Oyster cards could be loaded onto smartphones under new TfL deal

"Although the dispute is still pending, a court judgement last week allowed the contract with Indra to be signed, after the judge agreed with TfL's submission that damages be an adequate remedy for Cubic if it ultimately succeeded at trial. The risk of retaining the injunction on signing the contract was that lengthy delays in upgrading TfL's ticketing system would cause greater harm to passengers in the long term."

"Indra will be responsible not just for keeping the system running, but for modernising it. Central to that is a long-signalled overhaul of Oyster, which is now more than 20 years old. TfL says the new contract will support bringing Oyster closer to the contactless model by introducing account-based ticketing. That shift would allow fares to be calculated after travel - ensuring passengers always pay the best price - and opens the door to loading an Oyster card onto a smartphone,"

Transport for London has signed a seven-year Project Proteus contract with Spain's Indra Group to run and modernise its revenue collection and ticketing systems. Indra replaces USA-headquartered Cubic and will take responsibility for system operation and a long-signalled overhaul of the more than 20-year-old Oyster system. The contract supports a shift to account-based ticketing, allowing fares to be calculated after travel to ensure passengers pay the lowest applicable price and enabling Oyster to be loaded onto smartphones. Indra will work with the Department for Transport and the Greater London Authority to expand contactless pay-as-you-go travel across the South East. Indra will initially collaborate with Cubic during the handover.

Read at ianVisits