Overcharging Tourists
I have a friend and her daughter visiting England from Austria, so I decided to take them sightseeing in London. Transport for London seems to be making it difficult for foreign visitors to travel, and people living outside of London, and we are being overcharged at every opportunity.
We were travelling from Kent and the TFL website says you can use a debit/credit card for the same price as an Oyster card, which cannot be bought outside of London.
This is only if a child has their own debit/credit card, because each individual must use a separate debit/credit card and a child must then pay an adult price.
We had no idea how much we were paying for the bus, because nowhere did it tell you and the bus driver told us he didn't know.
We arrived at North Greenwich Pier with intentions of travelling to Westminster and back on the river bus.
My friend had two Oyster cards given to her, but they needed topping up and we couldn't find anywhere to top them up at the pier. So they were useless.
The fare was extortionate at £77.50 for two adults and one child. Whilst waiting for the river bus, I saw a Visa sign and asked a manager if there was a difference in price if I paid by Visa on the boat, instead of paying by Visa using the machine next to the boat. We were told there was a £20 saving, yet we had no idea how much we were paying, because it simply doesn't tell you.
Again, we had to just tap our credit cards without any indication of how much we were spending.
This is shocking!
We waited nearly 1 hour for a river bus (Uber) to take us back to Greenwich from Westminster. It was extremely hot, there was nowhere to sit and no shade.
Once inside the boat, we couldn't see out of the windows, they were so dirty.
Shame on you TFL.
I am English and proud of my country, but I was embarrassed yesterday. It is 2026 and you expect people to pay by credit/debit card, but without knowing what they are paying. You are giving us the incentive to use your Oyster Card with the benefits you are offering and then not allowing us to put money on those cards.
I speak English fluently and I was confused. For visitors to our country with little English, you are making it impossible.
What impression are they going home with?
What will be the reputation of our country, when the government's transport system in London is so poor?
Finally, I owe you some money for my final fare on the boat. Please reply to this message, answer some of the above questions and explain how I can pay the money owed.
6 de agosto de 2026
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