Two documents set the rules on London's public transport. TfL's Conditions of Carriage are a contract: break them and TfL can refuse to carry you, cancel your ticket or charge a penalty fare. The TfL Railway Byelaws are criminal law: break one and you commit an offence that a court can fine up to level 3 on the standard scale, which is £1,000.
Most of the time the two say the same thing in different words. It matters when a member of staff tells you to finish your drink, fold your scooter or leave the station, because the document behind the instruction decides what can happen next. This page explains both, and then goes through the rules that visitors actually trip over, with the clause each one comes from.
The unwritten rules, such as standing on the right and letting people off first, are in our guide to Tube etiquette. This page is about the written ones.
The two rulebooks
- Conditions of Carriage
- A contract between you and TfL. Covers buses, the Tube, trams, the DLR, the London Overground and the Elizabeth line. Current version dated 24 September 2026 (checked November 2026)
- TfL Railway Byelaws
- Law made under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 and confirmed by the Secretary of State on 6 September 2011. In force since 5 October 2011. Cover the Underground, the DLR and the London Overground
- Penalty for a byelaw offence
- A fine of up to level 3 on the standard scale: £1,000
- On buses
- Behaviour is governed by the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990, alongside the Conditions of Carriage
- At bus stations
- TfL's Road Transport Premises Byelaws
- Where to read them
- tfl.gov.uk/terms, or from TfL Customer Services
A contract and a criminal law: what each can do to you
The Conditions of Carriage open with one sentence that explains their nature: when you travel, "you enter into a legal agreement with us". Touching in with a card, or buying a ticket, is accepting that contract. It sets out what TfL promises (to try to run reliable services, and refunds in defined cases) and what you promise in return (to pay the correct fare, and to follow the rules on luggage, animals and behaviour).
Because it is a contract, the consequences are mostly contractual. TfL can refuse you travel, require you to leave a train or station, withdraw or cancel a ticket or Oyster card that is misused, keep the credit on it, and charge a penalty fare. A few clauses also warn that you "may be prosecuted", and those point to the byelaws and other legislation.
The byelaws are different in kind. They were made by TfL under paragraph 26 of Schedule 11 to the Greater London Authority Act 1999 and confirmed by the Secretary of State for Transport under the Transport Act 1962. Byelaw 23 says that anyone who breaches any of them "commits an offence" and may be fined up to level 3 on the standard scale for each offence. Under the Sentencing Act 2020, level 3 is £1,000. That is a maximum a magistrates' court can impose, not a fixed fine.
Two enforcement byelaws give staff their powers. Byelaw 22 obliges you to give your name and address to an authorised person who reasonably suspects you of a breach, and that person must tell you in general terms what the suspected breach is. Byelaw 24 lets staff require you to leave and, if you refuse, remove you "using reasonable force". An authorised person includes TfL staff and contractors, police officers and police community support officers, and they must show identification if you ask.
Where each set of rules applies
The Conditions of Carriage cover every TfL mode named on their front page: bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line. Their own appendix lists the other rules that sit alongside them.
- The TfL Railway Byelaws cover the Underground, the DLR and the London Overground, their trains and their stations, and any train run for TfL under an agreement with it.
- Buses are governed by the Public Service Vehicles Conduct Regulations 1990, and bus stations by TfL's Road Transport Premises Byelaws.
- National Rail trains and stations run by other companies come under the national Railway Byelaws of 2005 and the National Rail Conditions of Travel.
The Elizabeth line is not named in the appendix's description of the TfL Railway Byelaws, and much of it runs over Network Rail tracks and stations. We could not find a TfL statement saying which byelaws apply at which Elizabeth line station. What is clear is that the Conditions of Carriage cover the whole line, so its contractual rules, including the alcohol ban, apply on every Elizabeth line train.
The difference matters most for alcohol. The national Railway Byelaws ban alcohol on a train only where reasonable notice prohibiting it has been given, which is why you can drink a beer on many long-distance trains out of London. TfL's own byelaws ban it outright.
