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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Card fault hits London transport | Card fault hits London transport |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| The Oyster system on London's public transport network has suffered a fault, rendering the electronic cards inoperable for about five hours. | The Oyster system on London's public transport network has suffered a fault, rendering the electronic cards inoperable for about five hours. |
| The cards are used as a form of payment across the city on the Tube, buses, trams and the Docklands Light Railway. | The cards are used as a form of payment across the city on the Tube, buses, trams and the Docklands Light Railway. |
| A fault lasting from about 0530 BST to 1030 BST on Saturday meant card readers did not work and some passengers could be charged a maximum fare by mistake. | A fault lasting from about 0530 BST to 1030 BST on Saturday meant card readers did not work and some passengers could be charged a maximum fare by mistake. |
| Transport for London, apologised and said Oyster faults were "very rare". | Transport for London, apologised and said Oyster faults were "very rare". |
| It said a problem of this nature had not occurred since March 2006. | It said a problem of this nature had not occurred since March 2006. |
| Passengers touch the electronic card on the reader on entry or exit to a station, or when entering a bus. | Passengers touch the electronic card on the reader on entry or exit to a station, or when entering a bus. |
| Official apology | Official apology |
| A spokeswoman said: "Due to a technical problem with the Oystercard computer system, card readers across the network have not been accepting cards. | A spokeswoman said: "Due to a technical problem with the Oystercard computer system, card readers across the network have not been accepting cards. |
| "Ticket barriers have been left open so that passengers can pass through therefore journeys have not been adversely affected by this problem." | "Ticket barriers have been left open so that passengers can pass through therefore journeys have not been adversely affected by this problem." |
| Machines used to place funds on the cards were also affected by the fault. | Machines used to place funds on the cards were also affected by the fault. |
| Free bus travel will continue on the roads until individual buses return to their garages for their systems to be reset. | Free bus travel will continue on the roads until individual buses return to their garages for their systems to be reset. |
| Any passenger who entered the underground or DLR system while the system was down and finished their journey after it was repaired may be charged the maximum fare. | Any passenger who entered the underground or DLR system while the system was down and finished their journey after it was repaired may be charged the maximum fare. |
| In a statement, TfL said: "All passengers who incur a maximum fare on Saturday 12 July will be given an automatic refund on Tuesday. They do not need to take any action. | In a statement, TfL said: "All passengers who incur a maximum fare on Saturday 12 July will be given an automatic refund on Tuesday. They do not need to take any action. |
| Transport success | |
| "We are investigating the cause of the problem, will ensure that any necessary refunds are honoured and apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience caused." | "We are investigating the cause of the problem, will ensure that any necessary refunds are honoured and apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience caused." |
| In May, London's transport commissioner Peter Hendy said 17m cards had been issued since the introduction of the Oyster system in 2003. | In May, London's transport commissioner Peter Hendy said 17m cards had been issued since the introduction of the Oyster system in 2003. |
| He added that it had successfully sped up journeys and reduced queues on the city's public transport network. | He added that it had successfully sped up journeys and reduced queues on the city's public transport network. |
| Passengers can currently use Oyster cards as a travel card to cover fares for periods up to one year, as well as to cover single journeys for travel to London destinations including overground stations. | Passengers can currently use Oyster cards as a travel card to cover fares for periods up to one year, as well as to cover single journeys for travel to London destinations including overground stations. |
| People using the cards can also use them on a pay-as-you-go basis by topping up the amount of money on it to cover journeys of varying distances. | People using the cards can also use them on a pay-as-you-go basis by topping up the amount of money on it to cover journeys of varying distances. |
| It recently emerged that commuters within London travelling on First Great Western (FGW) trains will be able to use pay-as-you-go Oyster cards from September. | It recently emerged that commuters within London travelling on First Great Western (FGW) trains will be able to use pay-as-you-go Oyster cards from September. |