Welcome travel payment move – but fares are up

TRANSPORT for London has halved the minimum amount that Oyster cards are automatically topped up from £20 down to £10, as the cost of living soars.

Since Wednesday March 30, TfL customers who automatically top up their Oyster cards can set it to £10, rather than the previous £20 default. Customers will still have the option to top up automatically by £20 and £40 if they want.

However, it follows TfL hiking fares by nearly five per cent this month, hitting London Underground, bus, DLR and tram passengers in the pocket.

The 4.8 per cent rise comes as TfL looks to claw back lost income from the pandemic. Most fares have increased by either 10p or 20p, the biggest rise in TfL fare prices since 2012. Tube fares solely within Zone 1 will increase from £2.40 to £2.50.

Mike Tuckett, head of customer payments at TfL said: “As part of our continuing work to make paying for public transport as easy and convenient as possible, from March 30 customers will be able to set a £10 Auto Top-up option on their Oyster card. This will then automatically add £10 pay as you go credit to their card whenever the balance falls below a threshold of £20.”

Oyster holder Charlie Murphy, 23, told MyLondon it was a positive move as the cost of living is “creeping up”. He said: “It was always a bit of a hit when auto top up took £20 here and there. £10 is much more manageable.”

Transport campaigners have also welcomed the move. A spokesperson for London TravelWatch said: “With the price cap on energy costs being lifted on April 1 and the costs of living really start to rise, this change is welcome news for Londoners. When we started campaigning over a year ago to reduce the auto top-up amount, we were told it couldn’t be done but we persisted and we’re really glad it’s happened.”

And Lib Dem Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon told MyLondon: “Given the cost of living crisis, this is a good decision by TfL which will help low income Londoners in particular with using London’s transport network, without having to load up their Oystercards with £20 a go.”

Sadiq Khan increased council tax to fill a black hole in transport and police funding. The Mayor of London said he had been “forced” to propose a £31.93 council tax hike this year – with £20 going to transport, £10 for policing and crime, and £1.93 for the London Fire Brigade.

TfL incomes plummeted during the pandemic, with the network reliant on government bailouts.

The transport body also recently announced plans to strengthen its “revenue protection” team, with proposals to “deploy more officers more flexibly” across the London Underground. Fines for fare dodgers are due to rise.