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TfL said the problem started at about 04:40 GMT and was resolved by about 09:30 on 2nd January 2016

Passengers on London's transport network travelled for free after a technical glitch left people unable to use their Oyster cards.

A card reader fault affected buses and Tube stations earlier. Passengers were waved through barriers free of charge by Transport for London (TfL) staff.

The failure, linked to a fare increase, did not prevent people using the Tube, bus and rail networks.

TfL said the problem, which began at 04:30 GMT, had since been resolved.

'£250k in lost fares'

TfL said it was the first such problem with the card readers in 10 years and the glitch was linked to a 1.1% increase in fares overnight.

About 100,000 free journeys are believed to have been made between 04:00 and 10:00, which TfL estimated to be worth about £250,000 in lost revenue.

A spokesman said: "Customers should now touch in and out as normal. Anyone charged a maximum fare due to this issue will get an automatic refund credited to their Oyster card early next week. We apologise for this disruption."

People using pay as you go Oyster cards were able to travel for free while the card readers were down as the machines were unable to deduct the correct fare from the pre-paid cards.

Season ticket Oyster card users were unaffected as travel is not paid per journey.

TECHNICAL COMMENTS

• Shame that TFL Press Office and journalists perpetuate a myth...... that Oyster cards carry monetary value...they do NOT. Oyster cards only carry an identity which is read by the reader
• The 2016 Fares update did NOT impact the card readers,, they worked as well as ever!
• The glitch would have been in the  fares software tables loaded onto the mainframe server!
• Anyone charged a maximum fare due to this issue (also known as an incomplete journey) will get an automatic refund credited to their Oyster card early next week. We apologise for this disruption."