Transport for London16+
All 16 and 17-year-olds and some 18-year-olds can apply for a 16+ Oyster photocard.
Reminder: using Oyster photocards on buses and trams
You must touch your Oyster photocard on a yellow card reader when you board a bus or at a tram stop before you get on a tram. Make sure you get a green light, which shows your card is valid. If you get a red light, touch your photocard on the yellow reader again. If it is still not accepted, speak to a bus driver or member of staff.
If your Oyster photocard has been stopped, has expired or has insufficient pay as you go credit, you may be asked to pay the cash fare.
What 16-18 year olds pay for travel
Buses and trams
Travel free with a 16+ Oyster photocard if you:
- Live in a London borough and
- Are in full time education§ or on a work-based learning scheme and
- are 16-19# years old
If you need to find out whether you live in a London borough, you can check your postcode or call our helpline on 0845 330 9876*
§Full-time education is defined as a minimum of 12 hours guided learning per week on courses at level 3 or below (e.g. A-level or equivalent vocational qualification).
#19 year olds need to have been aged 18 on or before the start of the current academic year.
Free travel is valid until the end of your course or academic year, whichever is earlier.
If you do not qualify for free travel you can pay as you go at half adult rate and buy half adult-rate 7 Day, Monthly and longer period Bus & Tram Pass season tickets with a 16+ Oyster photocard.
If you do not have a 16+ Oyster photocard adult fares are payable
Tube, DLR and London Overground
You can pay as you go at half adult rate and buy child-rate 7 Day, Monthly and longer period Travelcard season tickets with a 16+ Oyster photocard.
If you do not have a 16+ Oyster photocard adult fares are payable
National Rail
Children aged over 16 pay adult-rate fares on most National Rail services in London
If they have a valid 16+ Oyster photocard they can:
- Pay as they go at adult-rate on most National Rail services
- Pay as they go at half adult-rate on selected National Rail services
- Buy child-rate 7 Day, Monthly and longer period Travelcard season tickets
River services
Children over 16 travel at adult rate on river boats. If they have a 16+ Oyster photocard they can use their pay as you go credit to get 10% discount on single fares on Thames Clipper services.
They can also get 1/3 off river boat fares if they have a valid Travelcard season ticket on their Oyster photocard
How to get your 16+ Oyster photocard
When you apply for an Oyster photocard, you will need to provide personal data such as name, address and date of birth.
Learn more about how we use your personal data
If you live in London
The easiest and quickest way to apply is to get an application form from a Post Office in Greater London and areas just beyond the boundary that are served by the London bus and Tube networks. All applications for 16+ Oyster photocards must be made at a Post Office.
You need:
- A completed application form
- Your valid Passport, ID card (from a European Economic Association country) or birth certificate as proof of age
- A passport-sized photograph
If you are applying for free bus and tram travel:
- You must be in full-time education
- You must get your school or college to sign your application form. This can't be done before you have started your course for the current academic year
- Take proof that you live within a London borough to the Post Office with the completed application form. This can be a utility bill, council tax bill or driving license. These can be in your parent or guardian's name, but must be for the same address as your application. Mobile phone bills are not accepted as proof of address
You should submit your application at least two weeks before you need the Oyster photocard. If you already have a 16+ Oyster photocard with free travel concession and you want to apply for another year, you must submit your application by 16 September 2009 to ensure the concession is continuous.
If this is your first 16+ Oyster photocard application, or renewal of an existing 16+ Oyster photocard, or is your first application for the free bus and tram travel concession, there is no fee to pay. If you apply through the Post Office to replace a half-rate 16+ Oyster photocard or a 16+ Oyster photocard where the free travel concession has not expired or does not require renewal within the next six weeks, your application will be rejected.
Your Oyster photocard will be sent to the address provided on your application. If your Oyster photocard doesn't arrive within two weeks, please call 0845 330 9876*, quoting your application reference number.