The rules visitors trip over, and where each comes from
| Rule | Conditions of Carriage (contract) | TfL Railway Byelaws (criminal law) |
|---|---|---|
| No drinking, no open containers of alcohol | Clause 2.5, on all TfL buses, trams, trains, stations and tram platforms | Byelaw 4(2) and 4(3) |
| A valid ticket before you go through the gates | Clauses 5.1.1 and 7.3 | Byelaw 17, compulsory ticket areas |
| Go through the barrier properly; no pushing through behind someone | Clause 5.1.6 for paper tickets | Byelaw 9(2) and 9(3) |
| No smoking and no vaping | Clause 2.4, both | Byelaw 3, smoking where a notice says so |
| No skateboards, roller skates, scooters or hoverboards in use | Clause 2.4; e-scooters banned outright by clause 9.6 | Byelaw 15, pedestrian-only areas |
| Carry your dog on a moving escalator | Clause 9.17 | Byelaw 16(6) |
| No busking, selling or collecting money without permission | Not covered | Byelaw 7 |
| Keep to the right on escalators when standing | Not covered | Byelaw 9(1) |
| No flash photography or tripods | Clause 2.4 | Not covered |
Alcohol: the rule broken most often
The contract and the byelaws reach the same answer by different routes. Clause 2.5 of the Conditions of Carriage bans drinking and open containers across every TfL mode, buses included, and clause 2.6 warns of prosecution. The ban has applied across TfL since 1 June 2008.
Byelaw 4 goes further on the railway. It bans entering or staying on the railway while drunk, carrying an open container, and drinking, unless TfL has expressly permitted it in a particular area. It also lets staff require you to leave, keep you out until you are sober, and remove the alcohol.
A sealed bottle in a bag is allowed; an open can is not. Our page on alcohol laws in London covers drinking in parks and streets, where different rules apply.
A valid ticket before the gateline, not after
Byelaw 17 says no one may enter a compulsory ticket area without a valid ticket. A compulsory ticket area is any part of the railway marked by a notice saying so, and on the Underground that means everything past the ticket gates, including the trains. For a contactless card or Oyster, "valid" includes having touched in: the byelaws define validation as adding money to the card and touching it on the reader at the start and end of the journey.
There are three defences in byelaw 17(3): there was no working machine or reader where you started, a notice at that station allowed you to start without a ticket, or a member of staff gave you permission. "I was going to pay at the other end" is not one of them.
This is the rule behind most penalty fares, which our guide to penalty fares and ticket inspectors explains in full, including the £100 charge and how to appeal. The narrower cases have their own pages: a card that has no credit left, in if your Oyster runs out, and a journey you forgot to close, in what happens if you forget to touch out.
A dead phone is covered by the contract, not excused by it. Clause 7.3 says that if the contactless device you travel with runs out of battery or cannot be read, you may be charged a maximum fare, given a penalty fare or prosecuted. Under the byelaws you are then in a compulsory ticket area without a validated ticket. Our page on a phone that dies with your ticket on it covers what to do.
Luggage: what you can carry yourself
The luggage rules are in clause 9 of the Conditions of Carriage and they are simple. You may bring personal possessions and luggage that you are able to carry yourself, including on stairs and escalators. You must not bring anything more than 2 metres long, anything you cannot carry yourself, anything hazardous or inflammable, or anything likely to injure or obstruct other people. Luggage must not block a seat, an aisle, a door, the stairs or a lift.
Clause 9.2 is the one to remember: staff can refuse permission for you to take any item onto a service. Byelaw 2 adds a criminal-law ban on potentially dangerous items. Our page on luggage on the Tube deals with the practical side, such as which stations have lifts and when the trains are too full for a suitcase.
Dogs and other animals
Clause 9.15 lets any well-controlled dog travel, on a lead or in a container and off the seats, and staff may refuse an animal that seems dangerous. The escalator rule is the one place where the two documents overlap exactly: clause 9.17 tells you to use stairs or a lift where there is one, and byelaw 16(6) makes carrying the animal on a moving escalator a legal duty, except for trained assistance dogs and police dogs. Our page on dogs on London transport covers which stations make that difficult.
