Transport for London18+ Student Oyster photocard
A Introduction
1. These Terms and Conditions apply to Students who apply for the Transport for London ('TfL') 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme ('the scheme').
2. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure they are familiar with these Terms and Conditions.
3. TfL reserves the right to refuse any application for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard.
4. All photocards and tickets are the property of TfL and are issued in accordance with TfL's Conditions of Carriage.
5. The travel concession provided to students under the scheme is not a statutory right. Any breach of the Terms and Conditions may result, at the discretion of TfL, in the withdrawal of your 18+ Student Oyster photocard and you may not be able to get another one.
6. TfL reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions at any time. The most up to date version can be found online at tfl.gov.uk/tickets
7. TfL reserves the right to terminate or revise this scheme at any time.
8. The scheme is open from 1 September 2012 to 31 July 2013.
9. The opportunity for students with multi-year validity 18+ Student Oyster photocards to confirm their continued eligibility for the 2012/2013 academic year is available from 1 September 2012 to 31 October 2012.
B Full time student eligibility criteria
10. The scheme is only available to students who are 18 years of age or over, attending a participating education establishment that has registered with TfL on the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme, resident in London during term time and:
- enrolled on a full-time course including at least 15 tuition-led and/or structured learning^ hours a week (with attendance at scheduled classes being Monday -Friday only, and not including evening classes) over a minimum period of 14 weeks on the same course, or
- a full time student receiving NHS bursary money*, or
- a full time postgraduate student (for example, studying or writing up for 15 or more hours a week), or
- a sabbatical officer
^ Structured learning does not have to be contact hours, but can be the time a student spends working towards a piece of work which is part of their assessment. Many colleges have an expectation of the ratio of contact hours to structured learning hours. For example, if you spend 10 hours a week in a classroom you may be required to spend 20 hours a week in structured learning to support those contact hours. Hours spent on placement do not count towards tuition-led or structured learning hours.
*You must provide satisfactory evidence of your sponsorship to your education establishment before the establishment's authorised online user validates the application.
11. If your education establishment is located outside Greater London, only those students who live in Greater London and regularly travel to and from the education establishment are eligible. The concession is not available to those students who reside outside London during term times and who then return to London, for example, during the summer break.
12. You are not eligible if you're undertaking on the job training with an employer who pays your wages
C Part time student eligibility criteria
13. The scheme is only available to part time students who are 18 years of age or over, attending a participating education establishment that has registered with TfL on the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme, resident in London during term time and:
- enrolled on a part-time course lasting a period of at least 14 weeks
AND
- a part time student receiving NHS bursary money*
OR
- a part-time postgraduate student receiving financial help from the Access to Learning fund*
*You must provide satisfactory evidence of your sponsorship to your education establishment before the establishment's authorised online user validates the application.
14. If your education establishment is located outside Greater London, only those students who live in Greater London and regularly travel to and from the education establishment are eligible. The concession is not available to those students who reside outside London during term times and who then return to London, for example, during the summer break.
15. Part-time students who were in receipt of the full government funded tuition grant before 1 September 2012 and issued with multi-year 18+ Student Oyster photocards are still eligible for the scheme.
16. You are not eligible if you're undertaking on the job training with an employer who pays your wages
D Work placement student eligibility criteria
17. The scheme is open to students who are 18 years of age or over on mandatory work placement in London AND
- registered with an education establishment and enrolled on a full-time course including at least 15 tuition-led and/or structured learning^ hours a week (with attendance at scheduled classes being Monday-Friday only, and not including evening classes) over a minimum period of 14 weeks,
AND
- on a placement which is an integral and essential part of their course,
AND
- on a placement in London for a minimum period of 14 weeks,
AND
- still under the pastoral care of their education establishment
^ Structured learning does not have to be contact hours, but can be the time a student spends working towards a piece of work which is part of their assessment. Many colleges have an expectation of the ratio of contact hours to structured learning hours. For example, if you spend 10 hours a week in a classroom you may be required to spend 20 hours a week in structured learning to support those contact hours. Hours spent on placement do not count towards tuition-led or structured learning hours.
18. An 18+ Student Oyster photocard will only be issued on submission of a correctly completed online application, a photograph, payment of the £10 fee and an original Placement Authority letter from your education establishment.
19. Your Placement Authority letter (see Appendix A for a template) from your education establishment must:
- be an original copy
- be on your education establishment's letter headed paper
- confirm you are enrolled on a full-time course consisting of 15 or more tuition-led and/or structured learning hours a week for at least 14 weeks
- provide details of your placement and its start and end dates
- be signed by a person in authority, for example registrar/bursar/university secretary/head of student services
20. If your Placement Authority letter doesn't contain all the information we need your application will be rejected.
21. You are not eligible if you're undertaking on the job training with an employer who pays your wages.
E Application
22. You can only apply online at tfl.gov.uk/photocard. Any paper applications will be rejected and you won't get your £10 application fee back.
