Oyster Card - Roll-out History

Roll-out History

The roll-out of Oyster features and migration from the paper-based system has been phased. Milestones so far have been:

• London Underground ticket barriers, bus ticket machines, Docklands Light Railway stations and Tramlink stops fitted with validators. Cards issued to Transport for London, London Underground, and bus operator staff (2002)
• Cards issued to the public for annual and monthly tickets (2003)
• Freedom Passes issued on Oyster (2004)
• Pay as you go (PAYG, first called 'prepay') launched on London Underground, DLR, and the parts of National Rail where Underground fares had previously been valid. (January 2004)
• Off-Peak Oyster single fares launched (January 2004)
• Annual tickets available only on Oyster (2004)
• Monthly tickets available only on Oyster, unless purchased from a station operated by a train company rather than TfL (2004)
• Payg on buses (May 2004)
• Daily price capping (February 2005)
• Student Oyster Photocards for students over 18 (early 2005)
• Oyster Child Photocards for under 16s—free travel on buses and reduced fares on trains (August 2005)
• Automatic top-up (September 2005)
• Weekly tickets available only on Oyster (September 2005)
• Oyster single fares cost up to 33% less than paper tickets (January 2006)
• Auto top-up on buses and trams (June 2006)
• Journey history for Pay as you go transactions available online (July 2006)
• Ability for active and retired railway staff who have a staff travel card to obtain privilege travel fares on the Underground with Oyster (July 2006)
• £4 or £5 'maximum cash fare' charged for Pay as you go journeys without a 'touch in' and 'touch out' (November 2006)
• Oyster card for visitors branded cards launched and sold by Gatwick Express.
• Oyster PAYG extended to London Overground (11 November 2007)
• Holders of Railcards (but not Network Railcard) can link their Railcard to Oyster to have PAYG capped at 34% below the normal rate since 2 January 2008.
• Oyster PAYG can be used to buy tickets on river services operated by Thames Clipper (23 November 2009)
• Oyster PAYG extended to National Rail (2 January 2010)