TfL readying contactless payments

Transport for London will soon let travellers pay for fares using contactless debit and credit cards

Passengers will soon be able to pay for tickets using contactless debit and credit cards

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it will introduce new technology to allow passengers to pay travel fares by swiping contactless debit and credit cards on contact points.

Phase one of the rollout will see the technology being made available on the bus network by early 2012. TfL said it is currently in talks with leading card providers and has also been working with transport operators in major international cities to develop a common standard and systems for the new technology.

Once introduced, the department claims that contactless payment using credit and debit cards will make London’s public transport much more accessible to both domestic and international travellers who are not familiar with Oyster or who do not carry an Oyster card, but do have a contactless credit or debit card. The technology will also work if the contactless card was issued by an overseas bank.

"These technologies have the potential to take us into a world where travelling around London can be easier and even more convenient for passengers,” said Kulveer Ranger, the mayor's transport adviser. He added that London mayor Boris Johnson is looking for new ideas to improve travel around London, and that contactless payment is a key area of focus.

“This technology is now maturing and could enable people to pay for their travel using credit or debit cards – resulting in a simpler process for the customer, and reducing commission and processing costs for TfL,” added Ranger.

“This type of evolution to the next generation of emerging technologies would be a big step for the Oystercard. Any improvements we introduce would clearly need to deliver value for money but we are excited about the potential benefits there could be for the London commuter.”

TFL has been working to develop a contactless payment system for some time. In 2007, it announced that Oyster and Barclaycard had completed successful technical trial of a combined card, while TranSys still had full responsibility for developing and delivering the Oyster smartcard on behalf of TfL.

The department now fully owns the Oyster brand, and CIO Ian Campbell recently told Computing that TfL has ambitious plans for the future management and development of the Oyster card system following its agreement with Cubic Transportation Systems in August.

TfL will announce further details for its contactless payment scheme in November 2010.