When I first came to the UK to study, I was always very curious about why the UK’s subway card has the nickname “Oyster Card”. Later, I found out that the origin of this name is so interesting. I wonder if anyone knows of any similar stories behind other such names?

by Deep-Ad-3363

9 comments

  1. I always thought the card was named after Sir Reginald Spoffington-Oyster, the inventor of the pneumatic ticket barrier (first installed at Baker Street, with the first passenger to have his ticket mechanically checked being Arthur Conan Doyle).

  2. Ocado is the end of “avocado”

    Initially they thought oyster might become a more general payment card for other stuff, but contactless killed that.

    Taxi is short for Taximeter

    Boris bikes are named after a floppy haired clown.

  4. The branding for a public transport product being privately owned is so British…

  5. I thought about this yesterday randomly. I thought it was “The world is your oyster” saying.

  6. What an odd article.

    1. They picked oyster because it had no links to london
    2. immediately then links it to the oysters of the thames
    3. Ive never thought of an -actual- oyster when thinking of security
    4. TFL didnt think to own the original TM on the branding. WHY DO COMPANIES DO THIS?

  7. I’m such a moron. I was a kid when these were introduced and just assumed it was because to my eyes the little plastic wallet it came in looked to open up like a clam or oyster…

  8. I thought it was because they’d just installed the same system in Hong Kong and called it the octopus card?

  9. I thought it’s because the roundel vaguely resembles a closed Oyster

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