- published: 05 Feb 2016
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The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport based in Greater London in England. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on travel modes across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, trams, some river boat services and most National Rail services within the London fare zones.
A standard Oyster card is a blue credit-card-sized stored value card that can hold single tickets, period tickets and travel permits, which must be added to the card prior to travel. It is a contactless smartcard that passengers touch onto an electronic reader when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds. The cards may be "recharged" in person from numerous sales points, by recurring payment authority, by online purchase, by credit card terminals at stations, or by cash, the last two methods at ticket offices. The card is designed to reduce the number of transactions at ticket offices and the number of paper tickets. Use is encouraged by offering substantially cheaper fares on Oyster than payment with cash.