Transport for London (TfL) has issued an urgent warning to approximately 931,000 Londoners who hold Oyster photocards, advising them to apply for any new cards before Thursday, July 16, due to a planned system upgrade. The online Oyster photocard account system will be unavailable from July 16 to July 24, affecting users of Zip, Student, and 60+ photocards.
Impact on cardholders
During this period, customers will not be able to access their Oyster photocard accounts online. However, they can still top up their cards at ticket machines at stations or at Oyster ticket shops. TfL encourages anyone needing to renew or apply for a new photocard to do so before the July 16 deadline to ensure timely delivery.
Reason for the upgrade
The back-office system upgrade aims to make the online platform more robust and reliable for future use. Shashi Verma, TfL's director of tech strategy and revenue, stated: “We are always looking to ensure our systems remain robust and reliable, and as part of this, the Oyster Photocard website will unfortunately be unavailable between July 16-24. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause customers and advise anyone who may need to renew or apply for a photocard during this work to try and do so beforehand.”
What cardholders should do
Affected customers are urged to plan ahead. New photocards should be applied for before July 16 to avoid delays. Existing cardholders can continue to use their cards for travel as normal, but online account management will be temporarily suspended. TfL assures that the upgrade will bring long-term benefits, enhancing the reliability of the Oyster photocard system.
