Request ID: FOI-2127-2324 Date published: 06 October 2023
You asked
Follow-up to TfL Ref: 1283-2324. Hi,
Thanks for your email and response to my previous Freedom of Information (FOI) request 1283-2324.
I do struggle with this idea that it would take so much time for an authority running the transport network of one of the biggest cities in the world to not have a system in place where they can easily see and record the types of refund they are issuing.
Moreover, I believe this issue of people being charged twice could be a frequent daily occurrence. It is only natural at a barrier in a rush if your physical card is not registering to switch to your mobile device on your phone. There are hundreds of millions of tourists who visit London annually for a few days at a time and I imagine this is happening to these travellers and they are not even noticing.
In light of your response, I would like to narrow my request further to now just one month, which I believe should fall within the requested timeframe.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide the following information within 20 working days:
1, How much in total has TfL paid in refunds, which have been authorised by the contact centre, when a customer has been overcharged for using two devices on the same day of travel on all types of services - underground, national rail, DLR, overground etc - across the transport network for the months of
June 2023
2, How much in total has TfL paid in refunds authorised by the contact centre - underground, national rail, DLR, overground etc across the transport network - for the month of
June 2023
3, Can you provide figures for how many refunds have been authorised for overcharged fares on all types of services have been issued by the contact centre for the periods
2023 so far
2022
2021
In addition, could TfL explain when the wallet card pay system began on the transport network and whether signs informing customers not to use two devices are in place at all stations, or just the major stations.
We answered
TfL Ref: 2127-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 13 September 2023 asking for information about refunds on the TfL network following your previous request, TfL ref: 1670-2324. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. You requested the following:
1, How much in total has TfL paid in refunds, which have been authorised by the contact centre, when a customer has been overcharged for using two devices on the same day of travel on all types of services - underground, national rail, DLR, overground etc - across the transport network for the months of June 2023
2, How much in total has TfL paid in refunds authorised by the contact centre - underground, national rail, DLR, overground etc across the transport network - for the month of June 2023
3, Can you provide figures for how many refunds have been authorised for overcharged fares on all types of services have been issued by the contact centre for the periods 2023 so far 2022 2021
For refunds related to incomplete journeys following the use of two different devices, we would still needto manually review each refund and the circumstances given for their authorisation. To compile this for a month’s worth of data, for example, would mean in excess of approximately three or four thousand cases, which would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. However, if you were to limit your request to a day’s worth of refund data, we should be able to fulfil your request on this basis.
To help explain this data, it’s worth noting that TfL recognises that sometimes customers may miss a touch in or touch out due, for example, to forgetfulness, operational issues such as overcrowding, or equipment faults. In the case of a missing touch out, TfL attempts to automatically complete the journey where the travel pattern for the card concerned suggests an occasional inadvertent failure to touch out, and the likely location for the missing tap can be inferred (this process is known as “Autofill”).
In the case of Oyster PAYG, this involves attempting to send a refund to the card concerned, via the station at which the card is used most frequently. To receive the refund the customer must touch in or out within about two weeks of the refund being sent to the gates at the station concerned.
In the case of contactless payment cards (CPC), the journey record is adjusted before the card is charged, so customers would not always be aware of the correction to their journey record. However, our online statements makes it clear to customers when journeys have been corrected in this way.
TfL also provides other means by which customers can get refunds if they feel they have been unjustifiably charged a maximum fare. This includes on-line tools (known as “self-serve”, via the Oyster helpline, and station staff can also provide refunds in the case of Oyster.
The relevant tabs in the spreadsheet above set out for Oyster PAYG and for CPCs, the number of Incomplete journeys (and the percentage this represents of total journeys) together with the number and value of refunds/corrections applied through the various methods described above. This information is updated every quarter.
Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request.
In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your request, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Jasmine Howard FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
