The London Assembly today welcomed the introduction of 'wave and pay' cards on London's transport network, but warned that Transport for London (TfL) must ensure that the new technology does not disadvantage any passengers.

 In 2011, the London Assembly's Transport Committee published The Future of Ticketing^[1], which set out how 'Wave and Pay' could be made fair to all passengers and not disadvantage those who continue to pay via Oyster cards. The London Assembly heard confirmation from Transport for London (TfL) that it will review and act on its recommendations as the new technology is rolled out.

 Caroline Pidgeon AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, said:

 "New technologies are welcomed on London's transport system if they make travel easier and guarantee all Londoners can access the cheapest fares no matter what type of ticket they use. We are glad that TfL plans to review our recommendations for ‘Wave and Pay’ as it starts being used on buses in London.

 "Only time will tell if this ticketless technology will bring the convenience promised. As Wave and Pay is rolled out across services in London, the Assembly will be keeping a close eye on its impact to provide the best deal. We need to be assured by TfL that passengers will still be able to receive the cheapest fares on Oyster going forward."

'Wave and Pay' was conceived as a way to give passengers ease of travel by allowing them to use a contactless bank card to pay for travel. The technology will start to be rolled out on bus services today. It had originally been planned to start on buses in March 2012^[2].

Recommendations from the London Assembly’s Transport Committee included ensuring Oyster card passengers are not made to pay more than those using ‘Wave and Pay’, good customer support is put in place and there are tight security controls over payment information^[3]. The report also highlighted that people on lower incomes must not be disadvantaged by unfair 'Wave and Pay' fares. An estimated 1 in 5 Londoners do not have access to a bank card^[4].

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The Future of Ticketing, November 2011
2. Written evidence to the Transport Committee on investigation from TfL (pages 2-3)
3. The following Recommendations were made in the London Assembly’s Transport Committee report, The Future of Ticketing:

• Any new ticketing system must provide the highest possible security for passengers’ personal information.
• Passengers should be supported to use any new system by trained staff and an adequately staffed customer service centre.
• Passengers should have access to detailed breakdowns of their transport expenditure, and information provided to Tell should be kept confidential unless otherwise agreed to by customers.
• Those on low incomes should not miss out on the lowest fares because they do not have a bank card.
• Any new ticketing system should, as far as possible, be compatible with those provided by other transport operators.

4.      ITSO written submission to the Transport Committee, August 2011 (page 38)

5.      Caroline Pidgeon AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, is available for interview. See contact details below.

6.     As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

For more details, please contact Sheena Craig in the Assembly Media Office on 020 7983 4603/4283.  For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.  Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit, Greater London Authority, on 020 7983 4100.