"TFL-issued" Travelcard Discounts on Uber Thames Clippers

[trainJam]

Perhaps not directly rail, but related to transport in London:

A few years ago (before Uber ran it, MBNA iirc) I remember buying a discounted Thames clipper boat ticket with an out boundary travelcard (ie Birmingham to London Zones 1-6).

I have checked the Thames clipper website (https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/ticket-information)

There is still a discounted fare, but an emphasis on "TfL-issued" which I don't remember.

Does this mean that Outboundary travelcards are not suitable (my specific dilemma, issued at Birmingham)?

More generally (including inboundary), does it specifically mean tickets issued by TFL printers/stations? In other words, would a travel card issued at a NR station in London Fare Zones (e.g. Orpington) be unsuitable?

What ineligible types/issuing locations/retailers are uber Thames clippers implying?

 

[CyrusWuff]

My suspicion is that the only format that will actually be rejected is a Travelcard that's held on an ITSO Smartcard, as staff will be unable to validate it. NR-issued paper Travelcards will almost certainly be accepted, as otherwise you could end up with the situation that one bought from a London Underground ticket machine at Stratford (for example) is accepted, but one bought from the Greater Anglia Ticket Office isn't.

That said, I've been around long enough that it wouldn't surprise me if they did reject such a ticket!

 

[Edvid]

I've travelled on Thames Clippers with a discounted ticket + NR-issued paper Travelcard (most recently in mid-2023) several times without issue, so it should be fine.

 

[MrJeeves]

My suspicion is that the only format that will actually be rejected is a Travelcard that's held on an ITSO Smartcard, as staff will be unable to validate it.

They can use their RIDs to inspect it. I've genuinely had success with this once.

The conversation went a bit like:

Them: Can I see your Travelcard please?
Me: Here.
Them: It's on that?
Me: Yeah, it's on my Smartcard.
Them: *scans it* Oh wow, I've never seen one like that before.

It was a couple of years ago now... I don't really remember when but I'll try and dig out the email confirmation from the app to date it.

Easier than I thought. This was 31 August 2022. I'd assume it's not changed since!

 

[Edvid]

Thames Clippers fares will change in two weeks' time:

From Sunday, 2 March 2025, our fares at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers will change. While most ticket types will see a price increase, season tickets and the Cross River fare will remain frozen. Additionally, the price of the 20-ticket carnet will be reduced by 1.4%.

Changes include a 60p increase to £4.75 for Travelcard-holder adult singles, which unlike regular adult singles aren't discounted for website/app/Oyster/contactless purchases. Fare rises will be steeper for singles/returns bought on the pier and Travelcard singles.

Full March 2025 fares list