23. You must be fully enrolled on your course at your education establishment in order to apply.
24. You can apply up to four weeks before your course start date or 18th birthday, whichever is later, as long as you have fully enrolled on your course. You cannot apply between 1 August and 31 August 2012. Any application received more than four weeks in advance of your course start date or 18th birthday will be rejected
25. You will need to upload a digital, colour photo. The photo must:
- be a true likeness. Photos showing hats and head coverings will be rejected except when such items are worn for religious or medical reasons and such photos will only be accepted if the full facial features are clearly visible
- have an aspect ratio of 1.29 with a tolerance of + / - 0.15; this means that its height divided by its width must result in a value of between 1.14 to 1.44
- be a .jpg, .bmp or .gif file type
- have a file size not exceeding 1 mb
- have a resolution of at least 300dpi
26. Your application will be rejected if your photo does not meet our requirements.
27. You must include your enrolment number and your course start and end dates in your application.
28. TfL issue 18+ Student Oyster photocards that span a maximum of 3 academic years. However, those students whose courses go beyond 3 academic years can reapply for the remainder of their course (up to a maximum of 7 academic years) without needing to pay the application fee.
29. Once completed, your application will be forwarded to your education establishment for approval or rejection.
30. Your education establishment cannot approve your application until you have fully enrolled on your course, and approval may depend on whether you have paid your fees or provided satisfactory evidence of sponsorship.
31. All applications must be authorised by your education establishment, who must confirm that your details are correct and that you are eligible. Education establishments will inform TfL if you cease to be eligible, or if some of your details (for example, course end dates) are incorrect or have changed. This may result in TfL stopping your Student-rate travel concession.
32. You must pay a non-refundable £10 administration fee for every application, including when you are replacing a lost, stolen or damaged photocard.
33. The £10 payment must be paid online using a valid credit or debit card. This fee is non-refundable and will automatically be deducted from your credit/debit card account, even if your application is rejected because it is incorrect and/or incomplete.
34. TfL will post your 18+ Student Oyster photocard to the address provided on your application. TfL will only post 18+ Student Oyster photocards to UK addresses. If you provide a non-UK address your application will be rejected.
35. TfL is not liable for any 18+ Student photocard or rejection letter lost, damaged or delayed in the post. TfL is also not liable for any rejection email that was not received. No refunds will be made in respect of tickets bought prior to receiving the 18+ Student Oyster photocard except where it is proven that delay in receiving the 18+ Student Oyster photocard or failure to receive it was wholly because of a fault or failure on the part of TfL. TfL is not liable for any expenses incurred, including travel costs, where an application is rejected due to your own or your education establishment's error, including any instance where your education establishment fails to complete the registration process.
36. If you are a multi-year validity 18+ Student Oyster photocard holder, it is your responsibility to confirm your continued eligibility to TfL. You must log-on to your 18+ web account, confirm that you are still eligible and then your confirmation will be sent to your education establishment for approval. You must do this by 31 October at the start of each academic year. If you fail to re-confirm by this date your Student-rate travel concession will be stopped, which means you will have to pay adult rate. TfL is not liable for any expenses, including travel costs, incurred as a result.
37. If you defer study for a year, whatever the reason, you are ineligible for the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme during that period. You must tell TfL that you are no longer eligible, and your education establishment is also obliged to tell TfL.
38. When you return to study if you wish to benefit from the Student-rate travel concession you will have reapply and pay the application fee.
39. It is your education establishment's responsibility to approve its student's applications in a timely manner. TfL is not liable for any expenses, including travel costs, incurred by students as a result of any delay or error by their education establishment.
40. Your education establishment must re-confirm applications of its students who hold a multi-year validity 18+ Student Oyster photocard by 9 November. TfL is not liable for any expenses, including travel costs, incurred by students as a result of any delay or error by the education establishment.
41. All confirmations of continued eligibility must be authorised by your education establishment, who must also confirm that your details are correct and that you are still eligible. Education establishments will inform TfL if you cease to be eligible, or if some of your details (for example, course end dates) are incorrect or have changed. This may result in TfL stopping your Student-rate travel concession, which means you will have to pay adult rate.
42. Your Student-rate travel concession will expire on your course end date, or if you are removed from or abandon the course, and/or leave the education establishment before the end of the course.
F Obligations of the applicant
43. You must notify us of any change to your details, including change of email address.
44. TfL will contact you with important updates, using the email address you provide at time of application. It is your responsibility to regularly monitor that email address or notify us if you no longer use it.
45. If you change education establishment you will have to reapply and pay the non-refundable £10 application fee again.
46. If your 18+ Student Oyster photocard is lost/stolen/damaged you can order a replacement for a £10 fee online at tfl.gov.uk/photocard or by logging into your 18+ web account.
47. You must show your 18+ Student Oyster photocard at the time you buy your season ticket in order to receive the Student-rate concession and so the ticket can be loaded on your 18+ Student Oyster photocard.
