Day travelcards will be phased out, the deputy mayor of London has
confirmed.

The daily paper tickets will no longer be sold or accepted on Transport for
London (TfL) services including Tube, bus, rail, tram and London
Overground.

Seb Dance told the transport secretary "TfL can no longer afford" to fund
the £40m Travelcard Agreement "which represents a subsidy by Londoners".

Passengers travelling from outside the capital will be expected to use
contactless or Oyster cards on arrival.

Last year, 12m day travelcards were sold, double the number in Covid-hit
2020, but down from 27m in 2018.

Weekly and annual travelcards will still be issued but last year just
20,000 of the latter were sold, down from 185,000 in 2018.

Travelcards offer unlimited travel on services within London, where fares
rose an average of 5.9% in March.

Are the days of the Oyster card numbered?

In a letter sent to Transport Secretary Huw Merriman on Friday, Mr Dance
said "the current price paid to TfL for these tickets is well below the
price paid for the same tickets sold within London".

A consultation document sets out the changes, which would see the end of
paper travelcards altogether.

"We anticipate that, if TfL ceases to accept day travelcards, rail
operators will also stop selling Zone 1-6 travelcards," it states.

Child day travelcards would no longer be available, meaning those outside
of London would have to apply for a Zipcard, which provides free and
discounted travel for those aged under 18, in advance of coming to the
capital.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: "The mayor is only considering
the withdrawal of day travelcards in order to meet the requirements of
TfL's funding settlement with government - a deal that was required solely
because of the impact of the pandemic.

"He has been clear he does not want to do so but feels that he has been
left with no viable alternative."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We have provided TfL with
more than £6bn in funding support to keep public transport moving.

"Transport in London is devolved, and any decision to withdraw from the
travelcard agreement is a matter for the mayor."

<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-66263340>

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