Wheels: scooters, skateboards and bikes
Clause 2.4 bans using bicycles, roller skates, roller blades, scooters, skateboards and hoverboards on vehicles, in stations and on tram platforms. That is about riding them; a folded scooter you can carry is allowed under clause 9.4, and you may be asked to fold it. Byelaw 15 says anyone in a part of the railway open to the public must be on foot, with exceptions for a properly used baby carriage or wheelchair.
Electric scooters, non-folding electric bicycles and electric unicycles are banned outright by clause 9.6, folded or not, on every TfL service including the cable car. Our page on e-scooters and e-bikes in London explains why and what you can ride on the roads instead. Ordinary bicycles have their own timetable of permitted lines and hours, which our guide to taking a bike on London transport sets out.
Busking, selling and collecting money
Byelaw 7 bans singing or playing music "to the annoyance of any person", selling anything, advertising, and touting for or soliciting money, unless the operator has given written permission. The musicians at marked pitches in Underground stations have that permission: they are licensed through TfL's busking scheme, which holds auditions in front of a panel. Anyone else playing for money in a station, or walking through a carriage collecting it, is in breach of byelaw 7.
Smaller rules that still carry a fine
- Escalators. Byelaw 9(1) says you may only stand or walk on an escalator in the direction of travel, and you must keep to the right when not walking. The famous "stand on the right" is law, not just manners.
- Doors. Byelaw 10 bans entering a train before people leaving it have passed through the door, and forcing or obstructing doors that are closing.
- Litter, spitting and graffiti. Byelaw 6 covers all three, along with offensive language and disorderly behaviour.
- Photography. Clause 2.4 bans flash and tripods, and commercial filming without TfL's permission. Our page on photography rules in London covers the rest of the city.
Smoking is banned by byelaw 3 wherever a notice says so, and the Conditions of Carriage ban both smoking and vaping across all vehicles and stations. The wider rules, indoors and out, are in our guide to smoking and vaping in the UK.
What the contract gives you in return
The Conditions of Carriage also hold your rights as a passenger: delay refunds, the replacement of a registered Oyster card, lost property and bus accessibility for wheelchair users. TfL's staff, the introduction says, "have no authority to make individual exceptions" to them, which cuts both ways: a member of staff cannot waive a rule, and cannot refuse you something the conditions grant.
The most useful of those rights for a visitor is the delay refund, which our page on TfL service delay refunds explains step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Can I carry an unopened bottle of wine on the Tube?
Yes. The ban in the Conditions of Carriage and in byelaw 4 is on drinking alcohol and on carrying an open container of it, not on carrying a sealed bottle home from a shop. An open can or a bottle with the cork pulled is a breach, and staff can ask you to leave.
What is the difference between TfL's Conditions of Carriage and the byelaws?
The Conditions of Carriage are a contract you accept when you travel; breaking them can lead to being refused travel, a cancelled ticket or a penalty fare. The Railway Byelaws are criminal law made under the Greater London Authority Act 1999, and breaking one is an offence a court can fine.
How much is the fine for breaking a TfL byelaw?
Up to level 3 on the standard scale, which is £1,000, for each offence. That is the maximum a magistrates' court can impose after a prosecution. It is separate from a penalty fare, which is a fixed charge for travelling without a valid ticket and not a criminal fine.
Can TfL staff make me leave a station?
Yes. Byelaw 24 says anyone reasonably believed to be in breach of the byelaws must leave when asked, and may be removed using reasonable force if they refuse. The member of staff must state the breach in general terms first, and show identification if you ask.
Is standing on the right on Tube escalators a law?
Yes, in a sense. Byelaw 9(1) says you may only stand or walk on an escalator in the direction of travel, and must keep to the right when you are not walking. It is a byelaw, so a breach is technically an offence, though staff normally just ask people to move.
Sources
- Transport for London - Conditions of Carriage for bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line services, 24 September 2026 (checked November 2026)
- Transport for London - Railway Byelaws (checked November 2026)
- Transport for London - Terms and conditions (checked November 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Sentencing Act 2020, section 122 (the standard scale of fines) (checked November 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990 (checked November 2026)
- GOV.UK - Department for Transport, Railway Byelaws (checked November 2026)
- Transport for London - Busking (checked November 2026)