London TravelWatch has welcomed the move towards ‘contactless’ fares, where people will be able to use credit or debit cards to travel, but has called for it to be made available on national rail services.

London TravelWatch said: “It is obviously good news that contactless payment will be available across tubes and buses next year. Anything that makes it easier for people to pay for travel is to be welcomed, and it will be especially beneficial for London’s tourists and visitors, who may not find it easy to find out about Oyster.

However, it is very disappointing that will not necessarily be available on rail services. We know only too well the confusion caused for passengers when Oyster was unavailable on rail, and this should not be allowed to happen again. London has an integrated transport network, and tickets must be integrated too.”

Transport for London has announced that passengers will be able to access its network using bank or credit cards:

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For media enquiries, please contact the London TravelWatch press office on 020 7726 9953 or 07734 055494.