CASHLESS BUSES
To receive an oral rep[ort from Transport for London.
Minutes:
Keith Gardner, Bus Policy Manager, Surface Transport, Transport for London had attended the meeting to discuss the possible crime and disorder implications of the decision to introduce Cash Free Buses.
Cash free buses had been introduced on 6 July 2014. The concerns were that bus drivers who refused a passenger the right to travel could be assaulted and/or a passenger who had been refused the right to travel could be at risk.
The Sub-Committee were advised that before cash free buses were introduced research had been undertaken to identify which customers tended to use cash to pay for travel on the buses. This was not those on a low income who saw the benefit of using an Oyster card but young white males who were cash rich and time urgent. The research also indicated that tourists and visitors to London tended to use Oyster cards.
Before the system had been introduced Transport for London had worked with Age Concern and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to rewrite their vulnerable passenger procedures. Part of the process involved ‘one more journey’ where provided you were not in a negative position on your oyster card you could make one more journey. When you topped up the cost of that journey would be debited from your balance.
Tfl had monitored the situation to ensure there were no problems. In the first month they received 3 code reds a day relating to no cash, it was now down to 2 code reds a day. Similarly the number of customer complaints was on average 8 per day in respect of no cash, this was now down to 4 per day.
The feedback from operators was positive and Tfl had no evidence that anyone had been placed at risk. Known vulnerable persons were eligible for a Travel Support Card and this should ensure that drivers always exercised discretion and allowed travel.
The biggest impact on night time travel had been the introduction of contactless payment, rather than no cash travel.
The Sub-Committee were satisfied that the introduction of cash free buses had not led to an increase in crime and disorder on the buses.