A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save the One Day Travelcard to London after it was announced Transport for London is to scrap it in January.
More than 14 million tickets were sold last year, offering visitors to the capital the one ticket for train, tube and bus travel.
From next year, this will change and passengers will need to buy a train ticket for their National Rail journey and then pay to use Transport for London services.
While this is capped at a maximum of £14.90 per day, as the travelcard is no longer integrated, passengers will pay more for their journey. This doesn’t apply to Elizabeth Line services from Reading and Twyford.
Announcing the results of a consultation, Transport for London noted: “It is a requirement of our funding settlement with Government – a deal that was required solely because of the impact of the pandemic – for us to deliver considerable savings and generate significant amounts of new additional income.
“The Mayor (Sadiq Khan) has been clear that the withdrawal of Day Travelcards is not something he would be considering were it not for the requirements of the funding deal.”
The popular scheme enables discounted travel and the decision to withdraw it has been met with dismay from visitors and commuters alike.
The Campaign for Better Transport is hoping the mayor can be persuaded to change his mind and ensure residents of Reading and Wokingham can continue say the discount deal is just the ticket.
They say families will pay 16% more for a day in the capital and this change, during the cost of living crisis, needs to be revoked.
Norman Baker, from Campaign for Better Transport, said: “At a time when we should be doing all we can to encourage people to use green public transport to access London’s shops and attractions, this move is going in entirely the wrong direction. Public transport works best when you can use one ticket for your whole journey, so we need more, not less, integrated ticketing.
“The cost implications and added complexity of buying a rail ticket are such that they will discourage many people from travelling altogether and could result in an ‘own goal’ for Transport for London, with a drop in revenue.
“Transport for London must rethink its plans as a matter of urgency and work together with the Department for Transport and the train operating companies to find a way to save the Day Travelcard from extinction.”
It has launched a Don’t Cut The Card campaign aimed at showing the support for the travel scheme.
For more details, log on to: http://bettertransport.org.uk/campaigns/save-the-travelcard
