From next Wednesday (9th March) passengers travelling to and from Swanley in North Kent will be able to pay for their journeys by Oyster and contactless card.
Transport for London has confirmed that passengers who use its Oyster and contactless pay as you go service will pay less than those who buy a paper ticket.
A standard anytime National Rail single fare from London to Swanley is £8.80, but from 9 March the new pay as you go peak fare will be £7.10 (saving £1.70) and £4.10 off peak (saving £4.70).
Passengers will also be able to save money by switching from buying a Day Travelcard from Swanley to Zones 1-6, which costs £22.40 (anytime) or £13.60 (off-peak), to using Oyster and contactless where fares will be capped at £15.20 (anytime) or £11.90 (off-peak).
Extending pay as you go to Swanley also means that concessions, such as free travel for children under 10 and veterans, will also be available on services into London.
The changes are the result of a partnership between TfL and train companies Southeastern and Govia Thameslink.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Integrating the fares on this route with the wider pay as you go network makes perfect sense and ties in with our mission to make getting around our city easy for everyone, no matter where they live.
“I’m delighted that the good people of Swanley will soon have the choice of paying for travel with contactless payments and Oyster, which offer better fares and a more convenient way to travel.”
Shashi Verma, Director of Customer Experience at TfL, added: “This is just one of the many projects we are working on across London and the south east to help make paying for transport easier for everyone.
“Pay as you go has helped to completely revolutionise travel around London since it launched, bringing cheaper, quicker travel to everyone.
“Furthermore, more than 25 per cent of all pay as you go customers now use contactless payments because it is so convenient and easy.
“There’s no need to top-up, you just touch in and out with your credit or debit card.”
Stuart Cheshire, Thameslink’s Passenger Service Director, commented: “Thameslink passengers at Swanley will welcome this move to further modernise our network. Moving away from paper tickets is the way forward.”
