Contactless payments and Oyster to make travel to and from Gatwick Seamless

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Government Press release

Gatwick Airport and 5 other stations to accept pay as you go Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) and contactless payments.





Oyster card.




^thousands of rail customers to benefit from the convenience of new ticketing at Gatwick Airport from January 2016
^pay as you go with Oyster and contactless payment will be accepted at Gatwick Airport and 5 other stations along the route
^Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink passengers to benefit from government agreement with Transport for London (TfL^» (Transport for London - about)) and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR)

Passengers travelling between Gatwick Airport and London will soon be able to use pay as you go, Rail Minister Claire Perry confirmed today (Tuesday 10 November 2015), thanks to an agreement between the government, Transport for London (TfL) and the operator, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

Pay as you go using Oyster and Contactless payments will be introduced as new methods of payment from January 2016 for journeys between London and Gatwick Airport on Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink services. Five other stations along the route - Horley, Salfords, Earlswood, Redhill and Merstham ^ will also benefit from the up-to-the-minute pay as you go ticket technology.

This will mean more convenience and flexibility for commuters and visitors alike, with improved value for money in many cases, and reduced crowding at stations. It will also allow seamless onward connections to London^s transport network and National Rail services.

Rail Minister Claire Perry said:


^Our plan for passengers is to build a 21st century railway that provides better journeys for all, and improved ticketing is a vital part of that customer experience.

^This extension of Oyster and contactless embraces some of the latest technology, making journeys easier for customers, offering them a vastly more convenient option. As we undertake the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian era, improving London to Gatwick by rail is another step to a modern railway that strengthens the economy.^

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), said:


^By providing a quick and easy way to pay, our Oyster and contactless ticketing has transformed the way people get around our capital. We^ve already extended this on a number of key routes outside of London and it makes perfect sense for Londoners, commuters and passengers from around the world to benefit from this further link to Gatwick Airport. It^s great news that more people than ever before will be able to benefit from our pioneering modern ticketing system.^

From the New Year, many customers will be able to benefit from cheaper fares. Currently, a single journey paper peak-time ticket costs ^15.40 from London Terminals to Gatwick Airport (excluding Gatwick Express). With pay as you go, a rush hour trip will cost ^14.00 and ^8.00 off-peak.

Since contactless payments were introduced on the TfL network in September 2014, there have been more than 220 million contactless journeys made. Each day there are over one million contactless journeys on London^s transport system. One in ten contactless transactions in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) are made on TfL^s services, making TfL one of the largest Contactless merchants worldwide.

TfL^s Director of Customer Experience, Shashi Verma, said:


^Expanding Oyster and the Contactless ticketing system to Gatwick Airport is a great step forward. Nearly 25 per cent of our pay as you go customers use contactless payment already because it is so quick and easy. Already customers from 70 countries across the world are using their contactless payment cards on the capital^s transport network. We are committed to making paying for transport easier for everyone and this extension will allow travellers from across the world to quickly jump on a train to central London and start their holiday or business trip with minimum fuss.^

Gatwick Express Passenger Services Director, Angie Doll, said: ^We are delighted that our passengers will be able to use pay as you go to travel between Gatwick Airport and London. This is yet another example of how we are making it easier for our passengers to travel by National Rail using state-of-the-art payment technology, and one of many customer benefits we are introducing and delivering across GTR such as a new Gatwick Express train fleet, 1,400 new carriages for the Thameslink programme and a ^50m investment on improving our stations.^

Gatwick Airport^s Chief Commercial Officer, Guy Stephenson, said:


^Gatwick^s passengers will welcome the introduction of Oyster and contactless payments at the airport as the most convenient way to pay for onward rail travel to London. It means a single ticketless system will link Gatwick with the whole of Greater London so passengers can benefit from seamless connections to and throughout the capital.

^This technology will make journeys easier and ticketing considerably faster. Passengers with contactless bank or credit cards, for example, will simply need to touch the Oyster readers without having to queue for a ticket or even top up their Oyster card.

