Public transport users from the fringes of the capital will “breathe a sigh of relief” after a deal was struck to save the one-day Travelcard.

Saved: the paper One Day Travelcard

As part of its settlement with Government over its covid funding, Transport for London was considering scrapping the Travelcard, to make savings of £40million per year.

But TfL announced yesterday that it has struck a deal with rail firms to retain the ticket, which is used more than 14million times a year by people visiting the capital.

“Delighted to announce we’ve managed to save the Day Travelcard,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

“This saves a much-valued ticket option for visitors to London, while giving TfL a fairer share of ticket revenue.”

The cost of the one-day Travelcard, which offers train passengers unlimited travel on the Tube, tram and London bus network, will increase by a one-off 3% next March, in addition to the annual fares rise, to help cover the cost of the new deal. The daily travelcards are currently priced at £15.20.

Delighted: Mayor Khan announces he is not now going to axe the Travelcard

In July, Mayor Khan had begun the six-month process of withdrawing from the Travelcard agreement.

Under the proposals, the daily paper tickets would no longer be sold or accepted on TfL Tube, bus, rail, tram and London Overground services.

Passengers travelling from outside Greater London – Epsom, Tandridge and Chipstead, for example –  would have been forced to use contactless or Oyster cards.

Charlie King, chair of the East Surrey Transport Committee, had described the plan to withdraw the Travelcard as “a negative step”.

At their peak, in 2018, 27million travelcards were sold. That figure was down to 12million last year, which was double the number sold in lockdown year 2020.

If child day travelcards were no longer available, those outside of London would have to apply for a Zipcard, which provides free and discounted travel in London for those aged under 18.

Rail Delivery Group commercial director, Paul Bowden, said: “I think it is a great outcome for customers that we’re able to keep this popular ticket, which offers customers complete travel flexibility in London.”

Norman Baker from Campaign for Better Transport said those who use the cards to travel into the capital will “breathe a sigh of relief today”.

“This is a great decision for sustainable transport and the people who use it, and a happy day for our capital and its businesses.”

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