Oyster smartcard: lessons from London

By Richard Thomas*

The introduction of the Oyster smart card ticketing system in London, in the summer of 2003, now seems a long time ago.
In the years since its introduction, Oyster has grown rapidly to become one of the worlds’ largest and most complex fare collection systems. The system is universally recognised as a benchmark for others to follow and many transport operators around the world regularly come to London to look at the scheme before embarking on their own smart card projects.
There are many lessons to be learned from London that are relevant for transport officials around the globe, particularly in Australia, which has had a fairly chequered history with smart cards for public transport.
Transport for London (TfL) has gained extensive knowledge since deploying Oyster and now offers support to other cities installing their own smartcard systems. They recently signed an accord with New York, which could see Oyster-style innovations introduced into the Big Apple.
In London, the implementation of Oyster was managed very carefully by TfL to ensure that the introduction was smooth and seamless. It was important to ensure that customers learnt to trust the Oyster product and that the technology worked before allowing customers to use it.
The first Oyster products rolled out were annual and monthly passes, with additional products being introduced gradually. This allowed timely introduction of the Oyster card with minimum risk – the approach built on incremental successes and avoided a “big-bang” approach where customers and operators risked being overwhelmed by the new system.
A major highlight was the introduction of “Fare Capping” software in February 2005. This was a world’s first, where TfL guaranteed it would provide the cheapest fare for the travel undertaken.
The take-up of the Oyster card grew rapidly and today there are 28 million cards in circulation. In London in 2010, there are an impressive 9.6 million trips each day using Oyster cards.
Of particular interest to international transport operators is the speed at which the ticketing systems works, allowing commuters to enter and leave the railway network quickly and simply. Up to 40 commuters per minute can pass through each ticket gate on underground train stations.
Ticket queues have been slashed, as Oyster card users never have to line up to buy a ticket. Oyster cards can be topped up remotely via the internet or by an auto top up facility via the customers’ bank. Auto top ups are delivered to all fare payment devices throughout the entire system.
There are also around 4,000 newsagents across London that are designated Oyster retailers, and numerous self service vending machines across the rail network.
The Oyster card is used as an integrated public transport ticket which allows the customer to access 600 London rail stations, 8,500 buses as well as the Docklands Light Rail, the Croydon Tram system and Thames Clipper riverboat ferries.
In January 2010, Oyster card use was also extended to national rail stations above ground in the London area. There are more than 23,000 smart card readers across London to facilitate all of the daily public transport transactions for London commuters.

To read Part Two of this story click here

*Richard Thomas worked for Transport for London for 35 years and was a founder member of the Oyster card project team. He joined Cubic Transportation Systems in 2006.