Students in London are suffering anxiety because they cannot apply for subsidized travel due to a cyber attack that occurred at the beginning of September.
Students have said that they feel “disenfranchised” as they face increasing financial pressure. One university student told CityNews that they were “missing out” on social engagements because they had to factor in increased transport costs to and from central London.
She also said that as a student, she should have the right to heavily subsidized fares.
Another student said that value for money on TFL services depended on the line or routes travelled on. She said that “the Elizabeth line is really nice, but the Victoria line in summer was hell. It was like travelling in a hot sauna”.
Many students rely on travelcards to get 30% off travel in the city. For example, a zone 1-3 adult travelcard costs £50.20, which would be £35.10 for students. This means that new students could have paid over £90 extra for transport since the start of the term.
Oyster cards continue to be the best way to access student discounts on public transport.
Meanwhile, children under 16 and adults over the age of 60 continue to receive free transport on expired Oyster cards. However, students continue to pay as much as everyone else as the cyber attack enters its seventh week.
TFL have said that it is their “intention to refund customers for additional travel costs”, but have not detailed what evidence students will need to apply for refunds.
There is also no timescale for when the cyber incident will be resolved, though Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is “light at the end of the tunnel” in an interview with the London Standard.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan crosses his fingers.
Many students elsewhere in Europe and around the world have access to free or heavily subsidized transport. In Germany, some students receive a free travel card with their university and in Belgium, travel cards are discounted by 80% for students.
Students in London are already faced with one of the priciest university towns, with the capital consistently ranking in the top 5 of the world’s most expensive cities. Accommodation and transport costs are often ranked as the most common causes of stress amongst London-based university students.
The cost-of-living crisis has squeezed student finances too, particularly in the capital. One in five London students say they have been forced to increase their working hours and cost is mentioned as a barrier to public transport use by 57% of 16-25 year olds.
So far, the advice for students is to sit tight and wait for the refund window to open when the cyber attack is resolved. However, there is no timescale for this at the moment, with TFL working “around the clock” to resolve the issues.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineTFL Cyber Attacks: 18+ students continue to go without subsidized travel
Short HeadlineStudents ‘disenfranchised’ by TFL hack
StandfirstUniversity students feel they have been abandoned by Transport for London in the wake of a ‘highly sophisticated’ cyber attack.
Students in London are suffering anxiety because they cannot apply for subsidized travel due to a cyber attack that occurred at the beginning of September.
Students have said that they feel “disenfranchised” as they face increasing financial pressure. One university student told CityNews that they were “missing out” on social engagements because they had to factor in increased transport costs to and from central London.
She also said that as a student, she should have the right to heavily subsidized fares.
Another student said that value for money on TFL services depended on the line or routes travelled on. She said that “the Elizabeth line is really nice, but the Victoria line in summer was hell. It was like travelling in a hot sauna”.
Many students rely on travelcards to get 30% off travel in the city. For example, a zone 1-3 adult travelcard costs £50.20, which would be £35.10 for students. This means that new students could have paid over £90 extra for transport since the start of the term.
Oyster cards continue to be the best way to access student discounts on public transport.
Meanwhile, children under 16 and adults over the age of 60 continue to receive free transport on expired Oyster cards. However, students continue to pay as much as everyone else as the cyber attack enters its seventh week.
TFL have said that it is their “intention to refund customers for additional travel costs”, but have not detailed what evidence students will need to apply for refunds.
There is also no timescale for when the cyber incident will be resolved, though Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is “light at the end of the tunnel” in an interview with the London Standard.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan crosses his fingers.
Many students elsewhere in Europe and around the world have access to free or heavily subsidized transport. In Germany, some students receive a free travel card with their university and in Belgium, travel cards are discounted by 80% for students.
Students in London are already faced with one of the priciest university towns, with the capital consistently ranking in the top 5 of the world’s most expensive cities. Accommodation and transport costs are often ranked as the most common causes of stress amongst London-based university students.
The cost-of-living crisis has squeezed student finances too, particularly in the capital. One in five London students say they have been forced to increase their working hours and cost is mentioned as a barrier to public transport use by 57% of 16-25 year olds.
So far, the advice for students is to sit tight and wait for the refund window to open when the cyber attack is resolved. However, there is no timescale for this at the moment, with TFL working “around the clock” to resolve the issues.
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