^This announcement comes at an exciting time for rail access to Gatwick with world class improvements being introduced. Within the next five years new fleets of Gatwick Express and Thameslink trains will come in to service, Gatwick station will be re-developed and train capacity will be doubled.^

Other fares include:
^Gatwick Express single journey on pay as you go will be ^19.80. The current single fare when purchased at London Gatwick or London Victoria is ^19.90.
^Redhill to London Victoria or London Bridge single journey on pay as you go will be ^10.30 peak and ^5.80 off-peak. The current anytime day single is ^10.50.
^East Croydon to Gatwick Airport single journey on pay as you go will be ^5.20 peak and ^3.00 off-peak. The current paper anytime single (excl. Thameslink only fares) is ^5.20.

All existing peak and off-peak fares, advance fares, period fares, and group ticket offers from Gatwick Airport will be maintained, including the special Thameslink only fares offers. These may cost less than pay as you go and customers are advised to check online in advance.

[Fourbee]

How will the system determine when to charge a GatEx fare?

Possibly the guard could have a hand held reader charging the GatEx PAYG^▸ (Pay as you go) fare and setting a continuation exit for the barriers at Victoria.

[ChrisB]

when the card is used at the GatEx barrier in Victoria

[Fourbee]

Presumably the GatEx always uses the same platforms there? Didn't know that.

[ChrisB]

yes, sorry - two dedicated platforms

[Fourbee]

Ahh right, I've not been through Victoria for a while. Knowing my powers of observation, I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway :-)

[ChrisB]

Went live yesterday.

Available on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) from Redhill<>Gatwick only.

[ChrisB]

From the CILT website

Pay as you go using Oyster and contactless has been introduced at Gatwick Airport, making journeys more convenient for rail passengers.

Passengers travelling between Gatwick Airport and London will from today (11 January 2016) be able to ^touch in and out^ with the introduction of pay as you go using Oyster and Contactless cards as new payment methods.

 To mark the introduction, the Transport Secretary visited Gatwick Airport to see the first customers use the ticketing technology, which is now available for Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink services from London to Gatwick Airport, and on Great Western services between Gatwick Airport and Redhill.

Ticket facilities at 5 other stations along the route ^ Horley, Salfords, Earlswood, Redhill and Merstham ^ have also been upgraded to support pay as you go.

 The new payment methods mean more convenience and flexibility for passengers and will help reduce crowding at stations. They also allow seamless connections to and from London^s transport network and National Rail services. There were nearly 17.5 million passenger journeys through Gatwick Airport rail station in 2014 to 2015, an increase of 33% since 2010 to 2011.

 During the visit the Transport Secretary met with partners from Transport for London (TfL^» (Transport for London - about)) and the operator, Govia Thameslink Railway, which both delivered the improvements.

 Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:

 The introduction of Oyster and contactless gates at Gatwick Airport station mean even more passengers get the advantage of a quick, simple, easier journey when travelling between central London and one of its major gateways.

 We know that the convenience of Oyster and contactless payments are what many passengers want. By extending their use to extra stations we are building a modern railway that strengthens the economy and provides better journeys for all.

 The Mayor of London Boris Johnson MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) said:

 Our Oyster and contactless ticketing system has transformed the way people travel around the capital. We^ve already extended our pioneering approach to a number of key routes outside of London and it^s great news that it lands at Gatwick Airport today. Now more people than ever can enjoy our quick and easy way to pay for travel.

The new technology means that more passengers can save money on their journeys. A single journey paper peak-time ticket costs ^15.50 from London Terminals to Gatwick Airport (excluding Gatwick Express). With pay as you go, a rush hour trip now costs ^14.00 and ^8.00 off-peak.

 Since contactless payments were introduced on the TfL network in September 2014, there have been more than 250 million contactless journeys made. Each day there are over 1 million contactless journeys on London^s transport system. One in 10 contactless transactions in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) are made on TfL^s services, making TfL one of the largest contactless merchants worldwide.

