Transport for London (TfL) has denied problems with the recently-introduced pay as you go Oyster card at Surbition station, after a commuter said he was charged more than double the fare for journeys to Wimbledon.

While admitting it had no record of specific problems at Surbiton, TfL revealed that 32,000 customers across the capital had overpaid a total of £500,000 in January, because they failed to touch their Oyster cards when entering or exiting stations.

Surbiton resident Mark Patten said he had been overcharged four times, despite touching his card at both Surbiton and Wimbledon during his daily commute, and contacted the customer service centre for a refund.

He said: “The card had not registered at Surbiton despite opening the gates. A journey that should have cost me £2.70 has cost me £6.

“As soon as I called him he pulled up the details and immediately said he could see there had been a problem. He went away and gave me a credit of £13.10 on my card.”

A TfL spokesman said it was unable to investigate the individual complaint without further information, but said: “We have found absolutely no records on the system that match this information.

“£6 is the amount a passenger would be charged if they did not complete their journey and we have found no record of any issues relating to journeys to Surbiton. It sounds very much like the passenger might not have touched in.

“There are 7m cards in regular use in London but clearly there are some people who may be using the cards for the first time. We have been trying to apply a grace period in places where people have rung up the call centre and we have taken a pretty common sense approach to it.”

Caroline Pidgeon, chairman of the London Assembly transport committee, said: “Across London I have seen many examples of Oyster not working on rail as was promised.

“Londoners are often being over-charged for simple journeys. It is vital the Mayor and TfL sort out these issues as soon as possible.”

Commuters who believe they have been overcharged should call 0845 3309876 within 28 days.

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