Our ref: FOI-0078-2122/GH Thank you for your letter received by Transport for London (TfL) on 6 April 2021 asking for information about cancelled 60+ Oyster cards. In your letter, you also requested our postal address for service. Service of legal proceedings on behalf of TfL will be accepted by TfL Legal at 5 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN. Should you choose to issue proceedings against TfL prematurely or without a legal basis, TfL will resist the claim and may rely on this letter and any similar correspondence should costs be considered in any legal proceedings. However, we always welcome comments or suggestions and invite you to seek to resolve any disputes with us or contact London TravelWatch, the independent transport watchdog, at londontravelwatch.org.uk if you are not satisfied with how we respond. In relation to your request for information, we have considered this request under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold some of the information you require. 1. How many 1st year Oyster cards have been cancelled from 1/1/20 to 1/3/21? Between 1 January 2020 and 1 March 2021, there were 14,975 cardholders who had not completed the 60+ yearly address check and their cards have been stopped. 2. How many of these cards were cancelled after their 1st year because you did not receive email replies? TfL does not require an email response from applicants as part of the yearly address check process. On or around the date the 60+ cardholder first applied, TfL contacts the cardholder asking them to complete the annual address check process. Cardholders are emailed [or sent a letter by post depending on the preferences they have expressed, as referred to in answer 3 below] and are given six weeks to upload proof of their address and make payment. For cardholders who have still not completed the process after six weeks, their 60+ photocard is stopped. This is outlined in the scheme terms and conditions which the applicant can read and is required to accept during the application process and which can be found here https://photocard.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/60+terms.do. General information concerning the yearly address check process is also available on the TfL website. Between 1 January 2020 and 1 March 2021, there were 14,727 cardholders, contacted by email, who had not completed the yearly address check and their cards have been stopped. 3. How many of these cards were cancelled after their 1st year because you did not receive postal replies? TfL does not require a postal reply from applicants as part of the yearly address check process. Cardholders without an online account are sent an Identity and Verification letter which is valid for six weeks. They need to take this letter and proof of their address to a Post Office so they can complete the process and make payment. The process is not mandatory and for cardholders who have still not completed the process after six weeks, their 60+ photocard is stopped. This is outlined in the scheme terms and conditions which the applicant can read and is required to accept during the application process. General information concerning the yearly address check process is also available on the TfL website Between 1 January 2020 and 1 March 2021, there were 248 cardholders, contacted by letter, who had not completed the yearly address check and their cards have been stopped. 4. What percentage/proportion of cards belong to ethnic or religious minorities? TfL does not request, capture or hold any information concerning the ethnicity or religion of 60+ Oyster photocard applicants and cardholders. As this concession is age and residency related, we only request the name, date of birth and home address. 5. If you do not monitor religion or ethnicity of cancelled cards, how do you ensure compliance with Act, and guarantee fair, non-discriminatory practices – be it intentional or unintended? Although a Freedom of Information request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, TfL does not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request. We can, however advise that the 60+ Oyster photocard is available to anyone who is 60 or older and who live in London. These criteria are the same whether you are applying first time for a 60+ Oyster photocard or confirming your ongoing eligibility. Our Equality Impact Assessment page sets out the process that we follow and some examples of those we have published: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/equality-and-inclusion-publications#on-this-page-4 6. Can you send me a copy of your policy to ensure compliance of your services with the Equality Act? How do you ensure the deprived minorities are not affected adversely in comparison to white or Christian groups Key information and documents on TfL’s work on equality, diversity and inclusion are available at the following links: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/corporate-and-social-responsibility/equality-and-inclusion https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/equality-and-inclusion-publications In relation to the 60+ concession, we originally planned for the process of applying for a new card and for confirming ongoing eligibility to be wholly online. In recognition that some applicants might find the online process difficult to use or might not have a bank account, we adopted alternative processes that allow people to use the Post Office. If you believe these processes are not sufficient please let us know what you think may have been missed. 7. Do you ever use electoral register, or any other method to independently verify the address of the applicant. If so, why did you not use this method in my case? TfL does not use or access the electoral register to verify the address of any applicants. 8. Do you have stats that show what proportion or percentage of ethnic and religious minority (at least by guessing names such as ABDUL) for whom you have been diligent enough to contact them via post prior to cancellation of their Oyster card in comparison to others. TfL does not request, capture or hold any information concerning the ethnicity or religion of 60+ Oyster photocard applicants and cardholders. 9. Has anyone taken legal action in county court or through any other legal remedies after their Oyster card has been cancelled We have checked and have found no records of any such claims. 10. Have you ever refunded the fee after you have cancelled the Oyster card? How many refunds you have made in the past two years. We have not issued any such refunds. 11. According to your record on how many occasions I had used my Oyster card before it was cancelled? TfL retains Oyster journey data for 8 weeks, after which is it anonymised. This is outlined on the TfL website. As your card was cancelled on 1 January 2021, we no longer hold any of your journey data. If this is not the information you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation. If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely Graham Hurt FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London