Here's the freedom of information (FOI) response to a member of the public on the TfL website about the Oyster card price increase.
Request ID: FOI-0594-2627
Date published: 08 June 2026
Date of Increase: On what specific date did the price increase for a new Oyster card take effect?
The fee increase of 50p took effect on 01 March 2026.
Consultation: Was any public consultation undertaken prior to this price increase? If so, please provide details of the consultation process.
A public consultation was not required for this change.
Equality Impact Assessment: Did TfL publish or conduct an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) regarding this price increase? Please provide a copy of this assessment or confirm if one was not carried out.
An EqIA was not carried out.
Decision Maker: Who authorised the decision to increase the fee?
Transport for London’s Commissioner and Executive Committee.
Impact on Victims of Crime and Access to Travel: What consideration was given to customers who have lost or had their card or smartphone stolen, particularly victims of crime, who are forced to pay the increased price immediately in order to travel while waiting for a replacement to arrive by post?
The impact on this group was not specifically considered. Transport for London’s position on allowing vulnerable people to travel remains unchanged by the fee increase.
I forgot to notice that the price increase was first reported on Ticketing and Revenue Update 158, an internal staff newsletter which I posted on social media, and it also included the visitor Oyster card.
Transport for London Freedom of Information release:
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) March 27, 2026
TfL released Ticketing and Revenue Update 158, noting a March 2026 fares rise of about 6% with some fares frozen. Contactless travel is expanding, with staff discounts, station upgrades, and events.https://t.co/MDrJWLkUJG pic.twitter.com/VX9cUuOt7k
Last year (2025), the cost of a new Oyster card was £7 without a refundable deposit, then before 4 September 2022, it was £5.
To see the reason behind the price increase to £7, let's take a look at the New Revenue Sources document from August 2021, which was part of the financial settlement with the UK government during the COVID pandemic.
Charge £7 for Oyster card
TfL currently charges £5 for an Oyster card, increasing this would raise £5m a year. The charge has not been revised since 2009. The main purpose is cost recovery, and this could also provide an incentive for customers to retain and use the card, however currently c.80 per cent of cards are used for less than a week. Contactless payment offers a viable alternative in these cases. For nearly all of them, contactless is an alternative.
The deposit is designed to cover the difference between the entry threshold (the minimum balance on the card that allows you to start a journey) and the maximum fare (around £8 in most cases) to cover TfL for customers going into negative balance. However, fare changes since 2009 means there is now a significant gap.
I broke the news about the increase of the new Oyster card on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky, and mentioned in a quote post that I expect the usage of the paper One Day Travelcard (£16.60 Zone 1-6 off-peak adult) to increase. One of the reasons is that railcard discounts can't be applied to contactless cards, making it too expensive for railcard users to obtain an Oyster card, despite getting 1/3 off travel. This highlights why paper tickets should be retained as an option for those who are digitally excluded, including overseas visitors whose contactless bank cards might not work on the UK system.
Did anyone notice that Transport for London has quietly increased the price of a new Oyster card to £10.50 without a refundable deposit? 🤔💳 pic.twitter.com/44ES9kckbi
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) May 23, 2026
As more transport areas and bus services adopt contactless bank card payments, I would like to see the Oyster card subsume into a new national smartcard scheme, similar to the Leap card in Ireland.
The UK Department for Transport data shows contactless payments are on 95.8% of British buses, up from 38% in 2017. London leads at 99.3%, but Wales and Scotland have seen the fastest growth, both now exceeding 94%. The shift aims to improve boarding and journey reliability.
— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) December 22, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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With TfL and National Rail freezing some fares, daily/weekly caps, and Travelcard tickets, I think this is one of the reasons why TfL increased the cost of the new Oyster card—to balance the revenue income for their budget.
It's interesting to see that there was no consultation or Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) released by TfL regarding the increase for the new Oyster card.
As contactless pay as you go has expanded to serve major London airports (including Stansted and Southend), some stations do not accept Oyster due to system limitations. Now that the Indra Group has started the contract to operate the ticketing and revenue collection of the TfL system, the contract involves a significant upgrade to their assets. This includes decommissioning the legacy Oyster system as part of Project Proteus.
To conclude, it is remarkable that TfL has increased the cost of a new retail and visitor Oyster card so quietly. Doing so without public consultation, an equality assessment, or proper scrutiny raises real questions about the future of affordable physical ticketing in London.
