Oyster Card was first issued to the public on 30 June 2003, with a limited range of features and there continues to be a phased introduction of further functions.
| FactSnippet No. 937,852 |
33 Facts About Oyster Card
2.
Oyster Card name was agreed on after a lengthy period of research managed by TranSys and agreed by TfL.
| FactSnippet No. 937,853 |
3.
Two other names were considered and "Oyster Card" was chosen as a fresh approach that was not directly linked to transport, ticketing or London.
| FactSnippet No. 937,854 |
4.
MIFARE Classic chips, on which the original Oyster card was based, are hard-wired logic smartcards, meaning that they have limited computing power designed for a specific task.
| FactSnippet No. 937,855 |
5.
The MIFARE DESFire chips used on the new Oyster card are CPUs with much more sophisticated security features and more complex computation power.
| FactSnippet No. 937,856 |
6.
Oyster Card system is based on a closed, proprietary architecture from Cubic Transportation Systems.
| FactSnippet No. 937,857 |
7.
The Oyster Card website is not part of the closed system but interfaces with it.
| FactSnippet No. 937,858 |
8.
Similarly, Oyster Card readers are now embedded into ticket machines produced by Shere and Scheidt and Bachmann on the national rail network.
| FactSnippet No. 937,859 |
9.
Full registration can be done at a London Underground station, an Oyster Card Ticket Stop or a Travel Information Centre: an Oyster Card registration form must be filled in .
| FactSnippet No. 937,860 |
10.
Oyster PAYG cards can be used to Broxbourne station, but Freedom Passes and 60+ Oyster cannot be used north of Turkey Street or Enfield Lock stations.
| FactSnippet No. 937,861 |
11.
Unlike the Freedom pass, the 60+ Oyster card is not valid for concessionary travel outside of the area approved by the Greater London Authority.
| FactSnippet No. 937,862 |
12.
Credit card variant of the Oyster card was launched by Barclaycard in September 2007 and is called OnePulse.
| FactSnippet No. 937,863 |
13.
Oyster Card is operated by Transport for London and has been valid on all London Underground, London buses, DLR and London Tramlink services since its launch in 2003.
| FactSnippet No. 937,864 |
14.
Introduction of Oyster Card pay as you go on the National Rail commuter rail network in London was phased in gradually over a period of about six years .
| FactSnippet No. 937,865 |
16.
Zoned fare system under which Oyster Card operates inevitably gives rise to some quirks in the fares charged.
| FactSnippet No. 937,867 |
17.
At stations where Oyster Card is accepted but that do not have ticket barriers, an Oyster Card validator will be provided for the purposes of touching in and out.
| FactSnippet No. 937,868 |
18.
The maximum Oyster Card fare applies even if the daily price cap has been reached as this does not count towards the cap.
| FactSnippet No. 937,869 |
19.
Oyster Card readers were installed at many National Rail stations across London, but they remained covered up and not in use.
| FactSnippet No. 937,870 |
20.
Since January 2010, Oyster Card PAYG is valid at c2c stations Purfleet, Ockendon, Chafford Hundred and Grays in Thurrock .
| FactSnippet No. 937,871 |
21.
On 2 January 2013, Oyster Card PAYG was extended to Shenfield and Broxbourne by Abellio Greater Anglia.
| FactSnippet No. 937,872 |
22.
However, Oyster Card has been valid to Gatwick Airport on both the Gatwick Express and Southern Rail and Thameslink services since January 2016.
| FactSnippet No. 937,873 |
23.
Oyster Card was extended to Hertford East when London Overground took over suburban services previously operated by Greater Anglia in May 2015.
| FactSnippet No. 937,874 |
24.
Oyster Card was extended to Epsom, Hertford North, Potters Bar and Radlett in Summer 2019.
| FactSnippet No. 937,875 |
25.
In 2016, TfL licensed their contactless payment system to Cubic, the original developers of the Oyster card, allowing the technology to be sold to other transport providers worldwide.
| FactSnippet No. 937,876 |
26.
Standard issues of the Oyster card have been updated since the first public release in order to meet TfL's Design Standards.
| FactSnippet No. 937,877 |
27.
Standard public Oyster card is blue but colour variants are used by transport staff.
| FactSnippet No. 937,878 |
28.
Oyster Card users are penalised for touching in and out of the same station within a two-minute period, and charged the maximum possible fare from that station.
| FactSnippet No. 937,879 |
29.
Each Oyster card is uniquely numbered, and registration is required for monthly or longer tickets, which are no longer available on paper.
| FactSnippet No. 937,880 |
30.
On 10 March 2005 an incorrect data table meant that the Oyster Card system was inoperable during the morning rush hour.
| FactSnippet No. 937,881 |
31.
The Oyster Card system was shut down and later restarted during traffic hours.
| FactSnippet No. 937,882 |
32.
In late 2005 the Advertising Standards Authority ordered the withdrawal of one such poster which claimed that Oyster pay as you go was "more convenient" than Travelcards with "no need to plan in advance".
| FactSnippet No. 937,883 |
33.
On some National Rail routes where pay-as-you-go was valid, Oyster Card validators had not been installed at some intermediate stations.
| FactSnippet No. 937,884 |