No Oyster machine for Hornsey Road Londis – despite 421 signatures protesting TfL’s decision

Turabi Keskin outside his Londis shop in Hornsey Road with some of the 400 signatures in favour of granting him an Oyster top-up point. Picture: Polly Hancock (Image: Archant)

Turabi Keskin, owner of the Londis in Hornsey Road, started collecting signatures from shoppers after being told there were already too many machines in the area.

Cubic Transportation Systems, the company contracted by Transport for London to handle the machines, said 18 shops in his postcode area were already operating top-up machines, one higher than the TfL target of 17.

The nearest Oyster machine is about a minute’s walk – which Mr Keskin says is too far for customers waiting for a bus. “It’s ridiculous,” he told the Gazette. “If they came here they’d be able to see it was necessary.

“People have to walk down the hill to top up their card or buy a bus pass and then walk all the way back up to get to the bus stop.”

He has sent transport bosses two petitions with a total of 421 signatures since taking control of the shop in September last year.

In a letter to Mr Keskin, a manager from Cubic’s Oyster Sales Service wrote: “All postcodes have a designated minimum [sic] requirement of outlets under the contract and at present the network is full and we are not appointing any ticket issuing outlets in N19.”

But, she added, Mr Keskin’s application would be reconsidered if any other shops gave up their machines.

A TfL spokesman said the machines could not be dished out to everyone who wanted them as they are costly to produce and maintain.

Director of customer experience Shashi Verma added: “Locations [of machines] are based on factors including population, local bus routes and whether there are alternative facilities nearby.”