More tech trouble for Oyster cards

Transport for London’s Oyster cards have again been hit by a technical problem.

TfL said in a statement that the tech problem was likely the same one that troubled travellers last week, but that only ‘pay as you go’ cards were being affected. "We believe that this problem, like the last one resulted from incorrect data tables being sent out by our contractor, Transys.”

The last error left thousand of commuters with damaged cards after a server crash corrupted them, taking down the payment system for five hours.

Unlike the last time, however, cards are not being affected, TfL has claimed. The problem has now been resolved, with the system coming back online.

The body said ticket gates were being left open so passengers would not be disrupted by the fault, and that any passengers who pay the maximum £4 fare would be reimbursed automatically. "Oyster card holders need take no further action,” it said in a statement.

Some 17 million Oyster cards have been issued since their 2003 launch, and they’re used for over 80 per cent of journeys.

A Dutch judge recently ruled that a researcher’s Oyster card hack could be published, opening up the possibility the cards could be cloned.

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