London underground goes contactless

From next week, Transport for London (TfL) is to introduce contactless payments on London’s tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services that accept Oyster. The new option, which is part of a range of improvements TfL is making for customers, means that passengers will no longer need to spend time topping up Oyster balances because fares are charged directly to payment card accounts. Contactless payments were launched on London's buses in December 2012. A successful pilot of the cont
September 9, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

From next week, 1466 Transport for London (TfL) is to introduce contactless payments on London’s tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services that accept Oyster.

The new option, which is part of a range of improvements TfL is making for customers, means that passengers will no longer need to spend time topping up Oyster balances because fares are charged directly to payment card accounts.

Contactless payments were launched on London's buses in December 2012. A successful pilot of the contactless system on the tube and rail network paved the way for launch across transport in London.

Contactless payment cards are debit, credit, charge or pre-paid cards which can be used to make quick, easy and secure payments for everyday purchases of £20 and under. There is no need for a PIN or a signature, just touch the card on the reader. This technology is becoming increasingly common, with half of Londoners already having a contactless card.

Contactless payments work in the same way as Oyster, charging customers an adult-rate pay as you go fare when they touch in and out on readers at the start and end of every journey.

Shashi Verma, TfL’s director of Customer Experience, said: “With the launch of contactless now a week away, customers can look forward to having an easier and more convenient way to pay for their travel, freeing them of the need to top up Oyster credit and helping them to get on board without delay. I would like to remind all of our customers to only touch one card on the reader to avoid paying with a card they did not intend to pay with. Contactless payments on our buses have already been a resounding success with over one million customers using their contactless payment card to pay their bus fare around 20 million times.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • How can US transportation be ‘re-envisioned’?
    October 17, 2019
    In her address to this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, called for a ‘re-envisioning’ of transportation. Her speech is below – and ITS International asks a number of US experts what they would like to see ‘re-envisioned’…

    I would like to welcome  ITS America to the nation’s capital.

    Read More
  • Global cities transform space for post-Covid transport
    May 7, 2020
    Glimpses are beginning to emerge of how European and US cities plan to change the way people travel.
    Read More
  • When caring about sharing is good business for US automakers
    October 28, 2015
    Although car-sharing and ride-sharing could drastically reduce car sales, David Crawford finds some US automakers are keen to participate in the sharing economy. Growing consumer interest in car- and ride-sharing, as opposed to outright ownership, and ride-sharer Uber’s recently stated intention to make its brand competitive with ownership on cost, are making the major US automotive manufacturers think seriously about their future sales prospects. Some have already begun exploring ways of entering the field
    Read More
  • Success of Transport for London’s real time bus information service
    October 18, 2012
    Since its launch a year ago, the UK’s Transport for London (TfL) Countdown real time bus information service has dealt with more than 620 million requests and, according to TfL, the service has made millions of journeys easier, dealing with an average of 1.6 million requests via the internet and smart phones and 36,000 requests via text each day. TfL has also recently completed the installation of 2,500 new and improved bus information roadside signs across the capital. These provide clearer amber text on
    Read More

Highlighted Content