On Tue, 3 Jan 2006 17:46:50 +0000, "Clive D. W. Feather"
wrote:

You are right. If you are using Oyster card to pay as you go and your card is
inspected while travelling on a train all they are going to do is look
for the record
of you "touching in".

Good point. Until you touch out, they don't know where you're going.

However, if, for example, you have touched in at South Woodford, and
are inspected on a train heading *towards* South Woodford, you might
have some explaining to do. (The hand-held readers do tell them what
station you started your journey at.)

I wonder if there are any rules (like on NR) about what route you can
take? One of the advantages of pre-pay is that you don't have to
decide on your destination before you start your journey - you can
change your mind because of, e.g., a mobile phone conversation on the
train, or a new idea, or remembering something you'd forgotten.
Changing your destination mid-journey might result in an unusual
route, so it would be useful to know. I think a read through the
Conditions of Carriage is needed.

[Later]

For paper tickets the following applies:

"Can be used to travel by any reasonably direct route to the
destination, unless a particular route is specified by the words on
the ticket, the ticket machines or price list or by one of our staff."

However, there is NO corresponding condition for Oyster pre-pay, so it
would *appear* (though IANAL) that you can take any route at all,
including doubling-back and even passing through your origin station
again by train, without being in violation of the CoC.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily stop them PFing you, so you might
have to be prepared to fight it out in court. I also note from the CoC
that all travel is subject to the following:

"If we believe that you have used or tried to use any ticket or Oyster
card to defraud us we may cancel and not re-issue it. If this happens,
we will not give you a refund of the remaining value of the ticket or
Pre Pay, or refund any deposit paid for the Oyster card."

....which appears (again, IANAL) to give them free rein to withdraw
your Oyster complete with all stored value, if they happen not to like
what you're doing with it.