On Sun, 03 Oct 2004 14:00:55 +0100, Matthew wrote:

Where exactly does Oyster need to be touched? Just at the start and
end of the journeys, or also at the NR Oyster validators by the sides
of their platforms? What about if I get on at a tube-only station, get
off at a National Rail-only station? Where should Oyster be waved
then?

With a travelcard, you need to have touched in at least once and
touched out at least once at stations where prepay is valid, so you
wouldn't need to use the validators at Northolt or Ealing Broadway.
However, you would need to use one of them if you were going to (for
example) Drayton Green.

Odd happening to me last week. I was going to Shortlands from Elephant and
Castle NR station. I have an Oystercard with an annual Zone 1-2 ticket and £10
of prepay on it for out-of-zone travel.

I saw the Oyster reader in the E&C station and thought that meant that
Shortlands had one too (like many NR stations), so I touched in, assuming that
the fare would be deducted from the prepay when I exited.

Of course, there was no reader at Shortlands and I thought "Well, I'm going to
lose the maximum fare as I didn't touch out."

Yesterday I went to add some more money and discovered that nothing had been
deducted from my Oystercard prepay amount.

My deduction is that perhaps (and don't try this at home, folks, unless you're
willing to lose lots of money) when touching in at an NR station in a zone for
which you have a valid travelcard on the Oyster, then not touching out at a
station which doesn't have a reader, you won't be charged.

I feel somewhat embarrassed about not paying when I thought I had.
--
Chris Hansen | chrishansenhome at btinternet dot com
| http://www.hansenhome.demon.co.uk or
| http://www.livejournal.com/users/chrishansenhome/