Fare Information for 2010

Ref: TFL101723

Dear Mr Skene

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 4
January 2010.

You have asked for copies of internal communications and minutes to
meetings regarding the 2010 fare increases.

We will deal with your request as soon as possible and in any case provide
you with a response by 1 February.

In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your
request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards
Transport for London
Customer Relations

show quoted sections

Ref: TFL101723

Dear Mr Skene

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 4
January 2010. I am sorry for the delay in responding to you.

You have asked for copies of internal communications and minutes to
meetings regarding the 2010 fare increases.

Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act.

Unfortunately we will not be able to resolve your request within the
statutory 20 working day deadline. This is because the response is being
finalised.

We will respond as soon as possible.

Please accept my apologies for this delay and any inconvenience it may
cause you. In the meantime, if you have any queries relating to your
request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are not satisfied with this response, please read the attached
help-sheet entitled `Your Right to Appeal'.

Kind Regards

Transport for London

Customer Relations

Your Right to Appeal

Internal Review

If you are dissatisfied with the way TfL has handled your information
request, you can ask us to conduct an internal review of our decision.

The internal review will be conducted by someone other than the person who
made the original decision, in accordance with the complaints procedure
published on our website at [1]www.tfl.gov.uk/foi.

Requests for internal review should be addressed to:

Head of Information Access and Compliance

6^th Floor Windsor House

42 - 50

Victoria Street

London

SW1H 0TL

Complaints to the Information Commissioner

If, following the internal review, you remain dissatisfied with the way
TfL has handled your request, then you can take your complaint to:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

A complaint form is available on the Information Commissioner's Office
website

[2]www.ico.gov.uk

show quoted sections

Ref: TFL101723

Dear Mr Skene

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 4
January 2010. I am sorry for the delay in responding to you.

You have asked for copies of internal communications and minutes to
meetings regarding the 2010 fare increases.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act and I can confirm that TfL does hold the information you
require. Please see below TfL's response to the questions asked:

1. Any staff Fares Revision Circulars or similar communication materials
for staff use which provides them with information on the January 2010
fare changes.

Attached are two documents: "2010 fares revision staff briefing 30 12
2009" and "PAYG on NR 2010 staff briefing 30 12 2009", produced for the
Oyster helpline staff which is also issued to other relevant staff.

2. Any recorded information (e.g. meeting minutes, memos or emails) that
contain or discuss the reasons for not providing a printed 2010 Fare &
Tickets Leaflet for customers.

A programme to review/improve TfL's suite of online/printed fares and
ticketing information materials, was commissioned in 2009.

This was to ensure our printed / online communications worked as
effectively as possible to ensure customers' fares and ticketing
information needs were met, particularly in light of Oyster's introduction
on National Rail services in Greater London, and the associated changes to
the fares structures.

The first steps within this review programme were to update our
understanding of how customers interacted with the various sources of
fares information available to them in London, and to review the key needs
in this area.
The findings confirmed that a comprehensive `Guide to Fares and Tickets'
leaflet was not sufficiently tailored to specific customer needs, and
remained too complex for the majority of our passengers to effectively
use, despite a number of attempts to simplify its content in the past.

The research highlighted the potential of our website to work much harder
in providing customers with detailed, up to date specific fares
information they need, particularly given the forthcoming rollout to
National Rail. With the vast majority of our fare paying customers now
having access to the internet, this is also a cost-effective means of
getting key information to customers

In light of these findings, we subsequently commissioned a series of
improvements to fares information provision:

1. New `Getting Around with Oyster' and `Concessionary travel' leaflets.
These are widely available in stations and Oyster Ticket Stops across
London, replacing the previous Oyster and Fares leaflets. A third
`Welcome to London' leaflet (aimed specifically at visitors) will also
continue to be distributed, produced in conjunction with Visit London
and the London Development Agency (LDA).

