A Brief Explanation About The Transportation System In London

UPDATE August 11, 2022:

• Added payments using Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
• Official TFL Oyster and Contactless App (Contactless).
• Citymapper app.
• Elizabeth Line – latest Line.

UPDATE November 28, 2018:

• Just updating the link as I still haven’t had a chance to visit London for the second time in the last 9 years.
• There is an addition to the Oyster card features, which now includes ‘contactless’ cards (contactless).
• The app can also be downloaded for free for smartphones with NFC.

NOTE 1: ALL TRANSPORT FARES FROM TUBE, DLR, LONDON OVERGROUND, ELIZABETH LINE, AND SOME NATIONAL RAIL SERVICES ARE ONLY CHARGED FOR CHILDREN AGED 11 AND ABOVE. UNDER THAT, IT’S FREE.

NOTE 2: FOR CHILDREN AGED 11-15, THERE IS A DISCOUNT FOR TRANSPORT FARES.

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For the transportation system there, I will only explain about the London Underground (Tube).

London Underground aka Tube

The London Underground, or Tube, is the oldest underground train transportation system in the world. With 272 stations (as of 2022), you don’t have to worry about getting anywhere in London. If you work there, I guarantee you won’t need to buy a car as your main transportation because the Tube is enough.

What is the difference between LRT (Malaysia) and Tube? Ok, here’s an example… you go to Bukit Bintang by monorail and stop at Lot 10. Then you stroll by foot from Lot 10 to Pavilion. As soon as you leave the Pavilion, you walk to the Kompleks Kraftangan Malaysia (Malaysian Craft Complex) on Jalan Conlay. After finished navigating there by foot, what will you do? Of course, you will walk back to Lot 10 to get the monorail, right? That’s the difference between the LRT and the Tube because, the Tube stations are plentiful, and you don’t have to worry about continuing to walk further and further as every 500 meters, there will be another Tube station. But I don’t blame our country’s LRT system. It’s still new and stations will be added from time to time. Unlike the Tube, which has been operating since 1863!

Above is the Tube route map that I downloaded today (latest 2022). I advise you, if you plan to travel in a few months from now, please download the latest map from the link below because the Tube authorities perform maintenance every week and may close some routes.

https://tfl.gov.uk/maps

Or you can also download a special app:

a. TfL Oyster and contactless app (contactless)

• Official app from London Transport
• Can top-up using a Debit/Credit card, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.
• Even if you buy a physical Oyster card (preloaded) from any vendor or shop in London, it can be added to this app.
• You can buy long-term tickets such as 3-day, 7-day, and 30-day passes and get a discount.
• Has the latest Tube map.

b. Citymapper

• The best not only for London but also for other cities worldwide.
• Includes maps and schedules as well as estimated time of arrival (ETA) for Tube, bus, tram, and intercity trains.
• Has the latest transportation map.
• Download:
  • Android
  • iOS

Traditional method but still effective and suitable for those who do not want to involve any debit/credit card:

The Tube system in London uses a prepaid card similar to the Malaysian Touch N Go card, known as the Oyster card. Yes, Oyster, not the seafood, haha. This card comes in two types: “pay as you go” and “Travel card.” I think the “pay as you go” card is only suitable for locals and those taking a one-time trip, for example, from Heathrow airport to central London. If possible, take the Travel card because, in addition to the Tube, you can use it on buses, trams, and London Overground trains.

(Note: The Oyster Card can also be added to the TfL Oyster and Contactless app (contactless) even if the physical card is purchased from any vendor selling it there.)

(UPDATE August 11, 2022) Ticket rates are more affordable if bought for several days. For example, if you are going there for 7 days, I advise buying an Oyster card for 7 days according to the image below. It’s more economical compared to buying a one-day pass only.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares

There are many zones. Which zones should tourists focus on?