If you live outside London
You can apply for a Non-resident 16+ Oyster photocard online. Please allow 3 weeks for your application to be processed.
You will need to:
- Supply a digital passport-type photo
- Pay £5 by debit or credit card. This will be loaded on your photocard as credit to pay as you go and can be refunded if not used
Collecting your Oyster photocard
You will need to pick up your 16+ Oyster photocard when you arrive in London.
It can be collected from any Travel Information Centre. You will need to show proof of your date of birth in the form of a valid Passport, ID card (from a European Economic Association country) or birth certificate.
You must do this within two weeks of the collection date you chose when ordering.
Points to note for non-resident applications
- The £5 fee will automatically be deducted from your parent/guardian's credit/debit card account even if your application is subsequently rejected because the photograph is unsuitable. If your application is successful the £5 will be added to your Oyster photocard so that you can use it to pay as you go
- Your photocard will only be available at the travel information centre nominated by you, from the expected collection date you specify in your application, for a maximum period of 14 days, after which it will no longer be available for collection
- You or your parent/guardian must present your original passport, ID card (from European Economic Area country) or birth certificate with date of birth as declared in this application when collecting your Oyster photocard
Full-time education
Full-time education means a minimum of 12 hours of guided learning per week for a minimum of 10 weeks on further education courses at Level 3 or below (up to and including A level or equivalent vocational qualifications).
This must be based at a school sixth form, sixth form college or Further Education college, or be part of a Learning and Skills Council funded Entry to Employment (E2E) or Programme Led Apprenticeship. The guided learning must take place between 09:00-18:00 Monday-Friday.
If you were 18 or over on 31 August prior to the start of the academic year and are following a Level 4 course (e.g. at a University or FE college) you should apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard instead.
Expiry
Your free travel concession will expire on the date printed on the front of your Oyster photocard. For applications made after 1 September 2009 this will usually be 30 September 2010. If your 18th birthday is after the free travel expiry date you'll be able to carry on using your Oyster photocard for half-rate travel until the day before your 18th birthday.
Using your Oyster photocard
You must touch in on the yellow card reader as you board a bus or at the tram stop. When using Tube, DLR, London Overground or National Rail services within London, you must touch in on the yellow card reader at the start and touch out at the end of your journey. If you do not, you may be liable for a penalty fare and your Oyster photocard and travel concession may be withdrawn.
If your 16+ Oyster photocard will not activate the yellow reader, call the helpline on 0845 330 9876*
If you do not follow TfL's Behaviour Code or if you commit a crime on one of our vehicles, your concession and your Oyster photocard may be withdrawn.
Contact us
Duplicate cards - 0845 331 9872*
If your 16+ Oyster photocard has been lost or stolen, you will need to re-apply to get a duplicate. You will need to pay a non-refundable fee of £10. You must apply online or phone 0845 331 9872*. You cannot apply via the Post Office.
- If required, you can change your photo as part of the lost/stolen/damaged online process
- If your Oyster photocard is worn and more than two years old, you can get a duplicate free of charge by calling 0845 331 9872*
- If you obtain a duplicate of a lost, stolen or damaged Oyster photocard, the original photocard will be stopped and will no longer work
* Calls from BT landlines will be charged with a minimum
fee of 5.9p and then up to 4p per minute. Mobile and
other network costs may vary (current at December 2009).
Call the Oyster help line on 0845 330 9876* if:
- Your Oyster 16+ photocard doesn't work
- You have a query once your application has been submitted and you want to track its progress. Alternatively you can text your application reference number to 07624 809325. You will receive a response from our SMS service. Standard network charges apply
- Youhave unused tickets or money to pay as you go on your Oyster card, you can apply for a refund by contacting Refunds, 55 Broadway, London SW1H 0BD or by calling 0845 330 9876*
* For BT residential customers, calls to the Oyster helpline
will cost no more than 3.5p per minute, (current at
December 2009). The price on non-BT phone lines
may be different.
