Transport for London (TfL) and Gatwick Express have joined forces to enable passengers on the dedicated airport train service to buy Oyster cards before they reach the capital. The plan is to make life easier for inbound passengers at London”s number two airport.
The 30-minute express service currently carries more than 5m passengers per year to Victoria Station near Buckingham Palace. Trains depart every 15 minutes. There are no ticket barriers and visitors straight off an aircraft can pay for the journey and the Oyster card once on board the train
While viewed with scepticism by many when it was first introduced, the card, a pre-paid electronic travel authorisation, has been a great success currently accounting for some 38m journeys per week.
The Oyster card allows travellers the freedom to travel all over the entire TfL system, mindful that they must touch in and touch out at the start and finish of a journey. The cost-effective piece of plastic automatically deducts the correct fare.
The card is timeless and visitors can use it anytime they visit London providing they still have Oyster credit. It can be topped up at all 275 Tube stations and there are also more than 2,200 Oyster agents across the capital.
Visit London”s chief executive, James Bidwell, says: ”London has one of the most comprehensive public transport networks of any major city and it is one of our greatest assets.
”We welcome the new Oyster Card for Visitors on Gatwick Express, which will further increase the opportunities for visitors to buy the card before arriving in the city. We look forward to working with TfL and other partners to continue to raise the profile of the Oyster card overseas.”