Here’s what no one tells you: the Weekly Travelcard includes unlimited bus travel across all zones (including Zone 1). That’s right—you can hop on a bus to Oxford Street for free. The card’s name is misleading; it’s actually a “Zone 2-4 Tube” card plus a secret all-areas bus pass. I call it the “bus cheat code.”
London Tube Zones 1 6 Map
I once took a bus from Wimbledon (Zone 3) to Tottenham Court Road (Zone 1) just to see if it worked. It did. I felt like a spy—a spy with a reusable bag and a half-eaten pain au chocolat. So if you’re a bus person, this card is excellent. Just be ready for the slowness of London traffic. You’ll get there. Eventually.
And if you’re thinking, “But what about weekends?”—yes, it covers those too. Saturday market in Brixton? Covered. Sunday walk in Richmond Park? Covered. You become the mayor of your own outer-London kingdom.
Who should buy it?
You, if you live in Zone 4 and work in Zone 2 or 3. You, if you’re a student at a university in Stratford (Zone 2) or Kingston (Zone 6? no—wait, Kingston is Zone 6, but you’d need a different card). You, if you hate tapping your card like a nervous robot every time you switch from Tube to bus.
What Is Zone 2 London at Roger Monday blog
But not you if you work in Zone 1. That’s a different beast—a more expensive, more crowded, “I’m breathing my neighbor’s armpit” kind of beast. For that, you need a Zone 1-4 or 1-6 pass. This card is for the true suburbanites, the ones who know the best kebab shops in Wembley by heart.
The downsides (because I’m honest)
It’s not all roses. First, the Weekly Travelcard is paper-first if you buy it at a station, which means you’ll end up with a crumpled mess in your pocket by Wednesday. (Get an Oyster card and load it digitally—you’re welcome.) Second, if you’re a late-night reveller, the last train from Zone 1 to Zone 4 might leave you stranded at 11:45 PM. That’s when you discover the Night Bus—and the Night Bus is a whole other species of human experience.
Also, the price goes up every January. I know. It’s like a bad joke that never gets funnier. But compared to pay-as-you-go, if you travel just four days a week, you’re still winning. And if you travel five? You’re basically a mathematician with a better commute.
So here’s my final pitch: if you live in the outer rings, stop overpaying. Get the Zone 2 to 4 Travelcard Weekly. Use it on the bus, the Tube, the Overground, the DLR, and even the trams (yes, those still exist). You’ll save money, you’ll save time thinking about money, and you’ll feel like you outsmarted the entire TfL system. And if you ever feel guilty, just think of me on that Circle Line sandwich journey. I made it work.
