Have a look at this photograph. It shows a shop (in West Kensington) charging 50p extra for Oyster top-ups paid for by card. The surcharge applies to all non-cash transactions, not just those below a certain threshold.

TfL claims that Oyster saves customers money. For several years, TfL and LUL have pursued a policy of deliberately encouraging customers to use Oyster, buying their credit online or at shops such as this one. The previous Mayor's ticket office closure plan, defeated earlier this year by the unions, was justified in terms of the availability of alternative outlets for ticket sales.

But it seems that some of these alternative outlets may not be treating our customers fairly. RMT has reported this to LUL management, who have promised to raise the issue with TfL, as it concerns their contracts.

Makes you wonder: who really cares about our customers?