London's child fares depend on age, service and the document used, not simply on travelling alongside an adult. Before your trip, note each child's age during the stay and distinguish ordinary urban travel from airport trains or a railway excursion. Doing this early prevents expensive assumptions at a ticket machine or gate.
Children under eleven travel free on buses and trams. On the Tube, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line, they can travel free with a fare-paying adult, up to four children per adult, within the applicable conditions. Do not automatically extend that rule to every National Rail service appearing on your itinerary.
For children aged eleven to fifteen, a bank card does not establish age or activate a reduced fare. The 11–15 Zip Oyster photocard is a separate product with application requirements. Visitors can instead consider Young Visitor, a discount added by staff to a standard Oyster card or a Visitor Oyster card.
Young Visitor provides fifty per cent off eligible adult pay-as-you-go fares and daily caps for up to fourteen days. The child must be present when you request it. Do not confuse this temporary visitor discount with the free bus travel available under the different conditions of an 11–15 Zip photocard.
Plan your journey
Before paying for a photocard, check whether your circumstances require one. An under-eleven who always travels accompanied within free-travel coverage may not need it. The 5–10 Zip is useful in other situations and has specific conditions, including a published Elizabeth line exclusion between West Drayton and Reading. For airports and National Rail, verify the operator and precise journey: an urban concession is not a universal children's pass for every British train. Allow time for applications rather than assuming a photocard can be issued instantly on arrival.
- Check the exact journey in the official planner before travelling.
Decisions that matter
Plan how your family will pass the gates before approaching them. Ask staff about the appropriate wide gate for an adult accompanying children who travel free, rather than trying to reuse one payment card for everyone. Each child using Oyster should validate with their own card: touch in and out for rail, and in only when boarding a bus. Carry suitable evidence to clarify age if needed, and avoid leaving concession arrangements until a tight connection when station staff may be dealing with other passengers.
- Check the exact journey in the official planner before travelling.
Before setting off
Choose routes with fewer changes and enough rest breaks. A station accessible from street to platform can still have a boarding gap, so check accessibility guidance when using a buggy. Use lifts where available, fasten the child securely and apply the brake whenever stationary. On buses, wheelchair users have priority for the wheelchair space. Review current rules before travelling: application documents, eligibility ages and concession coverage differ between products. A journey that is slightly longer on paper may be far easier for a family than a complicated sequence of crowded interchanges.
- Check the exact journey in the official planner before travelling.
