Best Consumer Campaign
Don’t Cut the Card
@cbtransport
Social media image used as part of the campaign.
With the backing of supporters and key members of the transport industry, Campaign for Better Transport’s Don’t Cut the Card campaign successfully saved London’s iconic Day Travelcard from extinction.
The Campaign
In July 2023, Transport for London informed the Government that it could no longer afford to fund the Day Travelcard ticket, which offers unlimited and integrated travel around London by tube, bus, and train. It was understood that the sale of these iconic paper tickets could cease by January 2024.
Don’t Cut the Card aimed to save the Day Travelcard and highlight the negative impact on certain groups, including families, people with disabilities, commuters, and those without contactless payment, should the Travelcard be withdrawn.
The campaign employed a range of tactics; mobilising affected supporters, lobbying Government, engaging the business and tourist industries, and targeting London media. Hundreds of supporters shared why the Travelcard was so important to them, while a joint letter to the Mayor of London signed by local councils, fellow transport charities, and business groups, ensured City Hall’s engagement with the campaign.
Social media image used as part of the campaign.
I’m thrilled that our campaign to save London’s Day Travelcard has been recognised. ‘Don’t Cut the Card’ represents what Campaign for Better Transport does best; mobilising our passionate supporters, targeting those in power, and getting our message out there via the media. Saving the Travelcard has brought huge relief to the millions that rely on this brilliant integrated ticket every year and I’m proud that we’ve played a part in its rescue”.
Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport
Social media image used as part of the campaign.
I’m thrilled that our campaign to save London’s Day Travelcard has been recognised. ‘Don’t Cut the Card’ represents what Campaign for Better Transport does best; mobilising our passionate supporters, targeting those in power, and getting our message out there via the media. Saving the Travelcard has brought huge relief to the millions that rely on this brilliant integrated ticket every year and I’m proud that we’ve played a part in its rescue”.
Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport
The Change
The multi-faceted approach of Don’t Cut the Card worked. On 24 October 2023, Transport for London formally reversed its decision to scrap the London Day Travelcard. Through the campaign, councils and MPs from across the political spectrum paid heed to supporters’ concerns and were able to find consensus.
Campaign for Better Transport wrote to all MPs representing a constituency in, or within a 70-mile radius of, London to alert them that a decision on the Travelcard’s future was imminent. The message got through! Dialogue was encouraged between London’s Local Authorities, Council Groups, and the Department for Transport. Additional support by the tourist industry amplified the economic arguments to save the Travelcard.
Don’t Cut the Card received widespread coverage in London and wider regional media, including the London Evening Standard, BBC News, the Daily Mail, and Time Out. Pulled together over a short period of several weeks, the campaign’s messages reached its target audiences effectively and efficiently, resulting in a positive decision to not cut the card.
The Future
With the Travelcard saved, families visiting the capital have been saved from the 16% projected increase in travel costs had the card been removed. Disabled travellers have been spared paying extra for travel through London with no way to attach a Disabled Persons Railcard to a contactless payment method. Commuters no longer face a postcode lottery that could have meant passengers paying 2% to 50% more, depending on where they travel from.
Complicated train fares are a barrier for people across the UK when choosing how to travel. The London Day Travelcard is exactly the type of simple, integrated ticket that is needed to encourage more journeys by public transport.
Who else was involved?
Co-signatories of our joint letter to the Mayor of London:
Bus Users UK; England’s Economic Heartland; Small Businesses; Greener Vision: Living Streets; London Deanery; London TravelWatch; Luton Borough Council; Medway Council; Night Time Industries Association; North Northamptonshire Council; Slough Council; Surrey County Council; Transport Action Network; Transport & Environment; Transport East; Transport for All; Transport for the South East; Watford Borough Council; West Berkshire Council; Wokingham Borough Council.