In London, I have identified several famous places frequently visited by tourists. Most of these places are located between zones 1 to 3. Okay, what are zones? London or Greater London is divided into 9 zones. For the central area (you can take the Parliament area in Westminster as an example), its zone is zone 1. Look at the Tube map above; from the central area, you will see the zone divisions in circular shapes extending to the left, right, top, and bottom of the map. So, to buy an Oyster card, maybe you can buy according to my recommendation in the image above for 7 days, which costs 45.20 pounds. Believe me, zones 1-3 are sufficient because, within these 3 zones alone, there are more than 60 interesting places to visit, including shopping places, fortresses and palaces, museums, famous parks, dungeons, cruise ships, restaurants, souvenir shops, and others.

How to navigate using the Tube transport map there?

Ok, how to navigate using the Tube map if you want to stroll around there? Alright…. let’s refer to the map again, let’s say we start from Dollis Hill station located in north London. The route or “Line” for Dollis Hill is “Jubilee Line“. Our destination is Westminster to see the Parliament area. By taking the “Southbound“, we will continue the journey until we stop at Westminster station. After sightseeing there, suddenly we want to visit Victoria and then South Kensington. So, we can choose either the “Circle Line” or “District Line“, which is the “Northbound“. After finishing there, we want to go to Malaysian Hall located in Bayswater. Do you think it’s still suitable to take the “District Line“? No, because it goes directly to the right/west of the map. The suitable one is the “Circle Line” which is the “Northbound“.

Bringing Children?

Tickets for children under 11 years old are free. For couples with small children, in my opinion…. some stations are baby-stroller friendly, for example, there is a lift facility to go down to the platform. But some are not. It might be a bit difficult and from my reading on other blogs, they suggest using a stroller-friendly bus.

Looking at the picture above, this is why there are so few people walking on the surface of London because most of them are busy at the Tube stations. The second reason might be to avoid the cold.

Elizabeth Line – New Line (Purple) Launched on May 17, 2022

Okay, this is the latest and newly launched line that connects Heathrow Airport with central London. It is an addition to the existing Heathrow Express line (blue line @ Piccadilly Line). Elizabeth Line (EL) connects from Reading (the furthest west of London) to Abbey Wood (the furthest east of London) and Heathrow Airport is located in the middle. EL is easily accessible from Terminals 2 and 3 at Heathrow Airport.

Ticket prices from the airport to London are almost half the price when taking EL to central London compared to Heathrow Express (if tickets are bought at the airport). The only difference with EL is the arrival time, which is 13 minutes later than Heathrow Express. Heathrow Express will only be much cheaper if bought 90 days in advance online.

Below is the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow Airport Terminals 2 & 3 to Paddington:

What About Buses?

Okay, maybe you’re wondering… why not use the bus? On the first day in London, the first transport I used was the bus. Because I was departing from Dollis Hill, I couldn’t predict which stop the bus was currently passing. While riding the bus, I suddenly panicked because I didn’t know the stop. Maybe I didn’t have a map for the bus. So I stopped halfway and asked for directions to the nearest Tube station and took it to central London. That’s the problem with buses, you can’t clearly predict the stops and routes.

Note: Use the Citymapper app mentioned above to know the arrival time of the bus and its route.

I like the Tube because its system is so efficient and punctual. Maybe some of you prefer public buses because while sightseeing on the bus, you can see the surroundings compared to the Tube where you can’t see anything. If you choose the bus, don’t forget to take the London Sightseeing Tour Bus that has an open-top! The ticket costs GBP24.50 for adults. The ticket can be used for 24 hours, can be used multiple times, and stops can be made multiple times similar to the HoHo (Hop On Hop Off bus) bus in Kuala Lumpur. Sometimes, the bus is also important because I once experienced on a Saturday trying to take the Tube from Dollis Hill station, unfortunately, the station was closed for maintenance, so I had to take the bus. It’s common there that on weekends, some stations are closed for maintenance. They prioritize weekdays over weekends because weekdays are more productive, while on weekends, they assume everyone is on vacation or sightseeing by car.