On Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:18:11 +0000 (UTC), 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. Tonight on the U1 at Brunel the reader wouldn't even produce
an error so I had to fork out cash. Coming back from Uxbridge on a U1,
the first swipe produced no response, the second a red light and a
"Communication Failure" message. I was diving into my pocket for cash
when the driver suggested I try again, and on the third attempt it worked
perfectly.

Perhaps the problem is that you're not supposed to "swipe" it. You
should hold the card stationary above the reader until it finishes the
communication.