Monday, May 14, 2012

All Information Needed by Travelers in London

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By Jovy Ann


There are many alternatives when travelling in London: there is the ubiquitous London Black Cab, the busy London Underground, the slightly tedious London Bus, boats on the Thames, and hired bicycles (known as Boris's Bikes).

Travelling in London can be expensive, but the most cost effective way is with Oyster cards which are essentially bus train tickets that can be used on London Underground and Overground, the Tram, National Rail, and Thames Clippers. Physically it is a smartcard that is read by touching it on an automatic reader and you can load it with pre-paid credit or a travelcard London. Even if you don't pre-purchase a travelcard, your daily transport charges will be capped at travelcard prices; Oyster cards are designed to provide the lowest fares.

The price of a travelcard London will rely on the amount of zones in which you travel. All in all there are nine zones, zones 1 and 2 being in the centre and zones 3 to 9 covering Outer London. Travelling on the tube is the most admired means to take a trip in London, but at hectic times it can be extremely congested and uncomfortable. Fraction of it is the oldest underground railway in the world and it shows. On the other hand it is the best ever way around the capital and with a total of 250 stations and 250 miles of track you can reach just about anywhere in the city. There are 11 lines that are color coded on underground maps which, until you get used to them, can be a bit of an intelligence test; but if you get stuck the staff are always friendly and helpful (we wish).

The black cabs are an indispensable piece of London despite the fact that these days a lot of are not black and their drivers are smart kinds frequently with a theoretical bent; their beguiling talk can be amusing and it will aid take your mind of the huge taxi fare that is clocking up on the meter whist you are trapped in a traffic jam. London buses are all painted red although they are run by a number of private operators. There are a lot of grand bus paths and receiving around London by bus can be a challenge. However fares are reasonable, and services tend to be regular. Try to avoid major routes during busy times as the busses can get overcrowded and unpleasant and journeys can take a very long time.

Today the most loved way to go around the entire city is through the Boris bikes. They are named after the Lord Mayor Boris Johnson, but actually the method is Barclays Cycle Hire. Throughout the 400 bike docking stations that are spread in central London it make it possible to allow members of the community to rent one of the 6,000 bikes that are at presently obtainable. The system can be accessed by pre-ordering a key, or by means of a credit card at the docking station. You be able to buy immediately a single day's admission or access for a week. There is a little access charge (currently 1 for 24 hours) and the first 30 minutes usage is free. Use it for an hour and the cost is 1 but then rises sharply. If you keep it for the full 24 hours you will be charged 50; note that if you dock it every 30 minutes, then wait 5 minutes before you ride away again, you can hire it all day for free.




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