£10 will go towards covering costs of administering scheme
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that from 1 September a £10 fee will be applied to new applications for Zip Oyster photocards, which provide school children with free London Bus and tram travel and discounted Tube travel. For 18+ Student Oyster concessionary travel, the application fee will be increased from £5 to £10.
More than half a million school children in London currently use Zip Oyster photocard schemes and the one-off £10 fee for new Zip photocards has been introduced to help cover the costs of administering the scheme, which includes processing application forms, photocard production and postage.
Oyster Zip photocards for 5-10 year olds and 11-15 year old school children are valid for up to five years. New applications for the cards can be made at any time at any Post Office in Greater London. Applications for new 16+ Oyster Zip photocards will open on 1 September to coincide with the beginning of the new school year.
New applications for 18+ Student Oyster photocards, which give 30 per cent off adult-rate Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes, will also be accepted from 1 September 2010 to coincide with the start of the new academic year for colleges and schools. From September, 18+ Student Oyster photocards will now be valid for up to three years depending on the duration of the full-time course the student is enrolled on. Students with an 18+ Student Oyster photocard will also have access to an enhanced online application and renewal service.
Students on courses of more than one year will be able to use their new online account to confirm their continued eligibility at the start of the next academic year, without needing to reapply and pay an additional application fee. The enhanced online application and renewal process will make it quicker and easier for students to check the progress of their applications and if it has been rejected correct any mistakes online.
Over 600 schools, colleges and universities currently participate in the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme and TfL issues around 300,000 18+ Oyster Photocards each academic year.
July 23, 2010
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