The Croydon Guardian has joined calls to move East and West Croydon stations from Zone 5 to Zone 4, saving commuters hundreds of pounds a year.

Sign the Croydon Guardian's petition at www.croydonguardian.co.uk/zone4

Labour parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central, Sarah Jones, and Croydon North MP Steve Reed were at East Croydon station on Monday to launch a campaign by handing out leaflets to passengers.

They want the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to switch East Croydon and West Croydon stations into Zone 4, a move which could save users up to £336 a year on an annual travelcard.

Ms Jones said: “Croydon is one of London’s key growth areas, highlighted in the Mayor’s own London plan.

“With new housing and shopping developments, and the success of new small businesses and Tech City, Croydon is set to become a vibrant European city, the new capital of the south-east.

“Faced with all this opportunity, I call on the Mayor to make this change and put money back into the pockets of the hardworking people of Croydon.”

Steve Reed added: “The Mayor of London must move these two Croydon stations into Zone 4. “Croydon is closer to central London than many existing Zone 4 stations.

“It’s only fair that Croydon should get this change.”

How do the numbers stack up?

The Croydon Guardian has crunched the numbers and come out in support of the move.

A seven-day travelcard covering Zones 1 to 5 costs £53.40, while the cost for zones 1 to 4 is £45, which is a difference of £8.40 a week.

An annual travelcard for Zones 1 to 5 costs commuters £2,136, while the equivalent cost for Zones 1 to 4 is £336.00 a year less at £1,800.

Crucially the change should not impact on those travelling to these stations for work from further out areas as travelcard prices for Zones 4 to 6 are the same as those for 5 to 6.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokeswoman said the Mayor of London Boris Johnson has received a lot of requests to re-zone stations since the announcement in July that stations in Stratford were to be changed from Zone 3 to Zones 2/3.

She said: “Any request or discussion on re-zoning is done on a case by case basis, assessing the cost and benefit to all those involved.”

Before the changes can be made, the companies in charge of the stations, Southern for East Croydon and TfL for West Croydon, would need to get the agreement of all the train operating companies who are members of the travelcard agreement before making a formal proposal to Department for Transport.

The Secretary of State for Transport would then have to agree the change.

It usually takes a minimum of a year for re-zoning to take place.

Labour parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central, Sarah Jones, and Croydon North MP Steve Reed launched the campaign on Monday (pictured below)

Your Local Guardian:

How much cheaper will it be in Zone 4?

A Zone 5 to 6 anytime travelcard costs £17 and off peak is £8.90, the same price as a Zone 4 to 6 travelcard.

People travelling from Coulsdon South, Purley, Kenley and other stations in Zone 6 would not have to pay more if East Croydon and West Croydon are moved.

The daily Pay as You Go cap on Oyster for Zone 4 to 6 is £15.80 peak and £8.50 off peak, the same as the Pay as You Go cap for zones 5 to 6.

The Oyster cap for Zone 1 to 4 is only £10.60 peak and £7.70, meaning a saving of £5.20 a day on the peak cap and 80p on the off-peak cap if travelling to Zone 1.

Commuters travelling from East Croydon or West Croydon during peak hours would pay £5.60 less on an anytime travelcard at £11.40 per day instead of £17.

On an annual travelcard this would be a saving of £336, £2,136 to £1,800.

Why isn't Croydon in Zone 4 already?

East Croydon and West Croydon are much closer to Zone 1 stations than many already in Zone 4.

And the journey times from Croydon are much quicker than several of these places.

According to times from Transport for London’s route planner, a train from East Croydon to London Bridge takes just 13 minutes and to Victoria takes 16 minutes.

Passengers from West Croydon can get to London Bridge in 25 minutes or Victoria in 30 minutes.

This is compared to a 31-minute journey from Chigwell in east London to Liverpool Street and 27 minutes from Abbey Wood to London Bridge.

In the south, Worcester Park to Waterloo takes 29 minutes, and in the north Burnt Oak to Euston is a 25-minute journey.

Sign the Croydon Guardian's petition at www.croydonguardian.co.uk/zone4