A computer fault caused problems for London's
public transport ticketing system on Saturday morning, with
around 65,000 swipe cards needing to be replaced.
Card readers across the network stopped accepting the cards from
5.30am until around 9.30am on Saturday. Cards used during this time
were corrupted by the fault and stopped working.
Around 35,000 cards have yet yet to be replaced. Customers whose
cards did not work during the rush hour this morning were allowed
to travel free of charge.
Retail machines used to top up the cards were also affected, and
were back online by Sunday.
Passengers whose cards were corrupted by the failure paid the
maximum fare of £4 every time they used the system on Saturday.
Transport for London said those affected would be automatically
refunded.
A statement released by
TfL said the problem was with the Oyster card computer system.
A spokesman said staff were working to discover the cause.
The company said, "We are investigating the cause of the problem
and apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience caused."
Any card used before 9.30am on Saturday is no longer working, but
can be replaced at TfL ticket offices.
A spokesman said, "The vast majority of passengers have travelled
without any disruption this morning and London Underground staff
have minimised the delay to passengers with cards that are not
working.
"Less than 1% of the 6 million regular Oyster card users required
replacement cards after the incident on Saturday morning. We are
replacing affected cards and there are now fewer than 35,000 cards
that need to be replaced. If this has not been practical during
this morning, London Underground staff, and London bus drivers,
have allowed these passengers to travel."
A spokesman for TranSys, the consortium of suppliers responsible
for the design and management of the Oyster system, said staff are
investigating the cause of the problem.
He added, “The problem has now been rectified and
cards are now being accepted across the transport network. Local
Oyster retailers were also affected, however, most were
operational on Sunday afternoon.
“TranSys, the consortium which delivers and manages
the Oyster system on behalf of TfL and TfL are investigating the
cause of the issue.”
Transport for London has launched an investigation
that will report later this week.
For the full story on Oyster cards go to
Oyster Cards - the highs and lows of Oyster