A trade union has advised its frontline staff against applying Railcard discounts to commuters’ Oyster cards, citing “errors” that have resulted in “disciplinary action”.
It is understood the RMT’s move could force passengers to pay higher off-peak fares—unless they travel via stations outside the London Underground network.
A copy of the RMT’s members’ magazine, called Orange is the New Black, revealed how the ban came about, The Telegraph reported.
“We are aware that some members, including agency colleagues, have been performing this task in isolation,” it reads.
“Unfortunately, some have faced disciplinary action for errors made while carrying out a duty strongly advised against by the union.
“Our stance remains clear: this is not part of the roles we do.”
According to the magazine, London Overground operator Arriva Rail London, had told staff to “apologise” and tell passengers they are “unable to do that activity” if asked to load discounts onto Oyster cards.
The newsletter stated that the change followed pressure from RMT shop stewards, who argued that assisting passengers with discounts was not part of unionised staff's duties.
However, a company spokesperson denied that any such directive had been issued, according to The Telegraph.
According to the TfL website, adding discounts to Oyster cards is only possible if a staff member does it for you.
Railcards—like the Two Together or Network Railcard—generally provide a one-third discount on off-peak train journeys.
They can be linked to an Oyster card, allowing the discount to be applied to both pay-as-you-go daily fare caps and Oyster Travelcard fares.
A spokesman for Arriva Rail London told The Telegraph: “London Overground employees have not been instructed to avoid applying discounts to Oyster cards. It has been acknowledged that this is not part of their job description, therefore we do not expect or request that colleagues undertake this task.
“We know that several colleagues are willing to perform this task for the benefit of our customers.
“We are therefore making training available for colleagues who wish to undertake this task at certain locations.”
