Epsom is to be one of the first stations to trial a new pay-as-you-go ticketing scheme similar to Oyster cards, it was announced this week.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the rolling-out of contactless system keyGo at Epsom and Ashtead stations in a letter to constituents on March 27.

From June 2016: Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling appointed as secretary of state for transport

This would be in “April or May”, a Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) spokesman advised.

From May 2012: Bring Epsom into London Zone 6

From June 2015: Austerity Britain can't afford fare-cutting Zone 6 for Epsom until at least 2018 , says MP

Mr Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell, had launched the Zone 6 for Epsom campaign alongside the Epsom Guardian in 2012, but in June 2015 said bringing Oyster cards to Epsom was made difficulty because of austerity.

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This week Mr Grayling wrote that ministers were “rightly” not in a position to introduce changes for their own constituencies, and that he had been “working on a broader project to introduce smart ticketing and pay as you go on a much wider basis.”

Under the keyGo system, passengers tap in and out of stations as they travel throughout the day, a Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) spokesman confirmed.

At the end of each day, a ‘fare engine’ then calculates the cheapest fare you should have been charged and deducts the cost from the bank account linked to the keyGo account.

GTR has likened the new system to Oyster cards, which are used across London.

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This week Mr Grayling (pictured above) wrote: “I have set my department and the industry the goal of introducing smart cards around the country together over as wide an area as possible over the next two years.

“I have tried the system and can vouch that it works. I tapped in and out going into Victoria last week, and it worked fine without having to buy a ticket.”

Southern, which is part of GTR, began trialling the keyGo system on Southern trains into Victoria and London Bridge, or down towards Dorking and Horsham, at the end of last month.

If the trial is successful, the system would then be extended across London, Mr Grayling wrote.

Your Local Guardian:
Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling at Epsom and Ashtead stations

A spokesman for Southern, which is part of GTR, said: “We can confirm that this spring we’ll be extending and improving our exciting pay-as-you-go smartcard called keyGo so that it works at almost all the national rail stations we serve across the Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink network.

“The system, which could previously be used only on Southern services outside the London Travelcard zone, is being tested and will guarantee our passengers the cheapest walk-up fare, overcoming that frequent customer complaint of an overly complex fares structure.

“Passengers will also still be able to buy and load up season tickets to the same smartcard, giving them great discounts and smarter travel combined.”

For more information, visit http://www.southernrailway.com

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