Travel in london
London is an incredible city with so many places to see and things to do! However, travel can become expensive, so below is some money-saving tips to help you get around. Transport for London (TfL) is the local government body responsible for the transport system in London- you can stay updated with information regarding travel on their website. Peak travel times are: 06:30 to 9:29 and 16:00 to 18:59 Monday to Friday. The price of travel will depend on what time you are travelling; for a cheaper journey, stick to off-peak times.
Apps
Using your phone to plan your journey ahead can help you navigate the city in a way which is cheaper, quicker and tailored to your specific needs. These are our holygrail apps!
Citymapper:
This app is essentially the Bible of London travel. It tells you EVERYTHING. From the different transport options available, the price of each option, and live arrival times- this app really is a lifesaver.
TfL Oyster and contactless:
With the app you can top up your pay as you go credit wherever you are and get notifications when it gets low. This saves you a scare if the terminal shows you a negative number. You can also get notifications before your Travelcard and Bus & Tram Pass expires.
Santander Cycles:
Santander Cycles app lets you skip past the terminal and get on your cycle quicker- the release codes get sent to your phone for you to hire your cycle. You an also see live cycle and docking space availability, so you’re not aimlessly wandering around the streets.
Oyster Card
This is a card which holds credit that you top-up in advance. It can be used on the Underground, DLR, Overground and Buses. You can get one online or from any Tube, London Overground and TfL Rail stations. Oyster cards are free, but require you to pay a £5 deposit.
What discounts can I get?
An 18+ Student Oyster photo-card entitles you to 30% off Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets. A Travelcard gives you unlimited travel for a week, a month or a year. The registration fee costs £20, so it is worth considering whether or not it will be worth the money for you!
A 16-25 Railcard gives you 1/3 off National Rail fares. Many home students consider buying a 16-25 Railcard if they are intending to travel by train fairly often e.g. to visit family. You can also add the discount to your standard or 18+ Oyster card to get a 34% discount on single off-peak fares on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services. You can buy a 16-25 Railcard online which costs £30 for one year.
Buses
A single London bus journey costs £1.50 no matter how far you go (unlike the Tube zone fare system). The buses are all cashless, so you need an Oyster card, Travelcard or contactless payment. The ‘Hopper fare’ means that you can take a £1.50 bus/tram journey and then change onto another bus/tram for free within an hour of starting your journey. This can help you save money, but do make sure you plan timings in advance! Find out more about buses here.
Walk and Cycle
Obviously one of the cheapest ways to travel is to walk or cycle! If you don’t have a bike in London you can use Santander bikes: these cost £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes each, within a 24 hour period. Just remember: be safe and wear a helmet! You can plan your routes using the app Citymapper or Google Maps.
Taxis and minicabs
Black Cabs can be hailed off the street at any time of day or night, or they can be booked by phone or app. There are cab stops located all over central London and some surrounding areas. Every taxi has a card machine, so if you don't have cash, you can pay using credit, debit or contactless; however, if you are not careful, you can run up a hefty bill in a Black Cab! All the cars run on a meter that charges per portion of a mile and per minute stopped. If you hit some traffic, the meter just keeps running., so though they are convenient, they are not the best way to save money.
Always pre-book your taxi unless you’re flagging down a black taxi. Don’t flag down a private hire taxi on the street, even if it has a visible license plate and the driver looks okay. It’s not safe to get in an unbooked private hire taxi and it’s illegal for the driver to pick you up if you haven’t booked in advance- you could be putting yourself at risk!
Mini-cabs charge for the entire journey, regardless of traffic. When you want to book a Mini-Cab, make sure you call the nearest company to you, as they will most likely be the cheapest. TfL has a list of licensed minicabs here.
Night Travel
The Night Tube runs on Fridays and Saturdays on the Victoria, Jubilee, and most of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines. Click on the map below to enlarge it.
To complement the Night Tubes, Night Buses run on a limited service twice an hour through the night- the routes are much longer and the stops are less frequent. Some night buses run only on Fridays and Saturdays, and some run all week. To find out which Night Bus services run in your area, enter the route or area you are interested in here. Night Buses have an "N" before the route number e.g. N205.
If you are travelling at night then always try to travel with a group of friends and let people know where you’re heading and when to expect you back!
Safety and hygiene
When you travel, please take precautions to protect you and everyone else on the transport network too! Here are TfL’s top tips to stay hygienic when travelling:
Plan your journey in advance and, where possible, try to travel when it’s less busy
Wear a face covering, unless you are exempt for age, health or accessibility reasons. This is currently a legal requirement.
Maintain social distancing where possible
Wash your hands before and after your journey
Carry hand sanitiser or use sanitiser points at stations
Use contactless or Oyster to pay for your travel