On Feb 5, 2:09*pm, MIG wrote:

On 5 Feb, 12:50, Mizter T wrote:

On Feb 5, 12:15*pm, MIG wrote:

I hadn't noticed this. *Not mincing words.

http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/news.php?id=700

________________________________________

"Scrap OEPs now, says watchdog

London TravelWatch has called for the Oyster Extension Permits to be
scrapped.
[snip rest of LTW press release]

Yeah, saw that a few weeks ago - I think I'd read about Ms Grant's
comments elsewhere, so went to the LTW website so as to hear it from
the horse's mouth. Note also Peter Hendy's objection to the OEP system
as expressed in the latest TfL Board papers, describing it as an
"impediment to travel" and stating that TfL does not support it.

Given the fact that OEPs are not readily available from a great many
NR stations, I don't think any PFs that might be issued to anyone
travelling from said stations without an OEP would stand up to a
moment's scrutiny, so much so that I wonder if the PF would even be
issued in the first place. I'm certainly not going to go out of my way
to get an OEP if it's not available from my starting station (not sure
whether I'd be even bothered enough to descend into the bowels of
London Bridge to get an OEP from the Tube station ticket machines). Of
course putting this to the test might be hard, as it would involve
actually encountering someone doing revenue protection duties...

I can't remember the last time I encountered such a thing on SET or
Southern. *On SWT sometimes and on LM nearly every time. *It'll be
those people doing a job ... think it begins with "g" ...

I think LM is a good bet for experimentation.

I should add, I'm not planning on traipsing round the railways of
London actively looking for a confrontation! Just that, I wouldn't let
the lack of an OEP deter me from travelling at all. The problem is, of
course, that the blurb says an OEP must be obtained before travelling,
so it puts people who're trying to do the right thing in an awkward
position - but I'd have no qualms about travelling should an OEP not
be obtainable from my starting station (if there was a newsagents
directly next to the station then maybe, I might get one - but if I
wasn't buying anything else it'd feel a bit weird to go in there to
ask for a 'free' ticket, though I suppose along with people coming in
to check their Oyster PAYG balance and not buying anything it could be
said to be part of the quid-pro-quo when you agree to retail Oyster
products, given the number of people it does bring through the door).

I suppose one argument that the TOCs could deploy would be that if an
OEP wasn't available (ticket machine and ticket office couldn't issue
them), *but* the ticket office was open, then the pax should buy a
standard paper extension ticket instead - though this would be a bit
more expensive than the equivalent (and automatically deducted) Oyster
PAYG fare for the extension. Though I think I'd still say stuff that!
(I dare say you might suggest some parallels with the old days pre-
PAYG expansion w.r.t. paper Travelcards and pricey paper ticket
extension fares, though I don't think the situations are directly
comparable.)

Re LM and experimentation - I'm not so sure it would be a good venue
for testing the waters actually, because Oyster PAYG was fully
available on LM between Euston, H&W and Watford Junction before the
great PAYG expansion of January gone and they obviously didn't have
any requirement for an OEP type arrangement back then. Plus all three
stations are gated too, though yes, LM use ungated platforms at
Euston. Also OEPs are not required for travel on the parallel London
Overground DC line service (LO doesn't count as NR for OEP and other
fare purposes), so I have my doubts as to whether OEPs are really a
requirement on this line, and maybe its just easier to say they are
for purposes of presenting a consistent picture across all NR lines in
London. And even if they are technically required, I rather suspect
that requirement might not be enforced in reality. Oh, and I don't
think LM guards automatically have the authority to issue PFs, do they?