Topping up your Oyster card online just got much easier thanks to a major upgrade which eliminates the need to nominate a station to ‘collect’ your funds.
Until now users had to wait 24 hours after adding money to their online account and then swipe in a designated tram stop, Tube or national rail station before the money was added to their card.
This inconvenience has now been eliminated thanks to today’s update which allows funds to be collected from any station just 30 minutes after the top up has been made.
And next month Transport for London will release a new smartphone app which makes it easier for passengers to top up wherever they are.
This will be followed by a further update allowing top ups to be collected on any of London’s 9,000 buses.
Transport bosses are also planning an expansion of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ‘Hopper’ ticket which will allow unlimited bus journeys to be made within an hour and the introduction of Weekly Capping to bring Oyster in line with Contactless fares.
Shashi Verma, Chief Technical Officer at TfL, said: “Pay as you go with Oyster and Contactless has delivered greater convenience for our customers and we are constantly looking to make further improvements.
“With more people using the internet to manage their life than ever before, it’s right that we make the process of buying and checking their travel products as quick and convenient as possible.
“This latest upgrade, along with the forthcoming TfL app, is part of our continuing work to make it as easy as possible to use public transport in London.”
Today’s announcement has been welcomed by London Travelwatch, the capital’s passenger watchdog which has previously expressed concern about the impact closing Tube ticket offices has had on passengers’ ability to buy tickets.
Janet Cooke, the body’s chief executive, said: “We welcome these improvements which will enhance the online experience for Oyster users.
“It’s also great to see that TfL will be launching a new Oyster app next month which was developed in response to our research on improving passengers’ value for money on London’s transport services in August 2013.
“This will provide passengers with a more convenient way to top up Oyster pay as you go balances and identify and claim any money due to them for incomplete journeys.”
