How to use London Transport

Transport in London

If you do have a good idea of where you want to live in London, it's crucial to find out how easy it is getting around as London is a big place. It’s worth finding out what the public transport links are like in your chosen area. If you haven't found your perfect neighbourhood just yet, don't worry, tell us your criteria and we can search for a perfect location for you.

Getting around easily isn’t just important for getting to work, it’s also important for going out. If you’re female and want to live in somewhere like London, this can be really important as you’ll  want to feel safe at all times. Have a look out for night bus routes that operate near you and whether there are stops near to your new home.

If you don’t have one already, you’ll need to get an oyster card as these give you a big discount on public transport. Travel cards give you the greatest freedom as they can be used for limitless travel on all tube journeys, overground trains zones 1-6, buses and even trams.

Keeping London Transport costs down

Transport can be very expensive round London, so it’s a good idea to at least live near a train station that is easily accessible. Make sure they have regular train services to a major London station such as London Bridge, Paddington, Liverpool Street or Waterloo every 15mins. These stations, as well as being central, act as hubs allowing you to easily access other train lines as well as underground services and bus links.

Remember that properties which have great transport links, such as being close to the underground stations will also be pricey but it’s worth considering this: sometimes the increased rent will actually save you money by not having to pay high transport costs. Living in central areas of London can be pricey but if it allows you to be able to walk to work then you will save a fortune. Londoners can easily expect to pay a few thousand pounds on train fares every year and these costs are going up and up!

Top tip!

Lots of employers in London offer an interest free loan for buying an annual travel card which will be deducted from you pay slip each month over the year. The cost of an annual season ticket is a lot less than buying individual monthly tickets for a year so you could save hundreds of pounds.

Useful Links

www.nationalrail.co.uk Helps you plan all your train travel with pricing information.

www.tfl.gov.uk Provides up to date transport information for London for all forms of transport, as well as helping you plan your journeys.

You can also download handy apps for your smart phone. We recommend:

• Countdown - this tells you exactly how long you will have to wait at any bus stop for your bus, great if you’ve been out late.
• Tube map - this is simply a map of the London Underground, but is perfect for when planning journeys across London.