TfL Ref: 0815-1819

Thank you for your email received by us on 26 June 2018 asking for information about Zone One fares.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

Which stations are charged as if you travelled via Zone 1, irrespective of route taken?

I can advise that this is based on the journey made rather than a specific group of stations.

When using the single fare finder, journeys to some stations bring up the following message:

"Some journeys are charged via Zone 1 irrespective of the route taken."

For example, High Barnet to Imperial Wharf or Clapham Junction will cost £1.50 if you avoid zone 1. However, travelling High Barnet to Wandsworth Road, is just 1 station more, also avoiding zone 1 and the fare is over double at £3.10 and tells you that some journeys are charged via Zone 1, irrespective of the route taken.

Could you let me know what stations will trigger this or how it works so I can avoid it? If you can give me any of the thinking behind that it would be very much appreciated too.

Some journeys are always charged via Zone One for one of the following reasons:

• The route avoiding Zone One would be unreasonably circuitous.

• Limitations of the pay as you go system mean that we cannot detect that the journey has definitely avoided Zone One.

• The journey is deemed to more likely have been made via Zone One.

However, where a fare avoiding Zone One exists for a specific journey this will be shown on the Single Fare Finder, and any station where a pink reader should be touched will also be listed. Additionally, the Single Fare Finder will specify instances where there is only one fare available for a journey. Please see the links to our website explaining further:

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/pink-card-readers

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/fares/single-fare-finder?intcmp=1660

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London