FOI request detail

Waterloo Station entry/ exit estimate

Request ID: FOI-1719-1718
Date published: 23 October 2017

You asked

Thanks for sharing this information, it is very helpful indeed. I can now learn which station has the greatest footfall but the data I would still like to understand is for example; Of the 100 million Waterloo entry/exits estimated for 2016 what percentage are Oyster Travel Card journeys vs Pay as You Go journeys. Because I would like to target my marketing at the station with the great percentage volume of Pay as You Go travellers. More detail on the request includes: Of the 100 million Waterloo entry/exits estimated for 2016 what percentage are Oyster Travel Card journeys (all those available from 7 days to 1 year) vs Pay as You Go journeys (which might include paper tickets, Pay as You Go Oyster, Pay as You Go contactless cards or Pay as You Go mobile pay)

We answered

Our Ref:         FOI-1719-1718

Thank you for your request received on 2 October 2017 asking for information about entry/exits into Waterloo.

Unfortunately, to provide you with the further information you have requested, listed below, would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.

We have estimated that it would exceed the cost limit to provide a response to your current request. We do not hold the information you have requested in a way that can be extracted from our current system. To extract the information would require considerable new code, data mining and software development. We have done some basic analysis and believe there is approximately a split of 43% pay as you go type journeys and 57% season ticket-like use.

To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. If you want to refine your request or make a Freedom of Information Act request in future, please bear in mind that the Freedom of Information Act allows you to request recorded information held by Transport for London. You should identify the information that you want as clearly and concisely as you can, specifying the types of document that you are looking for. You might also consider limiting your request to a particular period of time, geographical area or specific departments of TfL.

Although your 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.

Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request.

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

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]

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