In article . com,
() wrote:

Mizter T wrote:
First time I've ever heard that - are you sure? A £5 minimum
balance on an Oyster card would be very unpopular (and possibly
lacking in proper legal backing) - which is why I find such a move
somewhat unlikely.

Again been sitting here bored and found some more info on this. The
current Fares and Tickets leaflet clearly states what changes are
coming and can be found here

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/fares-tick...fares-2006.pdf

Specifically on pages 2 and 3 - "Failure to touch in and out
correctly will result in a penalty fare."

AND "when you touch in at the start of your journey a charge of up
to £5 will be deducted from your balance. When you touch out at the end
of your journey the charge will be adjusted so that you only pay the
correct Oyster single fare for your journey. If you fail to touch in
and touch out the charge will be applied to your card and the
journey will not count towards your daily cap." Hence the £5 minimum
top up.

I keep a minimum on my oyster because that covers my first journey if i
can't top up before entering the underground. I almost never have £5 as
I tend to top up with the amount I'm using that trip, usually £3 or
£3.50. Keeping a £1.50 balance means I didn't get caught out by the lack
of a proper ticket office at King's Cross of if the queues are too long
now.

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Colin Rosenstiel