Logged off - London TravelWatch publishes new digital exclusion research

In 2023, London TravelWatch released a report entitled Left out Londoners, which looked at the issues faced by those who are digitally excluded or disadvantaged passengers and might not have access to digital technologies before and during their journey.

Two years later, we wanted to see what progress – if any – had been made. We carried out a mystery shopping exercise across London’s public transport network, working with research agency Lacuna to collate our findings.

The findings reveal a mixed picture, highlighting both good practice and ongoing barriers for digitally excluded or disadvantaged passengers.

One of the most concerning findings was the disparity between the cost of ‘tapping in and out’ at the ticket barriers compared with the cost of buying a paper ticket, with the paper ticket sometimes costing around 200 percent more. This represents a clear and expensive barrier for those relying on making cash payments, or people who have simply chosen to buy a ticket at the machine leaving them at a huge disadvantage.

London TravelWatch has long stressed the importance of having staff at stations, and our new research highlighted that when staff are present, they provide crucial help to passengers. This is especially important for people who are more likely to be digitally excluded or disadvantaged, such as older people and Disabled people as staff can offer support, advice and assistance.

However, we found that the level of support varies between stations, with some offering more help and assistance than others. This can be confusing for passengers who rely on extra support during their travels.

Michael Roberts, CEO of London TravelWatch, said: “The results of our research show that many passengers still face barriers, particularly when it comes to pricing, support, and navigating the transport system. It is simply unfair that those paying with cash – or who choose to use the ticket machines – are forced to pay so much more, and might struggle to find the cheapest option for travel. This is also likely to affect some of those most impacted by the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“It is important to remove as many barriers to transport as possible, and accessibility should be at the heart of decision making. We are calling on Transport for London, transport operators and the Department for Transport to commit to addressing these issues that are leaving Londoners behind.”