Travelcard advice

[chez]

Please do move this if I've put it in the wrong place. I admit its possibly the most boring thread ever.

Basically my Z123 travelcard runs out tomorrow (I used to live in Z3 near an underground) and I've recently moved here (well technically SE5). I work in London Bridge and have been commuting by train (from PR/ED/DMK), tried the bus but it was a bit torturous, thought about cycling but I'm a bit of a danger and I don't have a bike. What I've loved about having a travelcard is that going across London for sociable stuff doesn't cost anymore and even if it means paying more I'm scared of losing that luxury. However I'm also quite skint at the moment, what with moving and all.

So my options seem to be:

1. Buy a Z12 travelcard and be poor but free

2. Buy a railcard? - don't know about these- and be slightly more restricted

3. Buy a bus card and deal with the time wasted in traffic jams

4. Sort out a bike asap

5. ???

Can the collective EDF wisdom help me come to a solution?

[Alabama]

poor but free, everytime

[LuLu Too]

Railcard from station of your choice (DH,ED,PR) to LB primarily for work commute, plus Oyster PAYG for social travel (tube/bus/DLR) may work out cheaper.

Depends on your habits/needs...

[Strawbs]

poor but free totally!! I detest having to buy a ticket more than once a year and with the yearly one I have the freedom to get whatever transport I want no matter how skint I am that day..

can you not get a season ticket loan and be less poor?

[Moos]

Slightly off topic, but Strawbs I reckon if you get a monthly pass, you're better off once you've factored in going on holiday, or those weekends when you don't travel around.

[cate]

I think it works out more expensive to get a yearly travel card, assuming that you get 4 weeks holiday a year and don't use it during that period. Get a monthly one. I believe that Oyster cards will be useable soon out in boondocks of South East London rail stations.

Moos and I think alike.

[bigbadwolf]

Oyster card all day every day. You could also consider "surfing" the train. It's very popular in India and it make you look really cool and rebelious to your mates.

http://trainharder.com/blogs/robmackay/wp-content/blogs.dir/10/files//2007/07/untitled.bmp

[SCSB79]

Chez - get yourself on the bike!

There are a few quiet routes from SE5/SE22 area to LB...

I've recently started doing it and:

a) It's free

b) It's quicker, and

c) It's exercise.

If you put half of what you were paying monthly onto a PAYG Oyster you'll have more than enough for the social use of the tube.

[JW]

An annual card often does work out cheaper, even taking into account holidays, and it's got the added bonus of getting you 1/3 off all rail trips (including the Gatwick and Heathrow Express) so my vote goes for poor and free too!

[iaineasy]

Get a bike (cheapest) for all your local travel and a travelcard for everything else, I like the travel card as oyster is useless for most overground trains which drives me mad!

[sophiesofa]

JW Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> An annual card often does work out cheaper, even

> taking into account holidays, and it's got the

> added bonus of getting you 1/3 off all rail trips

> (including the Gatwick and Heathrow Express) so my

> vote goes for poor and free too!

??? What is this about a third off all rail trips? I had one a couple of years ago and I never knew about that. So anywhere is the UK you can get a third off? That's amazing.

Chez to me it sounds like a rail pass and pay as you go oyster would work out cheaper than a zone 1-2 travelcard but obviously it depends how often you go out and about.

[chez]

Ok thanks for your help guys...although its not exactly a clear consensus...!

FYI been doing some research and its

Annual Rail Season Ticket (DMK/PR or ED to London Z1/2): 576

Annual Buscard (all London):552

Annual Travelcard (all London Z12): 1032

Never knew the thing about rail 1/3 off either, given that I've got a Young Persons railcard too is that 2/3 off?!

+ as much as I'm loving bigbadwolf's trainsurfing suggestion, I'm thinking that with the majority of the trains arriving to platform 15 and 16 at London Bridge I wouldn't be so well placed to perform a diving manoevre over the barriers upon arrival...

[SCSB79]

chez Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Ok thanks for your help guys...although its not

> exactly a clear consensus...!

>

> FYI been doing some research and its

>

> Annual Rail Season Ticket (DMK/PR or ED to London

> Z1/2): 576

>

> Annual Buscard (all London):552

>

> Annual Travelcard (all London Z12): 1032

>

> Never knew the thing about rail 1/3 off either,

> given that I've got a Young Persons railcard too

> is that 2/3 off?!

>

> + as much as I'm loving bigbadwolf's trainsurfing

> suggestion, I'm thinking that with the majority of

> the trains arriving to platform 15 and 16 at

> London Bridge I wouldn't be so well placed to

> perform a diving manoevre over the barriers upon

> arrival...

On yer bike chez... seriously!!

You may find you can ask your work to pay 50% of the cost of your bike (ride to work scheme)...

Then for social reasons, stick ?25 a month on the PAYG Oyster... ?300 a year, saving ?200.

Simples.

[Ladymuck]

chez Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Please do move this if I've put it in the wrong

> place. I admit its possibly the most boring

> thread ever.

>

> Basically my Z123 travelcard runs out tomorrow (I

> used to live in Z3 near an underground) and I've

> recently moved here (well technically SE5). I

> work in London Bridge and have been commuting by

> train (from PR/ED/DMK), tried the bus but it was a

> bit torturous, thought about cycling but I'm a bit

> of a danger and I don't have a bike. What I've

> loved about having a travelcard is that going

> across London for sociable stuff doesn't cost

> anymore and even if it means paying more I'm

> scared of losing that luxury. However I'm also

> quite skint at the moment, what with moving and

> all.

>

> So my options seem to be:

>

> 1. Buy a Z12 travelcard and be poor but free

>

> 2. Buy a railcard? - don't know about these- and

> be slightly more restricted

>

> 3. Buy a bus card and deal with the time wasted

> in traffic jams

>

> 4. Sort out a bike asap

>

> 5. ???

>

>

> Can the collective EDF wisdom help me come to a

> solution?

Get a 2nd hand bike (and some good locks)... and get some FREE assertive cycling lessons from Southwark Council...also, I have a copy of the rough guide to cycling which I no longer use...you can have it if you like (free of course)

[OutOfFocus]

Bike seems the best option, (but I am not energetic enough to cycle to Kings X).

Travelcard v. rail season ticket - I think it depends how much you are going to travel on journey in Z12 (other trains + tube) + any buses. If you have a travelcard then all bus journeys are free. Occassionally I have bought rail tickets and found I wanted to use tube or a bus.

If you decide on a travelcard I would suggest getting an Oyster - probably easiest from a newsagent. An Oyster travelcard is valid on all Z12 rail routes. If you take a tube to say Z3 then it deducts the extra from prepay on the card. So you don't have to think about buying a ticket.

[Nero]

So, if you have a Zone1-2 on your Oystercard and you go to Zone3 and have a bit of cash on the prepay, the difference is automatically deducted? I never knew that.

Also, can someone confirm that you get 1/3 of rail fares if you get an annual Travelcard.

Ta.

[sophiesofa]

Nero Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So, if you have a Zone1-2 on your Oystercard and

> you go to Zone3 and have a bit of cash on the

> prepay, the difference is automatically deducted?

> I never knew that.

> Also, can someone confirm that you get 1/3 of rail

> fares if you get an annual Travelcard.

> Ta.

Yes I also want to know about this a third off rail travel! Nero, I'm sure you realise this but just incase, the zone extension on oyster only works at stations where they have oyster fully set up so it wouldn't work at places like forest hill yet, but works at all tube stations (i think).

Chez, I think you should do a test month of rail season ticket plus say ?30 on your oyster and see how it works out. I assume you work the usual work hours but if not you could use your YP discount for your rail ticket.