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We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but from tomorrow (Tuesday, July 22), the price of London’s Oyster cards will go up for the first time in a decade. And the city’s senior citizens are set to see the biggest increase.
TfL has revealed that the price of the 60+ Oyster card will almost double from £20 to £35, while the cost of its annual eligibility check (needed if someone wants to retain their card) will increase from £10 to £18. If someone needs to replace their card, they’ll also now have to pay £18 instead of the previous £10.
As for the young ’uns, the Oyster Zip cards that provide half price tube travel and free bus journeys for kids, students, apprentices and care leavers, will all go up by £1. The replacement fee for those cards will also increase from £10 to £11.
On top of all that, TfL has plans to increase the prices of new Oyster cards and Visitor Oyster cards from £7 to £10 in September. Freedom Passes are safe from the price hike, as they’re managed by London Councils
TfL said that the price hikes are necessary for helping it deal with wider financial constraints. It said that the huge hike for the 60+ card in particular is down to the fact that it has the ‘biggest gap between the estimated revenue that we would receive were these journeys paid for, and the income we receive through fee’.
Alex Williams, chief customer and strategy officer at TfL, said: ‘We are fully committed to keeping travel in London affordable and accessible to everyone.
‘Our fees for photocards haven’t increased in 10 years, and these changes will mean that we can continue to provide these concessions while ensuring that the fees better reflect our costs for operating the schemes.’
Of course, the news isn’t going to be music to Londoners’ ears. Michael Roberts, chief executive of London TravelWatch, said: ‘Higher TfL photocard fees, especially for the over-60s, will be unwelcome news to Londoners who continue to feel the pinch of the ongoing cost of living crisis and some of the most expensive public transport fares in Europe.
‘Annual index-linked increases might in future avoid big hikes in fees, but it's disappointing that more isn't being done to soften the blow this year for 60+ card holders on lower incomes. Londoners will be wondering what further unpleasant revenue-raising surprises TfL might have in store over the coming months.’
London Oyster card price increases
- 60+ Oyster photocard: £35 (from £20)
- 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard: £11 (from £10)
- 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard: £16 (from £15)
- 16+ Zip Oyster photocard: £21 (from £20)
- 18+ Student Oyster photocard: £21 (from £20)
- Apprentice Oyster photocard: £21 (from £20)
- 18-25 Care Oyster photocard: £21 (from £20)
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