Oyster On The Tube
By Christopher Nickson
November 27, 2007
A new system might see mobile phones replacing London's Oyster card.
Every real Londoner knows the Oyster card, which can be swiped to pay for journeys on the city’s famous underground system and other public transport in the city. Indeed, owning one is the mark of a real Londoner.
But in a sign of the times, the card might soon be replaced by a mobile phone. According to a report in The Guardian, Nokia is working on a system that will let users run a compatible phone over the card reading machine instead.
The system will use RFID technology that’s already quite commonplace on mobile phones in Japan, allowing for contactless payment.
So far, none of the parties has been willing to say more, but the trial will involve Transport for London, Nokia, and mobile operator O2.