48. You may only hold one active 18+ Student Oyster photocard at any time. If you apply for a new 18+ Student Oyster photocard to replace either a lost/stolen /damaged photocard, a failed photocard, or to update your photo, your existing 18+ Student Oyster photocard will stop working. This may be before your new 18+ Student Oyster photocard arrives. Once your new 18+ Student Oyster photocard arrives you must use it instead of your existing 18+ Student Oyster photocard (if you still have it).
G Replacement 18+ Student Oyster photocards
49. If your 18+ Oyster photocard is lost or stolen or damaged you can order a replacement for a £10 fee online at tfl.gov.uk/photocard. If your photocard fails, you should report it to TfL as soon as reasonably practicable. A refund on the tickets bought while waiting for a replacement may be given in the case of a failed photocard (not if it is lost, stolen or damaged). To be considered for a refund on a failed photocard (which will be based on the fares you would have paid if the photocard had worked, so may not be a full refund of the tickets purchased) you will need to send in both your failed Oyster photocard and any tickets you purchased, within one month of the photocard being reported as failed. If we do not receive the failed photocard and copies of tickets within this timeframe we will not be able to process a refund. You must send us the tickets or other evidence (e.g. Oyster receipt) for every journey you are claiming for.
50. If you had a discount-rate season ticket and/or pay as you go credit on your lost or stolen or damaged or failed 18+ Oyster photocard and have paid for or requested a replacement, TfL will aim to issue a like for like replacement. Where this is not possible you may receive a refund of the unused value of the discount-rate season ticket. Any refund against ticket products may be subject to an administration fee. If TfL has not been able to issue you with a like for like replacement, when you receive your replacement 18+ Oyster photocard you need to add some credit to pay as you go and/or buy another discount-rate season ticket before you can use it.
H Enforcement
51. Your 18+ Student Oyster photocard, and any season ticket or pay as you go credit held on it, are for your use only.
52. An 18+ Student Oyster photocard can only be used by the person whose photograph and name appears on it. If you allow someone else to use your photocard, we may withdraw your Student-rate travel concession and the person using your photocard may be subject to a penalty fare and/or prosecution.
53. To benefit from the Student-rate travel concession you are required to carry your 18+ Student Oyster photocard at all times.
54. TfL monitors the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme for fraudulent use. If TfL detects fraudulent use, TfL may stop your Student-rate travel concession and/or 18+ Student Oyster photocard without notice.
55. If your education establishment's registration on the 18+ Student Oyster photocard is revoked or you cease to be eligible for the Student-rate travel concession, the concession and/or your Oyster photocard may be stopped, without notice, by TfL or your education establishment.
56. If you leave the education establishment stated on your online application before the end of your course, you cease to be eligible for the concession, and you must tell us immediately. A refund on the unused value of your Student-rate season ticket may be considered.
57. If you leave your education establishment before the end of your course and you continue to use your 18+ Oyster photocard for Student-rate concessionary travel, you may forfeit the right to any refund on the unused value of your season ticket. You may be subject to a penalty fare and/or prosecution.
58. If you move to another education establishment you will have to apply for a new 18+ Student Oyster photocard.
59. TfL may suspend or revoke your education establishment's registration if it breaches any of TfL's Terms and Conditions. If your education establishment's registration has been revoked your Student-rate travel concession may be stopped and/or your 18+ Oyster photocard withdrawn. Your education establishment will not be able to process any further 18+ Student Oyster photocard applications. If TfL revokes your education establishment's registration, it is the establishment's responsibility to inform you.
60. TfL will not tolerate its staff or agents being threatened or abused, physically, verbally or in writing. Any such conduct by you may result in any application from you being rejected, your Student-rate travel concession being stopped and/or your 18+ Student Oyster photocard being cancelled or withdrawn. TfL may in those circumstances, depending on the gravity of the conduct, reject or refuse to consider applications from you for concessionary travel for a period or indefinitely.
61. If the photocard holder can no longer be identified by the photograph on their photocard, a replacement photocard must be ordered online and a new photograph uploaded. A £10 administration fee will be charged for this.
I Privacy Notice
Transport for London (TfL), its subsidiaries and service providers, will use your personal information for the purposes of customer services and administration, the provision of travel related information, customer research and fraud prevention. If you use your Oyster photocard in connection with National Rail products or services, you will also be authorising TfL to share your personal information with relevant Train Operating Companies (TOCs) so that they can use it for the same purposes. Your personal information will be properly safeguarded and processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Relevant police services, and Local Authority Anti Social Behaviour units, may provide TfL with details of any criminal convictions, warnings, reprimands, or other sanctions issued in relation to offences that have been committed by the concession holder on, or in relation to, London's public transport network. Such information may be used as the basis for the withdrawal of this travel concession, and TfL may inform the police of any decision to withdraw your concession. Further information is available at www.tfl.gov.uk/privacy
In certain circumstances, TfL and relevant TOCs may also share your personal information with these and other law enforcement agencies for the purposes of the prevention or detection of crime.
TfL may contact you shortly before the expiry of this travel concession, to inform you of the ticketing options available to you from that date.
Appendix A
Download the placement establishment letter template (PDF 75KB)
