From next year, passengers using the new Oyster
smartcard to travel by tube will pay 2003 prices for their
journeys, London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced
yesterday.
The contactless card, which removes the need for cash when
buying tickets, is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to
provide faster passage for the six million users of London's
transport network.
A number of cities worldwide have already rolled out travel
smartcards, the best known of which is Hong Kong's Octopus
card.
Livingstone announced the move in an attempt to boost use of the
smartcard, which was launched to the public at the end of June.
He said, "This is a real spur for people to switch from cash
payment and the various complex [payment] methods that we have at
the moment, to all investing in an Oystercard."
Use of prepaid tickets like the Oyster smartcard can help reduce
queues at tube stations and speed up bus services, he added.
Oyster is available to annual and monthly adult season ticket
holders in the capital who register and pay in advance over the
internet or by telephone. However, the cards, which use radio
frequency identification-style electronic tracking technology, will
also be available from ticket offices and retail outlets next
month.
Transport for London, which is administering the scheme, expects
that nearly a third of the 221,000 people buying single tube
tickets will take advantage of the fare freeze offer and sign up
for the smartcard in January.
Officials are planning to issue all 350,000 annual and monthly
ticket holders with an Oyster card within the next year.
In addition to the underground, buses, tramlink and docklands
light railway, Oyster can be also be used on national rail within
the six zones of greater London.
The London smartcard has been designed and is being managed by
the Transys consortium of companies, including EDS, for Transport
for London.