Transportation in London

OVERVIEW

London has a great system of public transit.  Transport for London is the agency that manages public transit, which includes London’s buses, tubes, and trains.

The city is divided into  9 transit zones that radiate out from the city center, with Zone 1 in the middle and Zone 9 at the outer edge of the city. Costs for public transport depend on which transit zones you start and end in.

Travel is managed through the Oyster card which you swipe at a turnstile to enter and exit train stations and buses. You can pay as you go or get weekly, monthly, or annual discounts if you’ll be commuting to the same location each week. Each duration offers a different discount level, with longer durations (i.e. an annual pass) offering the largest discount. An annual pass can range from £972 all the way up to £3,048 depending which zones you’re traveling to and from.

Owning a car in London is certainly not necessary in most parts of the city and many recommend against it: traffic is horrible, parking is difficult, and an £11.50  congestion fee is charged for any vehicles entering central London during business hours on Monday-Friday.

With that said, there are some parts of the city farther out from the center that don’t have great public transit options where a car will make life easier.

 

TRANSIT AND WALKABILITY RATINGS

For each London neighborhood you’ll see a Transit rating and a Walkability rating. The Transit rating tells you how good and reliable public transportation options are in that neighborhood. The Walkability rating tells you how many local amenities (shops, restaurants, fitness options, etc.) you can walk to in that neighborhood. 

Transit Ratings

• Excellent: Public transit options in the neighborhood, such as buses and trains, are frequent and reliable and the neighborhood is served by more than one transit option. Having a car is not needed.
• Good: The neighborhood is only served by one type of transit but the service is frequent and reliable. Having a car is not needed for local activities.
• Average: A public transportation option is available but the frequency and reliability are not sufficient to rely on for daily needs, or many residents have a long walk to reach transit. Having a car is a good idea.
• Poor: The neighborhood has very limited or no access to public transit and providing your own transportation via a car or bike is necessary. Having a car is required.

 

Walkability Ratings

• Excellent: You can walk to every type of local amenity: shopping, dining, fitness options, grocery stores, and more, and have a good selection of choices for those categories.
• Good: You can walk to most local amenities though you may have limited choices in some categories.
• Average: You can walk to a limited number of amenities but will have to go elsewhere to have all your needs covered.
• Poor: There are very few or no amenities you can walk to; you’ll have to go elsewhere for most needs.