Far more still needs to be done to tackle the scandal of Oyster overcharging – Caroline Pidgeon (London Assembly Liberal Democrats)

London Assembly Liberal Democrats <[email protected]>

Far more still needs to be done to tackle the scandal of Oyster overcharging – Caroline Pidgeon

September 5, 2011 11:33 AM

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on Transport for London's new facility for Oyster pay as you go customers who occasionally forget to touch out at the end of their Tube, DLR Overground or National Rail journeys said:

"After many months of campaigning to highlight the scandal of Oyster overcharging it is good news that they are at last beginning to accept that a problem even exists.

"It is however regrettable that the new system only addresses just one form of Oyster overcharging caused by people who occasionally forget to touch out.

"The Mayor and TfL must address the much bigger problem of Oyster overcharging caused by the system not always working properly, for example when barriers are left open, or the machines are not working at the start of the journey. There is a huge problem in particular when there are large crowds at stations and TfL open the barriers and implement a system called 'autocomplete' leading to passengers automatically facing a maximum fare, irrespective of the length of their journey.

"We still have a long way to go in tackling the scandal of Oyster overcharging."

Ends

1 For more information about the extent of Oyster overcharging see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12583448

2 .Details of Oyster overcharging at every tube and train station can be seen in a written answer to a question asked by Caroline Pidgeon in February 2011

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/london/pdf/oysterovercharging.pdf

3. A freedom of information request asked by Caroline Pidgeon in July revealed that TfL were planning a new system to help customers pay the correct fare:

http://www.carolinepidgeon.org/files/docs/oysteroverchargingfoi.pdf