On this page I try to explain the art of fare capping using real examples. Unless otherwise stated they are for full adult fares using Oyster.
Multiple buses in one day
| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 08:58 | Bus 96 | | £1.50 | £1.50 | |
| 09:20 | Bus 229 | | £0.00 | £1.50 | Hopper fare |
| 10:30 | Bus 51 | | £1.50 | £3.00 | |
| 12:44 | Bus 469 | | £1.50 | £4.50 | |
| 16:47 | Bus 428 | | £0.00 | £4.50 | Daily bus cap reached |
Commute using National Rail and Underground
Note how even a simple return journey can sometimes be limited by caps.| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 08:00 | Crayford (6) | Oxford Circus (1) | £8.20 | £8.20 | |
| 17:00 | Oxford Circus (1) | Crayford (6) | £4.60 | £12.80 | Zone 1-6 daily cap reached |
Morning Peak journey with Off-peak cap reached
The first journey is during the morning peak and the day involves travel outside zones 1-6 so there is a cheaper off-peak cap available. Note that the anytime cap is not reached.| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 09:10 | Bus 96 | | £1.50 | £1.50 | |
| 09:35 | Crayford (6) | London Bridge (1) | £4.10 | £5.60 | |
| 12:15 | London Bridge (1) | Bond Street (1) | £2.40 | £8.00 | |
| 13:30 | Bond Street (1) | Tottenham Ct Rd (1) | £2.40 | £10.40 | |
| 15:00 | Oxford Circus (1) | Dartford (8) | £4.00 | £14.40 | Zone 1-8 off-peak cap
plus £1.50 for early bus |
Morning Peak journey with Anytime cap reached
The same journeys but without using the bus to avoid a peak rail fare. This time the daily anytime cap is reached before the off-peak cap.| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 09:10 | Dartford (8) | London Bridge (1) | £7.60 | £7.60 | |
| 12:15 | London Bridge (1) | Bond Street (1) | £2.40 | £10.00 | |
| 13:30 | Bond Street (1) | Tottenham Ct Rd (1) | £2.40 | £12.40 | |
| 15:00 | Oxford Circus (1) | Dartford (8) | £4.10 | £16.50 | Zone 1-8 daily cap reached |
Daily Capping with Oyster (mainly zone 1-2)
| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 10:10 | Upminster (6) | Tower Hill (1) | £3.10 | £3.10 | |
| 12:15 | Aldgate (1) | Baker Street (1) | £2.40 | £5.50 | |
| 13:02 | Baker Street (1) | Oxford Circus (1) | £2.40 | £7.90 | |
| 14:28 | Bond Street (1) | Camden Town (2) | £2.40 | £10.30 | |
| 16:30 | Camden Town (2) | Upminster (6) | £2.50 | £12.80 | Zone 1-6 daily cap reached |
Daily Capping with Contactless (mainly zone 1-2)
| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 10:10 | Upminster (6) | Tower Hill (1) | £3.10 | £3.10 | will become a zone 6-3 extension later |
| 12:15 | Aldgate (1) | Baker Street (1) | £2.40 | £5.50 | |
| 13:02 | Baker Street (1) | Oxford Circus (1) | £2.40 | £7.90 | |
| 14:28 | Bond Street (1) | Camden Town (2) | £0.60 | £8.50 | Zone 1-2 daily cap plus £1.50 off-peak extension fare for zones 6-3 |
| 16:30 | Camden Town (2) | Upminster (6) | £2.80 | £11.30 | As above plus a zone 3-6 peak extension fare |
Rail in zones 1-2 plus buses and a tram
There is a special consideration if you cap at the zones 1-2 rate and then decide to use the tram. This is because trams only run in zones 3-6 and thus are not valid if the travelcard or cap doesn't include one of those zones.| Time | From | To | Fare | Total | Notes |
|---|
| 10:10 | Bayswater (1) | Westminster (1) | £2.40 | £2.40 | |
| 11:25 | Victoria (1) | Brixton (2) | £2.40 | £4.80 | |
| 11:42 | Bus 109 | | £1.50 | £6.30 | |
| 13:21 | West Croydon Tram | | £1.50 | £7.80 | Tram takes cap over zones 1-2 |
| 14:55 | Bus 54 | | £0.40 | £8.20 | Zone 1-3 daily cap reached |
| 16:30 | Lewisham (2) | Bayswater (1) | £0.00 | £8.20 | |
I’ll be adding further examples over time. Do respond in the comments if you have a scenario that you’d like explained.
This page updated 19 February 2019.
2 Responses
Hello Mike,
thanks for the examples.
I have another scenario I’m curious about (I think there is no influence of the time on the total price):
Bayswater (1) -> Westminster (1) (tube)
Victoria (1) -> Brixton (2) (tube)
Brixton [-> West Croydon] (bus 109)
West Croydon [-> Beckenham Junctiom] (tram, but not within a hopper fare!)
Beckenham Junction [-> Lewisham] (bus 54, but not within a hopper fare!)
Lewisham (2+3) -> Bayswater (1) (DLR + tube)
Thanks a lot for your help!
Ulf from Germany
Hi Ulf,
That’s an excellent suggestion. It’s reminded me that I need to examine some other edge cases involving trams. Your specific example is included above.