New App Set to Make Life Easier for Oyster Card Users

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Launch in August is one of a range of improvements from TfL

Transport for London is making it easier for travellers to top up Oyster cards while on the go, through a new app being launched in August.

The app, allowing customers to top up Oyster cards with pay as you go credit and buy Travelcards wherever they are, is one of a range of improvements being introduced by TfL.

The new app, which will be available to download free via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, will allow customers to use their smartphone to quickly add pay as you go credit to their Oyster card.

It will also allow customers to check how much credit they have on their Oyster card and provide, for the first time, a ‘Low balance’ alert direct on their mobile to help them make sure they have enough money on the card for their journey.

In addition, an upgrade to the service means passengers who top up their pay as you go credit or buy Travelcards using Oyster online can now collect their purchase from any Tube or rail station, tram stop or River Bus pier when they touch in, rather than having to nominate a station when they make the purchase.

The upgrade has also significantly reduced the time it takes for the product to be ready to collect – from up to 24 hours to just 30 minutes. By the end of autumn, these improvements will also be expanded to allow products to be collected directly on all 9,000 London buses.

TfL says these improvements to Oyster will be followed by further upgrades to the system in the coming year, including:

• Expanding the Mayor’s ‘Hopper fare’ to allow unlimited journeys on buses and trams within an hour
• Making Bus & Tram Pass season tickets available to purchase online and via the app
• Introducing Weekly Capping on Oyster to bring it in line with Contactless

Shashi Verma, Chief Technical Officer at TfL, says: "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."

To register for an Oyster online account, please visit the Oyster cards pages on TfL's website.

July 20, 2017