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

  • Contactless smart card readers from Arcontia
    March 1, 2013
    Swedish producer of contactless smart card readers and terminals Arcontia International has extended its range of smart card read­ers with the new ARC2325 and ARC2335 devices for cashless ticketing and payment applications. Both readers are based on 13.56MHz contactless technology and are fully com­patible with the entire Mifare family, includ­ing Mifare Plus, Mifare DESFire EV1 and Mifare UltraLight C, as well as supporting Smart MX and Calypso. The readers also come with a comprehensive software devel­opm
    Read More
  • DriveNow London expands car-sharing fleet with EVs
    May 20, 2015
    London’s DriveNow has expanded its car-sharing service with the addition of thirty BMW i3 electric vehicles (EVs). , The BMW/Sixt joint venture offers one-way flexible car-sharing in the North London boroughs of Islington, Hackney, Haringey and Waltham Forest. Following its launch in December 2014, this takes the growing fleet total to 270 vehicles being used across the boroughs, offering residents and businesses a viable alternative to use of private cars with it's on demand, pay per use model. Commentin
    Read More
  • Morpho, Transport for London and Zwipe in running for SESAMES Awards
    October 28, 2014
    The winners of the SESAMES Awards – often called the Oscars of the smart card, digital security, identification and secure transactions sectors – will be announced on Monday 3 November. The coveted trophies will be awarded in a gala ceremony in the heart of Paris, on the eve of CARTES. The finalists in the 11 categories covering the best technological innovations are:
    Read More
  • Q&A: Giesecke & Devrient
    November 19, 2013
    xel Deininger, Group Senior Vice President and Head of the Secure Devices division at Giesecke & Devrient, explains what his company is offering potential customers at CARTES this week – and why the industry is facing a renewed need for standardisation
    Read More

Highlighted Content