London transport to get contactless payment

Millions of customers are set for easier and more convenient journeys from 16 September, when Transport for London (TfL) will introduce contactless payments for all pay as you go customers on the Tube, London Overground, DLR and trams in addition to the capital's buses. The new option means that passengers will no longer be any need to top up Oyster card balances because fares are charged directly to payment card accounts. Contactless payments - credit, debit, charge or pre-paid cards or devices - work i
July 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

Millions of customers are set for easier and more convenient journeys from 16 September, when 1466 Transport for London (TfL) will introduce contactless payments for all pay as you go customers on the Tube, London Overground, 6782 DLR and trams in addition to the capital's buses.

The new option means that passengers will no longer be any need to top up Oyster card balances because fares are charged directly to payment card accounts. Contactless payments - credit, debit, charge or pre-paid cards or devices - work in the same way as Oyster, charging the pay as you go fare by touching in and out on the readers at the start and end of every journey.

In addition to daily capping, a new Monday to Sunday cap will also apply for customers using the contactless payment option, as TfL's advanced system will automatically calculate the best value contactless fare over the course of the week.

Contactless payments have operated on the capital's bus network since December 2012, and have been used by around 825,000 customers for 17 million journeys.

Around 65,000 journeys a day are being made using a contactless payment card. A pilot of the system on the London Underground and rail network which began in April involving around 3,000 customers has been successful. 

Customer feedback has been used to improve the service, including making the online accounts easier to use. Ahead of the launch on 16 September, TfL is continuing to remind customers that it is imperative that they only touch one card to the reader to avoid 'card clash'.

This simple measure will ensure customers avoid paying with a card they did not intend to use. It will also avoid gates not opening or not giving a green light to proceed. An extensive customer campaign has been running since February to reduce the incidents of card clash and this will be enhanced further ahead of the September launch.

TfL and National Rail will continue to work together to develop the programme to expand the system to the suburban rail routes where Oyster is currently accepted.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Jakarta to be ‘congestion-free by 2030’
    January 7, 2014
    In a bid to make the city congestion free by 2030, the Jakarta administration has pledged to make public transport the most used form of transportation in the city, and has allocated US$423 million in 2014 to develop the transportation system. Plans include seven transit-oriented developments (TOD) across the capital region, a total of 38 bus corridors and 17 park-and-ride centres, all of which will be integrated into a city-wide public transport grid. The park and ride centres will enable motorcyclists
    Read More
  • Gothenburg to implement congestion charging
    February 2, 2012
    Gothenburg, which is line to become Sweden's second major city to implement congestion charging, will not enjoy the pre-deployment trials and referendum which Stockholm did. But, says the STA's Eva Söderberg, this is less of an issue than might be imagined
    Read More
  • £2 bus scheme sees Go-Ahead carrying 10 million passengers
    March 28, 2023
    One route has seen a jump of 130% in ridership since the start of discounted fares
    Read More
  • Mayor secures record investment in cycling in London
    December 9, 2016
    London Mayor Sadiq Khan has committed to spending US$194 million (£154 million) per year on cycling over the next five years, representing an average US$21 (£17) per head per annum, a level of spending on a par with Denmark and the Netherlands. The investment, part of the Transport for London (TfL) draft Business Plan, goes beyond his manifesto commitment to increase the proportion of TfL’s budget spent on cycling. It will also include substantial benefits for pedestrians with new pedestrian crossings an
    Read More

Highlighted Content