Cyberattack on travelcards leaves London students on bumpy road

LONDON

Students in London are facing potential course abandonment due to a cyberattack on Transport for London’s (TfL) IT systems, which has left them unable to apply for discounted travelcards, according to the British media.

The Guardian reported that the hack in early September compromised the personal details of around 5,000 Oyster card holders and prompted TfL to suspend applications for discounted travel passes, including student Zip cards and over-60s free travel passes.

TfL has been unable to provide a clear timeline for when the system will be restored.

Without access to discounted fares, students have been forced to pay full-price fares for their travel, adding significant financial strain.

This increase in costs has raised concerns that some students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, may be unable to afford their daily commutes and might have to drop out of their courses.

New City College, with 10,000 students across its London campuses, has already warned that some of students are suffering from anxiety over the travel costs and could be forced to leave their studies.

TfL is currently allowing children under 16 to continue using expired Zip cards until the end of the month, but older students must pay the full fare until they are able to renew their passes.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted at last week’s Mayor’s Questions that a "big" number of passengers have been impacted, though TfL has declined to specify the exact figure.

The attack has also disrupted other TfL services, such as live tube times on the TfL Go and Citymapper apps, and real-time traffic camera feeds.