London Tube: Do my children (4 and 7) go free on the Tube/bus at any time with us if we have peak travelcards?

Question

i am trying to buy some travel cards in advance in the US from visitbritain.com - http://www.visitbritaindirect.com/en-US/default.aspx -

and if we buy 3 day peak travelcards - will we need anything for our kids ages 4 and 7 to hop a bus or the tube with u? we will probably mostly travel around on London transport after 9:30am each day but we might like to catch the tube at 8:30 or 9am to try and reach our first sight of the day - and it would be great to be able to jump on the tube before 'off peak' starts at 9:30. (we know it will be packed and will have to weigh the pros and cons of rush hour travel) Thanks!!

Answer 1

Yes, they go free at any time as long as you have a valid ticket, regardless of the type.  If you look at www.tfl.gov.uk it will give most of the information you need on using public transport in London.

I would, however, strongly urge you against using the tube and busses at rush hour if you don't need to, especially with young children.  The overcrowding is something that most first-time visitors are quite shocked by and I really don't think that two children so young are going to find it a particularly nice experience.  Plus please think about the daily commuters (like me!) who have to put up with that every day - there's nothing worse than being crammed into a carriage, barely able to move and then realising that half of the people filling the carriage and taking up space are tourists who really have no necessity to be on there at that time of day!!

Answer 2

yes they go free ... if they are unaccompanied they would need an Oyster photocard but I hardly imagine you would be letting your young children travel on their own so I think you can forget about that bit

there's no need to buy travelcards in advance ... they're easily available at any tube station or shops which have the terminals (look for the London Transport sign in the shop window)

as for travelling during rush hour, do please take care of your children ... when mine were young I used to find the problem was that if the carriage is really full, because the children's heads aren't visible amongst the adult heads, people would think there was a space there and try to push into it ... I got quite scared for my children's safety at times ... try to get away from the scrush at the doors and stand in the aisle between the seats ... if you get the chance of a seat, grab it quick and sit the little ones on your knee

how packed the tube will be between 9.00 and 9.30 is variable ... sometimes the rush has started to ease up by then, but sometimes it hasn't, you'll just have to try your luck ... and I fully agree with you on trying to get an early start

welcome to London and I hope you have a great visit ... this is a beautiful city