On 23 Jun 2006 02:23:57 -0700, "Paul Weaver"
wrote:
Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote:
Anyone have any data on the reliability of Oyster? My PP has
started playing up lately on the buses; first an occasional beep and red
light, followed by either a successful second swipe or the driver waving
me through. [...]

Your oyster is on the way out, my first one lastest about 5 months,
started going intermittent, and about a week later didn't register at
all. I kept in my jeans pocket.

Get a replacement one (for free, or it should be) from a tube counter.

Mine has done that from the start, it doesn't seem to be getting any
worse but it's still annoying. When it doesn't work properly, it's
favourite way to fail is to be read successfully followed immediately
by a "Card communication failure" error message.

On the underground it always works but sometimes the gates open and as
I walk through I hear what sounds like an error beep. Perhaps these
two problems are the bus and underground versions of the same failure.
When I asked for a new card at Waterloo they said that the problem was
with the bus ticket machines and that they wouldn't change it. I'll
ask again...

Richard.