Cash Ticket Machines Could Disappear From Wimbledon Tram Network

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Consultation taking place over infrequently used machines

The Wimbledon to Croydon tram service could become 'cashless' if a Transport for London (TfL) proposal goes through.

It is carrying out a consultation on removing the existing cash ticket machines, which it says only sell a small number of the more expensive paper tickets every week and do not allow customers to top-up their Oyster card.

As the ticket machines, which were installed when the tram system opened in 2000, have such low usage and have now reached the end of their useful life, TfL says it is no longer cost effective for it to maintain them or have them replaced.

It is proposing to remove the machines and ask any customers who still buy paper tickets to switch to Oyster or contactless.

Customers will be able to top up their Oyster cards at Oyster Ticket Stops along the route, at ticket machines at National Rail stations or via the TfL website and forthcoming TfL Ticketing app.

Only 0.3% of single tram journeys are paid for with a ticket bought from a tram stop ticket machine. This is fewer than 250 tickets per day, with more than half of these sold from 10 tram stops.

A paper ticket bought from a ticket machine costs £2.60 whereas the equivalent pay as you go single fare with Oyster or a contactless bank card is £1.50. Customers using pay as you go also have access to the Mayor’s Hopper fare, which gives a second tram or bus journey for free within one hour of touching in on the first tram or bus journey.

Subject to the results of the consultation, a final decision on whether to remove the machines will be made early next year.

Rory O’Neill, Director of London Trams, said: “Most tram customers use pay as you go with Oyster or contactless to travel, which is cheaper than paper tickets and also allows customers to use the Mayor’s new ‘Hopper’ fare to make two bus or tram journeys within an hour for the price of one. As very few ticket sales are made using ticket machines, we are asking local people and stakeholders if they think cash ticket machines should be removed altogether.”  

The consultation runs until October 29. To find out more, see details of our public drop-in sessions and to have your say visit  www.tfl.gov.uk/cashless-trams.

September 5, 2017