These leaflets are carefully targeted at meeting most common fares and
ticketing questions on our network. They are designed to quickly and
concisely explain the range of ticketing options available, explain how to
use products such as Oyster pay as you go, and relieve pressure on
operational staff and TfL's call centre agents. Indicative fares
information is included where relevant in the Oyster leaflet, and
customers are clearly directed to the TfL website for detailed / current
pricing information.

2. A series of improvements to Fares and Ticketing Information at
[1]www.tfl.gov.uk/fares. This commenced with a comprehensive `single
fares finder' tool being implemented, as well as a series of
information improvements to ensure customers using Oyster pay as you
go on National Rail are supported. Full details of the new January
2010 fares can also be found here.

Recorded information related to the Review Programme outlined above, is
attached as follows:-

a. A brief setting out terms of reference for the Fares Information
Review programme, produced in March 2009. This was agreed by
stakeholders, and London TravelWatch, as well as the Train Operating
Companies, were informed of the work at this time.

b. A customer research report from May 2009 as referred to above. This
outlines issues faced by customers (as well as TfL staff/call centre
agents) in terms of accessing fares and ticketing information in
London, and highlights problems with the previous suite of information
tools.

Discussion of this report led to a consensus that the `Guide to Fares and
Tickets' was to be removed from January 2010, and replaced with a
re-focussed suite of leaflets / improved online fares tools. Please see
attached, "09006 Fares Information Review Report_FINAL.doc" and "Workshop
findings.docx" for more information.

3. Any correspondence, briefings etc between London TravelWatch and TfL
regarding the 2010 fares revisions & customer publicity

With regard to correspondence and briefings sent/given to LTW on the fares
revision, please find attached an email sent by my director, David McNeill
(a copy of which is included below and was sent to all stakeholders).

Please see below, a redacted response to the attached letter sent to LTW,
which is the recognition of receipt email received from its chief
executive. There's no additional documentation held by TfL or the
Commissioner's Office on this matter.
Sent: 16 October 2009 12:00
To: McNeill David (GM&C)
Subject: RE: Mayor's announcement on fares, Congestion Charge scheme and
TfL Business Plan
Thanks David - I did read this yesterday but don't think I acknowledged.
Hope you're well
Chief Executive
London TravelWatch, 6 Middle Street, London EC1A 7JA

A TfL representative was present at the LTW's Fares and Ticketing
committee, where the discussion centred around the RPI formula. For a copy
of the official minutes, please contact LTW at:
London TravelWatch
6 Middle Street
LONDON
EC1A 7JA

Tel: 020 7505 9000
(Monday to Friday, 09.00 to 17.00)

Fax: 020 7505 9003

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Kind Regards

Transport for London
Customer Relations

Your right to appeal

If you are dissatisfied with the way TfL has handled your information
request, you can ask us to conduct an internal review of our decision. The
internal review will be conducted by someone who was not involved in the
processing of your original request, in accordance with the complaints
procedure published on our website at [2]www.tfl.gov.uk/foi

Requests for internal review should be addressed to:

Head of Information Access and Compliance
Floor 5, Windsor House
42-50 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0TL

E-mail: [email address]

Complaints to the Information Commissioner

If, following the internal review, you remain dissatisfied with the way
TfL has handled your request, then you can take your complaint to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

A complaint form is available on the Information Commissioner's Office
website at
[3]www.ico.gov.uk

Copyright

Any copyright in the material provided with this response is owned by TfL
or one of its subsidiary companies unless otherwise stated. The disclosure
of information does not give the person or organisation who receives it an
automatic right to re-use it in a way that would otherwise infringe
copyright (for example, by making copies, publishing it, or issuing copies
to the public). Brief extracts of the material may be reproduced under the
fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
(sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research for non-commercial
purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting. In respect
of use for criticism, review and news reporting, any reproduction must be
accompanied by an acknowledgement that TfL or one of its subsidiary
companies is the copyright owner.

Re-use

If you would like to re-use the information supplied with this response
please contact TfL using the details provided in the attached letter.
Requests for re-use will be considered in accordance with the Re-use of
Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

show quoted sections