Mind the Gap – Part III

Buying a Ticket and the Zones

So, you need to purchase a ticket for the Tube. The process of buying a ticket is pretty easy and doesn’t require too much explanation. Simply line up at one of the ticket machines in the station and follow the instructions: pick the type of ticket you want, insert money, out comes the ticket, poof! (Hopefully you’ll be buying your ticket when it is not rush hour and there are a multitude of machines available, not when there is a massive line that weaves around and around. I only experienced this once, but it felt like I was in line forever.) Probably the trickiest part of buying a ticket is determining what type you need. 

The Tube map is broken up into nine different zones and the price of your ticket depends on how many of these zones you plan on traveling in (as well as the time of day if you’re using an Oyster card, see below). The farthest I ever went out was where Heathrow is in Zone 6. You’ll most likely not need to go any farther out than that, as the other zones go out into more suburban residential areas, but you never know, so keep the zones in mind when planning your trips. Central London is mostly contained in Zones 1 and 2. If your trip consists of sightseeing in the heart of the city, then know that you do not need to buy a ticket that will go out of these two zones. If you do happen to buy a ticket for a certain set of zones but accidently go out of it, that’s okay. When put your ticket through the gate reader it’ll reject it, meaning you have to go up to one of the service booths and pay whatever extra fee is required to pass through. Nothing too bad. Trust me, I did this; it’s pretty much how I learned to pay attention to the zone map in the first place. Live and learn.

The dreaded zones! (source)

Once you’ve determined which zones you’ll need for your trip, you can select the appropriate ones when purchasing your ticket. There are a few different types of tickets:

·         Single fares: Need to go from one station to another in a single trip? Then you’ll want to buy a single fare.

·         Day cards: Thinking of spending the whole day in London hopping to and from different sites and stations? Buy a day card. This is where knowing the zones comes in handy so you don’t end up buying a day card for zones you’re not going to go to (i.e., spending more money than you need to).

·         Oyster cards: Living in London or intending to be in the city often? Consider getting a reloadable Oyster card. They save time and money.

(source)

Oyster cards are reusable cards that you allow you to add funds on a pay-as-you-go basis or at regular intervals (monthly, weekly, etc.). Overall, they offer lower fares on the Tube, but the discount is dependent on whether or not you’ll be traveling during peak rush hours. There are both regular adult cards that anyone can purchase and special 18-and-older student cards. There are restrictions for getting a student card, which you can read about here. Personally, I didn’t make use of Oyster cards because I was only occasionally in the city. Most of the time, I just bought day cards. Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve utilized an Oyster card, even if it was just to make myself feel cool by being able to scan it on the yellow-colored reader.

Happy traveling!

-L.

You might be also be interested in:

Mind the Gap – Part I

Mind the Gap – Part II

Mind the Gap - Part II

Etiquette

If your experiences using the city buses and university-owned shuttles at school are anything like mine were, they may go a little like the following:

It’s the end of class and you need to get across campus to your next lecture that starts in fifteen minutes. You walk to the bus stop where there are already people waiting. There might be some semblance of a line, but most of the time it’s a clump of people standing around. Once you reach the bus stop, you try to determine where you want to stand because you’re hoping the spot you choose happens to be the exact location of the bus or shuttle doors so you can make sure you get on before the driver deems it too full to accept any more passengers. When the bus pulls up, everyone else has the same notion and tries to shift to this “golden spot.” At this point, there probably isn’t any type of line at all and there’s a free-for-all mentality. You see people walk up and stand near the front of the clump, and you think to yourself, If that person makes it on and I don’t, I’m going to be pretty upset. The bus pulls up, the doors open, and someone will try to walk up the steps before the people trying to get off can make it down. He or she probably gets yelled at by the driver. After the last person gets off people start filing into the bus, filling the seats. Once the seats are full, then the standing passengers move down to the end of the bus so that more people can fit. At this point you’ve either made it on or will have to wait for the next bus.

Even though there is usually some chaos in these situations, there is a protocol for using the buses. People getting off at the stop should be allowed to exit before the people entering; if there are many students waiting to use the bus, passengers should squeeze into open spots to make more room; etc. Many of the same rules apply to the Tube in London (along with any other public transportation). For those who have used subways before this information may be old news, but there are some things to remember when using the Tube:

The left side of the escalator is designated for those who want to walk and get to the top or bottom faster; the right side is for those who want to stand and wait. Probably the biggest way to look like a newbie is to stand stationary on the left side of the escalator. Most likely a line of people in a hurry will form behind you, and you’ll experience throat clearing, exasperated sighs, or perhaps a few dirty looks. So if you’re in a rush, walk up the left side. If you’re not, then stand to the right and enjoy the multitude of advertisements on the walls. This was a new concept for me. I didn’t experience any death glares, but during my first trip I was gently instructed by a family member (a local) to stand aside when someone came up behind me.

Let the passengers exiting get off the train before you try to get on. As with buses, it’s polite to let them leave before entering. There will be enough time for you to wait and make it on the train before it leaves the station. Although, this doesn’t seem to stop some people (for some reason usually with rolling suitcases) from barging past other people to get on as soon as the doors open.

Make room. Once again as with buses, if it is rush hour and there are a lot of people waiting, shift down the train car so that more people can fit. In college it was always aggravating to see huge gaps of standing-room space on a bus pulling away because someone hadn’t shifted down to make more room. The same can be said of the Tube.

Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll have a much nicer Tube experience. Plus, there is no need to search for the “golden spot,” as the door spots are marked on the platform.

-L.

Mind the Gap – Part I

“Mind the gap.”

(source)

If you’re going to be living in or around London, you’ll be hearing this phrase a lot. Even if you aren’t going to be studying in London, there’s a good chance that you’ll visit the city for fun or for travel through the Heathrow or Gatwick airports. Whatever your reason for being in the city, the most economical and easiest way to get around London proper is through the Tube, or the Underground. The Tube is London’s subway system that runs through the heart of the city all the way to the suburbs (picture New York’s subway). It’s convenient for many reasons: it’s a cheap form of transportation; it has many stops around landmarks, tourist destinations, and major parts of the city; and well, it’s more fun (and usually faster) than waiting around for a bus.

“Mind the gap” is a warning to passengers regarding the gap between the subway train and the station platform. Upon arriving at a stop, the doors open, and a pleasant-sounding recorded voice reminds you to watch your step. It’s also painted on the edge of each platform as a visual cue. If you use the Tube enough, the phrase might become engrained in your psyche, and you might find yourself mouthing the words before the voice comes on over the intercom. The expression is so popular that it has entered into British popular culture. There are even souvenir items like shirts with the Underground logo and words “Mind the Gap” printed on them. Probably not the best gift option for the uninitiated though. Imagine going home and giving such a shirt to a friend who has never heard the phrase:

You: “Here, I bought this for you. Isn’t it funny?”

Friend: “Oh cool, thanks!”

          [Looks at shirt]

“…I don’t get it.”

-L.