Sussex MPs Campaign To Stop Scrapping Of Travelcards

MPs in Sussex are asking constituents to sign petitions urging the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to scrap plans to withdraw the One Day Travelcard.

Currently, passengers traveling from Sussex can buy a return ticket to London and include travel on the Tube and buses when they arrive.

However, from January 21st, 2024, the One Day Travelcard will be scrapped and Oyster or contactless payments will have to be made when using either of these services.

A summary of the decision, published on the Mayor's website, reads:

Since May 2020, there has been a series of extraordinary funding settlements with the government to ensure that Transport for London (TfL) could deliver an effective and efficient transport service despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TfL’s income.

This funding has been provided with a requirement by government for TfL to deliver considerable savings and generate significant amounts of new additional income. The government funding settlement dated 1 June 2021 required the Mayor and TfL to undertake an options review and feasibility study of mechanisms within existing powers to generate between £0.5bn and £1bn of additional net revenue per annum from 2023.

Meeting this requirement necessitated TfL developing an option to withdraw from the Travelcard Agreement. 

On its website, TfL states:

While this six-month process is now underway, it is important that we are clear this remains reversible and does not therefore mean that Day Travelcards will be withdrawn. 

We and the Mayor remain open to discussing all options with both the Department for Transport, the Rail Delivery Group and the train operating companies, but in a way which would allow us to continue to meet the requirements of the government funding agreement.

If withdrawn, Day Travelcards would no longer be sold or accepted by TfL. Daily pay as you go caps would not be affected, nor would weekly and longer-term Travelcards.

We are engaging with key stakeholders to develop our impact assessment on the potential change.

In response to the announcement, Conservative MPs Henry Smith (Crawley) and Maria Caulfield (Lewes) have started petitions against the move.

Henry Smith said:

“If the Mayor of London succeeds in ending the Day Travelcard it will have a huge impact on rail passengers from all stations within Crawley.

“We somewhat take for granted the ability to jump on a train, head up to Victoria or London Bridge, and then use the Tube or bus without having to worry about an additional ticket to get to work, a medical appointment or a day out.

“This plan from Sadiq Khan will turn people away from travelling to London and beyond, and hit the poorest families hardest.

“It beggars belief that London’s own mayor is making it harder and expensive for us to visit our nation’s capital city.

“Rail passengers heading to London from Crawley, Ifield, Three Bridges or Gatwick Airport stations will be affected.

“I’m encouraging all rail passengers from the four stations in Crawley to sign my petition to the Mayor of London calling on him to scrap this proposal.”

Maria Caulfield has also started a petition https://bit.ly/41ZkH2P adding that the new ULEZ charge is a double whammy for people travelling into London.

“You will no longer be able to buy your travel card with you train ticket from Lewes and will have to pay separately which will cost significantly more and this could cost commuters across the constituency an extra £9.30 a day to travel to London.

"Many residents from Lewes, Polegate, Seaford and Newhaven travel to London for work, days out and visiting family and friends and at a time when living costs are high this seems very unfair to people wanting to use public transport."

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As an example, two journeys on the Tube within Zone One made by this writer on August 26, 2023 (Knightsbridge to Covent Garden then Oxford Circus to Victoria) cost £5.50 using contactless payments.