I have found the following page on your website; https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-1049-1718 It would be great if it was possible to get an updated view of this from the first 6 months of 2019, is this something that is available? As context, sure you’ve noticed the debate happening across our industry at the moment around access to cash. I recall that TfL bringing in contactless acted as a large catalyst for the migration of people to use contactless payments. So, I’m just really looking for a simple breakdown of % of payments carried out with cash over a 6/12 month period. I have found a baseline figure from 2011 of 26% cash usage, so be great to see an updated view to show the progress.

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TfL Ref: FOI-1487-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 15 August 2019 asking for information about payment stats.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

I have found the following page on your website;

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-1049-1718

It would be great if it was possible to get an updated view of this from the first 6 months of 2019, is this something that is available?

As context, sure you’ve noticed the debate happening across our industry at the moment around access to cash. I recall that TfL bringing in contactless acted as a large catalyst for the migration of people to use contactless payments.

So, I’m just really looking for a simple breakdown of % of payments carried out with cash over a 6/12 month period.

As we explained previously, some of the payments we receive are via Train Operating Companies, and we have no record of whether those tickets were payed for in cash or by a bank card.

Other payments are collected from Oyster Ticket Stops (such as newsagents where customers can buy Oyster season tickets and Pay As You Go top-ups). We believe most of these are paid for in cash, but we are unable to provide a breakdown of the payments.

We are also unable to break down payments by customers using mobiles to travel (i.e. break them down by Apple Pay, Android Pay, etc.).

In terms of the analyses available, some of the data we have is in terms of journeys, and some in terms of receipts.

Please see the below breakdown by journey which is closely related to how much is spent overall using different payment method. The following analysis available is for London Underground, and does not distinguish between cash and card purchases.

Number of journeys (000) on the Underground by Payment Method     

7 periods (approx. 6months) starting January 2019	Oyster journeys	Contactless Payment Card (CPC) journeys	Contactless mobile device journeys	Total
Totals for the 7 periods	503,839	497,689	105,395	1,106,923
Proportions	45.5%	45.0%	9.5%	100.0%

Finally, an analysis which helps give an idea of the breakdown between cash and card purchases. These are receipts (sales) on the London Underground, including purchases of Travelcards as well as PAYG top-ups, but they will also cover parts of journeys made on National Rail. Note that ‘Bank Card’ excludes journeys using CPCs and mobiles.

Total receipts collected (£000) on the Underground by Payment Method     

7 periods (approx. 6months) starting January 2019	Cash	Bank Card	Total
Totals for the 7 periods	144,494	600,620	745,114
Proportions	19.4%	80.6%	100.0%

Please note, although the proportion of cash received remains about the same as in 2016/17, the total cash has fallen in absolute terms, due to more people paying by Contactless (not included in these figures).

For financial year 2018/19, the amount of cash received has fallen by 15% compared with 2016/17.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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