that is valid to all the london airports(but not for break of journey outside the zones) inckuding on hex. Plus the riverboats and the boris dangler and retail it for between £80-90 a week

 

[Ianno87]

True, but I believe TFl only bill once per day for contactless, not once per transaction, so this shouldn't really be a major consideration. It does sound like it's preying on the unwise and unwary as others have stated, really, but I'm sure I've done similar when abroad (Paris Visite for example).

Contactless transactions don't often work outside your own country.

 

[Bensonby]

Not having a contactless card would be a good reason for a start as would having one of the overseas cards that aren't accepted. Also many people are still nervous about contactless. For an overseas visitor forex charges may make daily use of a card by each family member less attractive than buying these tickets in one transaction.

Fair enough. But what about Oyster capping? You can just get an Oyster then claim back the deposit at the end of your holiday surely?

 

[mmh]

Fair enough. But what about Oyster capping? You can just get an Oyster then claim back the deposit at the end of your holiday surely?

Exactly. Stored payment cards aren't unusual these days. They should be encouraging visitors to do that. Have the ones sold at "visitor centres" or whatever they call them have a picture of Big Ben and a Beefeater on them (which I think they used to do)

It's a blatant and cynical attempt to increase revenue. As someone already mentioned, there used to be a ticket which excluded NR, the LT Card, but it was cheaper not the same price!

 

[Mojo]

A lot of visitors struggle to use the Oyster card correctly and end up having to get their journeys corrected by staff, or just end up paying more than they need to by topping up extra balance to cover the Maximum fares that they have been inadvertently charged. So going by that I don’t think it’s such a bad thing, although obviously it does have the disadvantages mentioned of being a significantly more restrictive product than a Travelcard.

I don’t think it’s a rip-off at all, as it is the same price that most regular users will pay who don’t use NR. I still can’t think of many foreign cities I’ve visited where there isn’t some kind of rip-off for tourists, perhaps except for Zurich and Copenhagen, although even those locations offer an overpriced Tourist style ticket. Brisbane was quite good although you had to get a refund on your Smartcard from a staffed ticket office, but the balance expires after 5 years if you don’t. Non-refundable Smartcards are very common, some cities like New York are even worse where you have to pay a mandatory charge for a mag stripe ticket, which also expires every few years; with restrictions applying to cards bought on the JFK Airtrain!

 

[Hadders]

It does seem a little odd that on the 15th anniversary of the introduction of the Oyster card TfL is introducing a paper ticket for tourists.

In my view it would make more sense to be able to load a 1 or 3 day travelcard onto a 'disposable' oyster card.