Londoners reminded to make the most of discounts as Friday off-peak fares trial ends this week

Transport for London (TfL) is reminding people that an innovative three-month trial of off-peak fares on Fridays will end this week (31 May 2024).

Since 8 March 2024, Tube and rail fares on pay as you go with contactless and Oyster have been off-peak all day on Fridays, with millions of Tube and rail customers across London and parts of the south east benefiting from the trial.

Peak fares ordinarily apply between 06:30 and 09:30 and between 16:00 and 19:00 on both TfL and National Rail services. Making journeys on Fridays off-peak all day has made it cheaper for people to travel into London, with the aim of supporting economic growth by encouraging more people back onto public transport and into the office, and the city, on a day that has been quieter than other weekdays.

During the trial, the daily cap on contactless and Oyster has been amended to cap fares at an off-peak rate on Fridays, helping those who make multiple journeys through the day save even more. The trial has also seen 60+ London Oyster photocard and Older Persons’ Freedom Passes able to be used on TfL and National Rail services before 9am, helping Londoners with these passes to travel for free all day on Fridays.

After the end of the trial, TfL will use a combination of public transport ridership data, research into customer perceptions, and feedback from the business community to evaluate the cumulative impact of implementing off-peak fares on Friday. This will then be used to inform future decision-making or other potential innovative approaches to fares across London.

TfL Image – Contactless payment copyright Transport for London
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Alex Williams, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer at TfL said: “London is an amazing place to live, work and socialise, and this trial has looked to make it easier for people to travel into and around London on a Friday. Analysis of the trial is ongoing, and will help us to better understand how targeted initiatives like this could help encourage more people back onto public transport and into the London on a day that is currently quieter than midweek days.”

Throughout the trial, TfL and VisitLondon.com have been working with local businesses across London and key stakeholders to help promote a range of activities to further encourage people to make the most of their Fridays. OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech, are headline partner for TfL’s off-peak Friday fares trial and is a central destination for Londoners looking to discover special menus and deals across a range of restaurants in the city. More than 120 restaurants, located all across London, are offering deals via www.opentable.co.uk/Fridays, including a Two-course set menu at Bill’s Restaurant and Bar across London (excluding Victoria), with a free drink, for only £17.50

Further deals can also be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/deals – including 15 per cent off pre-booked tickets for the IFS Cloud Cable Car during off-peak Fridays by using code “FRIDAY15” on the TfL website. London & Partners, London’s business growth and destination agency, has also created a new webpage – https://www.visitlondon.com/fridays – where Londoners can see a range of exciting offers from restaurants, museums, theatres and landmark attractions available on Fridays during the trial, subject to availability, to encourage Londoners back into the city.