Organisers of the London Olympic games have spent £10.25 million on 370,000 Oyster cards to allow those accredited for the Games to travel on trains, buses and London Underground. Travelling around London normally costs the average Londoner a third of his income. The Oyster is a card which travellers can load money into to facilitate travelling in buses and on the trains around London.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, Locog, bought the Travelcards for the Olympics and Paralympics about half of which will be valid from three weeks before the opening ceremony.
These Oyster cards will be given out to members of the “Olympic family,” which include sponsors, international dignitaries and officials from the International Olympic Committee, IOC.
About 50,000 volunteers, 15,000 athletes and a number of journalists will also get free travel cards. Separately, spectators will also be given free travel on the day of their event. The cards will be valid for travel in the six most central zones of public transport in the capital, including stations at the edge of the London Underground map such as Hillingdon and Heathrow.
