Reverse your decision to scrap cash fares on buses from 6th July

This petition had 100 supporters

The Issue

With cash fares no longer admitted on buses, some passengers will be stranded and at risk.  Oyster cards can be lost, stolen, not yet purchased, or have an insufficient balance.  There is often nowhere close to busstops to buy/top up an Oyster card - certainly not at all hours.  Passengers may not have contactless payment cards - especially if they are children.

It is hard to believe that this measure is being introduced just a few months after a 22-year old law student was turfed off her last bus home at 3am in freezing temperatures for being 20p short of the fare.  Walking homewards to meet her mother who was coming to pick her up, she was subjected to rape, and to violence which was so extreme, her own mother did not recognise her, and from which she might easily have died.  

Only one third of those consulted on the proposal to scrap cash fares on buses agreed with it.

Scrapping cash fares on buses is a thoughtless, mindless and uncompassionate measure, and this decision should be reversed.  Fare payment methods should support the safety, security and mobility of passengers, and not leave them standed and place them at risk.

avatar of the starter
Marilyn HermanPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Prime Minister
Responded
“Response from Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Commissioner, Transport for London, on behalf of Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. Thank you for your emails about the petition calling for Transport for London (TfL) to keep cash fares on London buses. Since the introduction of Oyster cards in 2003 and the acceptance on buses of contactless payment cards (CPCs) in December 2012, more and more passengers have been taking advantage of the convenience and value for money that these options offer. As a result, cash fares have fallen from 20 per cent of total bus journeys in London ten years ago, to less than one per cent prior to cash being withdrawn on 6 July. Considering the high cost of collecting such low volumes of cash and the delays associated with cash transactions, TfL decided to ask the public for views on going cashless. TfL ran a consultation on its proposal from 19 August to 11 October last year. This consultation attracted over 37,000 responses, a third of which agreed with the proposals. Around three quarters said they did not themselves pay cash fares on buses. The consultation report can be found at https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/cashless/results/cashless-bus-consultation-report.pdf. Many of the concerns set out in the petition were raised during the consultation. We considered these responses and used them to shape a range of measures to ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements. For example, we know anyone can be vulnerable and/or find themselves in a situation where they are not able to use an Oyster card or CPC to pay for their journey. We entirely agree that no vulnerable person should be left behind as a result of this change which is why we have committed not to leave anyone stranded. Drivers have existing clear rules and procedures to deal with these situations and allow passengers to travel without a valid card or ticket. These rules and procedures have been reviewed and reinforced with the bus operators and their staff, including in the newly updated driver handbook, the Big Red Book, ahead of the implementation of cash-free buses. This will ensure that the rules are applied consistently and fairly, and that drivers are absolutely confident in their ability to deal with these situations. In addition, we are working with organisations that represent vulnerable users, such as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and Age UK London, to ensure that the rules and procedures meet their specific needs. Many passengers use Oyster cards as this guarantees that they will always pay the cheapest fare. Oyster offers additional benefits such as the auto top-up facility which helps card holders ensure that there is always enough credit on their card. We will also continue to review the location of Oyster Ticket Stops across London (and outside London where appropriate) to ensure that they are suitably distributed to help passengers who do not want to use the auto top-up facility. A new Oyster ‘one more journey’ facility has also recently been introduced to help passengers whose pay as you go credit is below the £1.45 bus fare by allowing them to make one more journey before having to top up. The Oyster reader alerts passengers of the fact that they have used this facility by issuing them with a slip advising them to top up their Oyster card before using it again and by emitting a different sound. This new facility is proving to be highly successful and TfL has seen cash use drop from its previous very low level of around 1 per cent of all bus trips to around 0.7 per cent. I do understand the concerns set out in the petition. However, I can assure you this change does not affect more than 99 per cent of bus passengers who already pay for their journeys using Oyster, prepaid tickets, CPCs or concessionary tickets. Those using concessionary tickets represent a third of passengers and includes children and young people, older and disabled people and those seeking employment. The Mayor and I entirely agree that no vulnerable person should be left behind as a result of this change which is why we have committed not to leave anyone stranded. I am also confident the additional measures we have put in place, such as the Oyster ‘one more journey’ facility and the review of the Oyster Ticket Stop network, will ensure passengers have a range of options to pay for their journeys. ”
Leon Daniels
Leon Daniels
Managing Director of Surface Transport, TFL

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Petition created on 19 June 2014