New job in London 1st Feb - Train fare query

Keith

kylieM wrote: »

I would get a bike, but I know I would !!!! myself on the thing expecially on the A41 and M25

Don't be silly, the A41 is fantastic, the M25 isn't great but is ok. I'm guessing Aylesbury into London?

I used to ride down the A41 into London from Hemel on a bike which would do 60mph flat out. So cheap, I now ride from Luton down the M1 everyday, it's really alright and very cheap I saved about 2k using the bike over the train last year.

kylieM_2

you guessed correctly!

I dunno so scared

Crabman

Have you tried journey splitting on a day ticket? I put the route into the national rail planner and it looks like they don't do advance purchase tickets, though with a Young Person's Railcard the cost of a cheap day return is £10.55

Have a look at the Cheap Train Tickets article for some more tips and hints if you haven't already

Keith

With decent training, you'll be in full control of the bike, I can't give you any reassurances other than that. You'll quickly become aware of other road users too!

Aylesbury into London is 10 miles more than I do each day, it would be a shock to the system for you but I'd happily do it on a 400cc automatic scooter or my sports bike. Once you've done it for a week or two, you become used to it and end up looking at the bike and thinking if I don't use it, the train will cost £30ish, I'll take the bike!

nealallen

bandraoi wrote: »

Another option might be to drive/bus to the end of the nearest tube line or a station closer in, from where you could get a cheaper fare to the centre.

That's not a bad idea. You can get an Oyster card, that 90p per trip, no matter how far you go. after 3-4 trips it's free travel.

Good news too, Mr Livingston is to lower the cost of Oyster soon, so will be even cheaper by Bus

Nail_Lad

Keith wrote: »

With decent training, you'll be in full control of the bike, I can't give you any reassurances other than that. You'll quickly become aware of other road users too!

Aylesbury into London is 10 miles more than I do each day, it would be a shock to the system for you but I'd happily do it on a 400cc automatic scooter or my sports bike. Once you've done it for a week or two, you become used to it and end up looking at the bike and thinking if I don't use it, the train will cost £30ish, I'll take the bike!

I can't believe the cost of public transport, especially into London, all that money and I bet you're not even guaranteed a seat. I think Keith has the best solution, you get to learn a new skill, improve road confidence and save money. Only downside I can see is that it isn't much fun at this time of the year when the weather is so damn miserable!!!

bandraoi

nealallen wrote: »

That's not a bad idea. You can get an Oyster card, that 90p per trip, no matter how far you go. after 3-4 trips it's free travel.

Good news too, Mr Livingston is to lower the cost of Oyster soon, so will be even cheaper by Bus

90p is the busfare though, and a bus from the outer suburbs isn't likely to be viable.

coral

from Aylesbury there is not a whole lot you can do - Chiltern have got every angle covered it seems!

Where abouts in London is your final destination? You can save £40 by just buying the ticket to Marylebone but this does't seem worth it to me as its 90p for a single bus fare.

It may be feasible to consider the bike/driving option to Amersham where you come into TFL fare zones which works out at £250 a month. Or see about an 0% interest deal on a credit card and get an annual ticket.

On the plus side it tends to be quite a reliable line and you usually manage a seat which is more than can be said about south london where its a bonus even getting on the train at times!

chuckley

Altarf wrote: »

A season ticket is going to be cheapest if you are travelling into London everyday.

Buying a monthly ticket is going to work out a lot more expensive than buying an annual season ticket. For example on my journey, a monthly ticket is £355.20 which works out at £4262.40 per annum, but an annual ticket is £3700, so saving £562.40 per year. If you do buy monthly tickets, they can be bought for periods covering more than a month. So if you are going to be on holiday in five weeks time for a fortnight, you could buy a five week 'monthly' ticket and then another monthly ticket when you get back. Do check with you employer whether they offer a season ticket loan scheme.

Another point, is £336 for your monthly ticket for a 'London Terminals' ticket or for a R1256 travelcard? If you are only making two tube trips a day within central London (to and from the office), then it may be cheaper to get a 'London Terminals' season ticket and an Oyster PAYG card. For example on my line a 'London Terminals' ticket is £3700, but a R1256 travelcard is £4660, so £960 more. Assuming that you will be travelling around 230 days, that would cost £690 on the tube (assuming zone 1 travel) or £414 on the bus using Oyster PAYG.

Finally, check the rules on what compensation your are entitled to for delayed train or tube journeys, and then stick in a claim everytime. Most people don't bother, but it does add up at the end of the year.

that would only work if ur starting station was a PAUG station. if not ur stuffed and would need the travelcard... this is why all stations need to be oyster...

bandraoi

Can I ask the OP, why not just move into the city?
You'll save yourself an hour a day and the cost of renting won't be that much more than your ticket.