London Assembly proposes integrated ticketing for sports fans to cut congestion in the capital

Integrated ticketing for sports fans could cut congestion in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics, according to a report by the London Assembly.

The report, A Question of Sports Travel, said including the cost of travel in the price of venue tickets could reduce transport problems caused by the 250,000 sports fans that travel around London every weekend.

It calls on Transport for London to work with the capital’s premiership clubs to introduce a pilot scheme for the start of the 2008/09 season, potentially using Oyster card technology.

Transport

Some fans said their experiences travelling to football matches were so bad they were considering giving up their season tickets, while residents near clubs complained of road congestion.

Murad Qureshi, who conducted the investigation on behalf of London Assembly’s Transport Committee, said: “Integrated ticketing was used successfully during last year’s World Cup in Germany, and is on the cards for the 2012 Games. The technology is available now and there’s interest from the clubs, so why wait any longer to introduce it in London?”

Other recommendations include enhancing public transport by getting contributions from stadium owners and other public bodies, giving out detailed travel information, and using walking or cycling schemes.

The report also calls on the mayor to exercise his new planning powers when new or expanded stadiums are proposed, to make sure transport is a priority.