All ticket machines on London Tramlink will be removed on 16th July with the system going fully “cashless”. With less than 66 paper tickets sold a day, and following a consultation last year, the decision has been made to no longer offer cash fares with the higher increase in the use Oyster and contactless fares.
The ticket machines were installed back in 2000 and with usage at such a low level it is no longer cost effective to maintain them or have them replaced. Only 0.3% of single journeys were made using a ticket purchased from a tram ticket machine last year – 250 tickets a day. Since the news of the consultation was released this number has dropped to just 66 per day. This means that the cost of providing and maintaining the machines is no longer covered by ticket salesm with TfL considering other revenue better off spent improving the service.
Mark Davis, General Manager of London Trams, said: “The vast majority of tram customers already use pay as you go with Oyster or contactless to travel, which is both cheaper than paper tickets and allows customers to use the Mayor’s Hopper fare to make unlimited bus or tram journeys within an hour for £1.50. As very few ticket sales are made using ticket machines, we will be removing the existing cash ticket machines and encouraging customers to switch to pay as you go, Travelcards or Bus & Tram Passes, all of which can quickly be bought from their local Oyster Ticket Stop, online or via the TfL app.”
A comprehensive marketing campaign will now be launched across the network to ensure all passengers are aware of the changes.
In addition a number of changes will be made to tramstops following comments made during the consultation:
* More signage to advise passengers of ways to pay, including how to download the TfL app and where to find the nearest Oyster Ticket Stop.
* Travel Ambassadors located at selected tramstops across the network when the changes are introduced to help ensure passengers are aware of the changes and alternative ways of paying
* Additional validators installed at selected tramstops
* New customer information displays at selected stops to help passengers plan their journey and see where the tram interchanges with Underground, Overground and other National Rail services.
In view of all the problems with vandalism of ticket machines on Manchester Metrolink, perhaps the above development is something that should be considered in that city.
Wouldn’t surprise me that if in the long-term that happened in Manchester. There will probably be a time in the not too distant future where we all have countless pay as you go cards in our wallets for each tramway we may visit!
Manchester was supposed to have introduced ITSO cards by now on the trams and in the not too distant future on buses and local rail services also. However, the the system was implemented for use by holders of the English National Concessionary Pass it got no further and TfGM sacked the company contracted to implement. I understand another contract has been awarded but no revised dates for implementation have been announced. Meanwhile, the only users remain those with the aforementioned passes. But, with the vandalism and robberies taking place across the system I can definitely see the need for introduction sooner rather than later.
With regards having countless PAYG cards I think, Gareth, you may be over-pessimistic there. Unlike “Oyster” as currently used in London of course, the “ITSO” system can be so programmed as to make the one card available for use on any transport system that introduces this technology. Whether it will be so used is open to question. I personally think that it will if only to reduce the back office costs of the individual operators.
I’ve had a GetMeThere card since last October and have used it for tram only journeys since then by buying the ticket online and loading it on to the card at the first tram stop. Bus only and combined bus and tram tickets can also be loaded onto the card, although the 1 day combined ticket has ( currently ) to be purchased on a bus.
What will be the cheapest option for a day’s travel on Tramlink? I am not a local resident. I have an Oyster card.
Travel West Midlands have now activated full contactless ticketing using any contactless payment card i.e. bank and credit cards on all their buses. Surely that is the way forward using a card most passenger will have in their wallet etc anyway even on a “foreign” system. No Need to carry multiple cards.
Exactly. In the not to distant future will simply be tapping in on smartphones & contactless cards and other smart devices. Most recognise individual top up cards are simply a interim measure a stop gap towards bigger rollout