The future of Oyster

Hi, welcome to the forums! As for this thread, I can't see them going entirely, I mean, kids still need oyster cards, but not everyone (indeed, very few) has a debit card! If TfL decide that then issuing thousands of paper tickets to children, who somehow break the ticket barriers with them, is a good idea, then carry on!

I agree there is not a huge level of detail of how contactless bank cards (CBCs) will work in later phases. What I have gleaned is the following - CBCs are not capable of holding a season ticket and there is no intention to make them do so. A different type of facility will be offered whereby touches of bank cards are captured via Oyster readers and then transferred and processed via a "back office system" and these are then, I think, turned into a charge drawn against the bank account which the CBC is linked to. Daily caps will be offered first and a second stage will offer weekly caps. I would guess that the weekly cap will be the same level as the equivalent weekly bus pass or Travelcard. The back office system will work out what modes are used and what geographic usage has been made with the CBC (i.e. what zones have been travelled through).

Where this really gets a bit involved is if a lot of trips are made in, say, zones 1 to 3 using buses and tubes over a week but there is also a return trip into Zone 4. What charge is made? Is it the Z1-4 travelcard for a week or the Z1-3 Travelcard for a week plus the extension fare to go into Zone 4? The system will have to be capable of working out the absolute best value scenario before a charge is made against a card holder's bank account. There are obviously an almost infinite number of possible charging combinations which the "back office" has to handle. My own view is that TfL have a real challenge on their hands to get the new capping processes to work fairly and transparently.

There are other initiatives running in parallel. The first is the modification of the Oyster system to allow the reading and processing of ITSO spec cards issued by the TOCs (ITSO on Prestige, IoP). This is due for completion later this year and Southern Railway are the vanguard TOC and are involved in joint testing with TfL (this info from TfL Board reports). The other project is called the South East Flexible Ticketing project (SEFT) which is supposed to offer ITSO smart ticketing right across all TOCs and bus companies in the South East. The government have given £45m to push this project along but the procurement process for equipment has only started recently. The original deadline was for completion in 2013 but it is now pushed back to at least 2015 based on what I read on the procurement notice. SEFT may also bring in other platforms such as mobile phones / devices equipped with NFC capability. Quite what ticket products and changes to validities will be possible with SEFT remains to be seen. I think the TOCs are licking their lips at the prospect of being able to have more complex peak pricing to try to shift demand over a wider time period. They may also offer flexible season tickets based on days travelled on rather than a fixed time period.

To close TfL have publicly stated that Oyster will remain in place. This commitment was made to the London Assembly. I believe Oyster has to remain to allow concession tickets to work - I don't know how you could offer child Zip products or income support / veterans type tickets with CBCs. The same obviously applies for TfL staff passes and Freedom Passes. We have exciting times ahead in the world of smart ticketing for London.

Snoggle - thanks. This post alone shows why I love this Forum. Well-argued, well-informed and balanced. Awesome stuff.

And Rincew1nd, no! Mine expired last year and to my surprise they sent me a new, fully-working one. The Barclaycard and Oyster element work as one, as far as I'm aware.

I guess that shows me up as a "visitor" (not a tourist)! What happens if you try to travel with the expired card?

But then if the government don't give money to the tube or bus companies, how are they going to get new buses or continue with "The Upgrade Plan" if everyone has free travel?

10 miles from Charing Cross is very roughly the North and South Circular.

I don't believe that it is in any way a credible proposal to ban keeping and usage of vehicle within this area.

Far more appropriate would be to tax it appropriately - similar to the congestion charge with the proceeds being used to fund public transport improvements.

It is credible, it would be unpopular but there really is no need for personal transportation in a large conurbation with properly integrated, regular and accessible public transport. The congestion charge was not about congestion at all, it is simply a cash cow, however, there are far too many private vehicles on Britain's roads and especially within Greater London.
One would think that taxing private vehicles appropriately would keep them off the roads but it isn't so, the congestion charge managed that for a few weeks before things returned to pretty much as they were and people's wages and salaries increased to cover the increases fairly quickly simply pushing up costs of goods and services for everybody else. The only way to get a grip is to take control and manage the infrastructure properly, something which our politicians have failed at. I don't think any of the current crop, government or opposition, have a clue and those that might are far too concerned about this, that or the other lobby. There are enough cars in Britain now, I'd be shrinking car production in favour of buses, trams and utility vehicles which are essential to the provision and maintenance of transportation, goods and services. I think replacing major bus highways with trams would be a good start to reducing private car use and ownership too.

As for transport improvements, it is frequently little more than rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, often little more than a shop window for architects to show their artistic flair and rather shortlived for the most part. Real tube improvements for example would be projects that delivered new wider tunnels affording better passenger H&S in readiness for future driverless rolling stock and perhaps realignment of parts of some lines to make them more useful within a properly integrated framework infrastructure.

I just think there are better ways to spend public money than on revenue collection. For those who dislike free travel another option would be a daily flat fare system i.e. buy a ticket and travel all day on it anywhere within the capital on any of the ststems.

It won't be long before touch and go cards are used on the Underground. They're already in use on the busses.

www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/19976.aspx