A new announcement regarding the contactless and Oyster ticketing system has been made by Transport for London.

Indra Group has been awarded a seven-year contract to operate the revenue collection systems.

Indra will handle development, operation and maintenance of the system, which allows passengers to travel across the city.

More than 90 per cent of Tube and bus journeys now use either contactless or an Oyster card and the new contract will mean that the system remains accessible to all.

Improvements will be made to the Oyster card system to bring it in line with the contactless ticketing system.

An account-based system will be brought to the Oyster card to give more flexibility to passengers. This could also see the Oyster card being loaded onto a mobile phone.

Cubic Transport Systems and Indra will work together to transition the operation, and passengers should not be affected by the change.

Staff from Cubic Transport Systems will move across to Indra where applicable.

“Millions of journeys are made on our public transport system every day, and it is vital that customers can trust the ticketing system to ensure they are charged the correct fare. We look forward to working with Indra group on the next evolution of our Oyster and contactless ticketing system. 

“I also want to thank everyone at Cubic Transportation Systems for their work and innovation in delivering, maintaining and improving the Oyster and contactless system over the past decades. The hard work and innovation by Cubic helped make the system as instantly recognisable and successful as it is.” 

Shashi Verma, Director of Technology Strategy and Revenue at TfL

“We feel very proud to become Transport for London’s technological partner for such an ambitious and transformational project for the transportation of London, a global flagship, a leader in the field and an example of innovative and sustainable mobility for the rest of the world’s metropolises. We’re ready and eager to take on the challenge with responsibility, with a view to exceeding customer expectations and helping improve mobility for everyone living in or visiting the UK capital.”

Ángel Escribano, Executive Chairman of Indra Group