Following our successful campaign, I am really pleased to say that from 2 February we will (finally!) be getting Contactless for Sevenoaks, Bat & Ball, Otford, Shoreham, Eynsford and Dunton Green stations.
It has been a long journey, with some false starts (the latest being the TfL cyberattack that prevented the implementation of Contactless last September) but I am delighted that tap in and tap out will soon be with us, and passengers will be able to benefit.
The introduction will mean that those travelling into London Monday to Friday prior to 6.30am in the morning, will be classified as off-peak travellers and will see their fares reduced on a single or return.
It will also enable passengers to switch between different trains, Tube, London buses, and trams and to pay only for the journeys you make. The cost of travel is capped either daily, or from Monday to Sunday, on journeys into and within London.
You will still be able to use your “Key” card for season tickets, peak single and returns tickets, but will not be able to use Oyster Cards, and the technology currently doesn’t allow for Contactless to be used for those with discount cards (such as Senior Railcards). I do however continue to stress how important it is that these technological difficulties are overcome, so that all passengers can benefit.
For many travellers this will make their journeys very much more convenient. However, if you do become aware of any anomalies in the system, do be sure to email me at [email protected] and I will raise them with Southeastern, TfL and the Department for Transport.
