By Susan, February 5, 2014
Starting this summer, Transport for London (UK) will stop accepting cash fares on London buses. “Paying with Oyster or a contactless payment card is not only the cheapest option, but also speeds up boarding times at bus stops and reduces delays,” said Leon Daniels, managing director for TfL surface transport, in a statement.
Cash fares make up only 1% of bus trips; ten years ago about one in four bus riders paid with cash. The change will not affect the other 99% of bus passengers who already pay for their travel using Oyster cards, prepaid tickets, contactless payment cards, or concessionary tickets.
To address concerns raised in a series of public consultations, TfL is introducing the following measures:
- “One more journey” feature on Oyster that will allow passengers with less than the single bus fare (currently £1.45) but who have a positive balance on their card to make one more bus trip before they have to add credit to their card
- A review of the Oyster Ticket Stop network to see if additional locations can be identified, particularly in outer London
- Refreshed guidance for all 24,500 London bus drivers to ensure a consistent approach when dealing with vulnerable passengers