 TfL^s Director of Customer Experience Shashi Verma said:

 It^s great to see Oyster and the contactless ticketing system extended to Gatwick Airport ^ both are easier and quicker to use than paper tickets. Already customers from 80 countries across the world are using their contactless payment cards on the capital^s transport network. A quarter of our pay as you go customers now use contactless payment because it is so quick and easy. We are committed to making paying for transport easier for everyone and are working to further expand the benefits of this world-renowned ticketing system to all London airports as well as other key locations around the commuter belt.

 David Brown, chief executive of The Go-Ahead Group, said:

 We^re very pleased to have played our part in making this complex project a success. Working in partnership with the Department for Transport, Transport for London and Gatwick Airport Ltd has resulted in passengers having greater choice and more convenient payment options to travel between Gatwick and London which is something we know customers appreciate. The extension of Oyster and contactless to the airport brings the industry a step closer to moving away from paper tickets.

 Angie Doll, Gatwick Express Passenger Service Director said:

 We^re delighted that pay as you go with Oyster and contactless have now taken off from Gatwick Airport station. This now gives our passengers another way to pay for their journeys. It also paves the way for an exciting time ahead, when we introduce a brand new Gatwick Express train fleet in the spring and look forward to a superb newly designed and refurbished station.

 Gatwick Airport^s Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Wingate, said:

 The launch of Oyster and contactless payments at London Gatwick is a game-changer for our passengers and will help to make journeys even easier and ticketing considerably faster.

 The introduction of a single ticketless system will create seamless connectivity to the Greater London transport network and this is only the beginning of the transformation of Gatwick^s rail services.

 With new fleets of trains being introduced, the redevelopment of Gatwick^s train station on its way, and a doubling of train capacity coming down the line, passengers will enjoy better, faster and simpler journeys to and from the airport.

Other fares include:
Gatwick Express single journey on pay as you go will be ^19.80 ^ the current single fare when purchased at London Gatwick or London Victoria is ^19.90
Redhill to London Victoria or London Bridge single journey on pay as you go will be ^10.30 peak and ^5.80 off-peak ^ the current anytime day single is ^10.60
East Croydon to Gatwick Airport single journey on pay as you go will be ^5.20 peak and ^3.00 off-peak ^ the current paper anytime single (excl. Thameslink only fares) is ^5.20

All existing peak and off-peak fares, advance fares, period fares, and group ticket offers from Gatwick Airport will be maintained, including the special Thameslink-only fares offers and the Southern Key card, ensuring passengers have real choice about how they travel and the fare they pay. These may cost less than pay as you go and customers are advised to check online in advance.

[JayMac]

What TfL^» (Transport for London - about) and GTR have succeeded in doing is complicating an already complicated fares structure between Gatwick and London.
The GatEx premium fares should be abolished. Arguably, so should the Thameslink Only ones.

Sometimes there can be too much choice.

[paul7575]

What TfL^» (Transport for London - about) and GTR have succeeded in doing is complicating an already complicated fares structure between Gatwick and London.
The GatEx premium fares should be abolished. Arguably, so should the Thameslink Only ones.

Sometimes there can be too much choice.

The GTR franchise spec explicitly required the Thameslink only fares to be binned.  Trouble is because the seasons undercut the any permitted by so much, the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) bowed to complaints about possible hardship and allowed for staged levelling up.   IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) they could have binned Thameslink day tickets though, even if seasons were an issue.

No sign of a timetable for removal though.  And no sign of a similar removal of the GatEx rip off...

Paul

[Brucey]

Very rarely, the GX does use Southern platforms at Victoria, and vice versa.  Cue complaints people get charged too much.

[JayMac]

Indeed. The high tech solution to this will be to let passengers through the 'wrong' gateline and direct them to the correct one to tap out. That will rely on staff catching every person with Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) before they tap out.

Those in the know arriving off a GX service into a non GX platform could tap out and they'll be charged the cheaper non GX Oyster fare.

Those not in the know arriving off a Southern service into the GX platforms could tap out and be charged the more expensive GX Oyster fare.