MANY readers in Ealing will by now have used their contactless credit or debit card to pay for travel on the Underground, DLR, London buses and Overground trains.

The contactless system works with all UK-issued credit and debit cards, including American Express, Visa and Mastercard. As with Oyster, there will be a daily and weekly cap on the cost of journeys.

Not only will this change allow passengers to travel without having to top up their Oyster Cards, it is also expected to save as much as £80m over the next five years by reducing payments to the company running the Oyster system. Hopefully, this saving will contribute to keeping fares down.

While ‘wave and pay’ should make life easier for passengers, readers should be aware that TfL is warning commuters NOT to keep more than one payment card in the same wallet as the wrong card might be charged for the journey.

Furthermore, there is the risk of being charged two maximum fares for the same journey, which happens when the reader charges one card when you touch in and another card when you touch out.

If readers encounter any difficulties with the new payment system, please contact me at syed@syedkamall.com. I will then raise any complaints received when I meet with TfL later in the autumn.

SYED KAMALL

MEP for London