Response to consultation: Engagement to withdraw Day Travelcards

I am writing to respond to your engagement consultation to stop Transport for London (TfL) from selling or accepting Day Travelcards.[1] From the earliest stage that the Travelcard agreement has been in question, I have been receiving concerned correspondence from constituents who work or live in London, particularly disabled people concerned about the potential impact on their ability to travel affordably.

The paper Day Travelcard is currently the only method that enables one person to buy tickets for others for a day’s travel. There is no means to do this within an Oyster or Contactless account. To buy a day ticket for a second person if this option is pursued means creating a second account.

All of these alternatives – either a separate contactless card or purchasing an Oyster card and adding credit to it – represent barriers to simple or spontaneous family, group and other companion travel. Disabled people have been particularly concerned that, although they may be able to load their railcard discount onto their own Oyster card, there is no way to provide for discounted travel for a family member or carer, which the availability of discounted Day Travelcards currently provides.

Research by London Travelwatch shows that 1 in 5 Londoners say they have paid more for travel because they are not able to buy tickets online or by using mobile apps.[2]

Groups that visit London may now stop using public transport because there is no simple daily fare option available to them. TfL widely promotes the visitor travelcard as part of its offer to tourists and regularly refers to it on social media, particularly in response to requests for group travel services.[3]

The absence of this option also prevents major event organisers offering or bundling a Day Travelcard with sales for event tickets, which has been proven to encourage more visitors to use public transport, including very successfully during the 2012 Games.[4]

The removal of the Day Travelcard ticket will increase costs for many people who live outside London who currently buy Day Travelcards alongside their return fares at their local station, and are able to use any railcard discount for the Travelcard as well.

This is against policy 12 in the Transport Strategy which says: “The Mayor will ensure public transport fare levels are set to enable access to affordable travel for all Londoners”. The Transport Strategy also says that pricing should not vary based on who provides services: “As many Londoners as possible should be able to benefit from affordable public transport services, with the same fares structure and policy applying across the whole transport system in London, whether or not it is provided by TfL”[5]

The need for the Day Travelcard is reflected by its continued usage. Data I have obtained shows that TfL sold 870,000 day travelcards in the most recent quarter of 2022-23 (Q3), and rail companies sold 3.2 million Day Travelcards in the same period.[6] The Day Travelcard has played a part in the recovery of journeys on public transport since 2020, and it cannot be removed without an equivalent alternative way of obtaining the same service being available.

Reducing integration between different parts of the public transport system is the wrong way to go. Paper Travelcards may not be the long-term solution to these issues, but I urge you not to withdraw Day Travelcards at this time. You must work with the Government to maintain this option.

Yours sincerely,

Sian Berry

Green Party Member of the London Assembly