Can the Mayor get anything right on rail? - Caroline Pidgeon

5.04.00pm GMT Wed 18th Nov 2009

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the Mayor's confused announcement of the final roll-out of Oyster Pay as You Go to all train companies in the London area said:

"Boris Johnson has wasted 18 months on this issue. The scheme he will re-announce on Monday sadly will not be as convenient as it should be for Oyster PAYG users and regrettably many people who start to use the trains will discover that the same journey costs far more than a parallel tube journey.

"The Mayor should have stuck to his pledge he made to Londoners to sit down with the rail companies and sort out these issues. Sadly because the Mayor has failed to do this and due to lack of attention to detail we will have a scheme from 2nd January that falls far short of what Londoners deserve. Instead of a fast Pay As You Go system many Londoners will now face a Pay As You Queue system."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. A person with a season Travelcard on their Oystercard who wants to travel beyond their zone will from January have to queue at a ticket office for every separate trip to obtain an "Oyster Extension Permit"

2. From 2nd January people who travel using Oyster will face far higher fares on the trains than the tube for almost identical journeys. For example the cost of a single tube journey from Finsbury Park to King's Cross is £2.20, but by rail it is £4.00.