Boris Johnson
Jan 12, 2016
Dear Petitioner
Thank you for the petition submitted on the change.org website about extending Zones 7, 8 and 9. The Mayor appreciates that people living outside London in the wider south east would like to see Oyster fares and contactless payment operating in their areas. The Mayor recognises the greater clarity this would bring and that for some passengers, the current disparity in fares appears unreasonable.
Outside Greater London, fares and ticketing is controlled by the local train company and the Department for Transport (DfT). This means that the decision on whether to extend Oyster and contactless further and bring simpler fares to passengers rests with these companies and the DfT.
The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have for some years worked with these partners to try to extend London’s ticketing and fares to other areas. Whenever the opportunity arises, the Mayor has raised this issue at a ministerial level to make the case for expansion of TfL fares. The Mayor has also made available TfL expertise to train companies and the DfT to share learning about smarter ticketing and explore how it could be extended on other networks. TfL, in its regular discussions with train companies, has been and will continue to press for train operating companies to change their position.
This has borne some fruit in the recent and forthcoming extensions of Oyster to include the train services to Hertford North and Gatwick Airport. The Mayor also recently extended free travel for children on National Rail Services in the capital at a cost of £500,000 to TfL. This was to bring the policy in line with TfL’s, as the Mayor recognises that different ticketing will cause confusion for passengers.
Despite these efforts, there is more to do in other areas bordering London. TfL remains open to extending its fares and ticketing structure beyond the current boundary of its services. It will continue to work with train companies and the DfT in and around Greater London to bring greater consistency for passengers. Ultimately though, this issue must be resolved by those train companies and the DfT, as they are the only bodies able to make a decision about fares and ticketing on their services.
Yours sincerely
Public Liaison Officer
Greater London Authority
Thank you for the petition submitted on the change.org website about extending Zones 7, 8 and 9. The Mayor appreciates that people living outside London in the wider south east would like to see Oyster fares and contactless payment operating in their areas. The Mayor recognises the greater clarity this would bring and that for some passengers, the current disparity in fares appears unreasonable.
Outside Greater London, fares and ticketing is controlled by the local train company and the Department for Transport (DfT). This means that the decision on whether to extend Oyster and contactless further and bring simpler fares to passengers rests with these companies and the DfT.
The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have for some years worked with these partners to try to extend London’s ticketing and fares to other areas. Whenever the opportunity arises, the Mayor has raised this issue at a ministerial level to make the case for expansion of TfL fares. The Mayor has also made available TfL expertise to train companies and the DfT to share learning about smarter ticketing and explore how it could be extended on other networks. TfL, in its regular discussions with train companies, has been and will continue to press for train operating companies to change their position.
This has borne some fruit in the recent and forthcoming extensions of Oyster to include the train services to Hertford North and Gatwick Airport. The Mayor also recently extended free travel for children on National Rail Services in the capital at a cost of £500,000 to TfL. This was to bring the policy in line with TfL’s, as the Mayor recognises that different ticketing will cause confusion for passengers.
Despite these efforts, there is more to do in other areas bordering London. TfL remains open to extending its fares and ticketing structure beyond the current boundary of its services. It will continue to work with train companies and the DfT in and around Greater London to bring greater consistency for passengers. Ultimately though, this issue must be resolved by those train companies and the DfT, as they are the only bodies able to make a decision about fares and ticketing on their services.
Yours sincerely
Public Liaison Officer
Greater London Authority
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