On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:34:05 -0800 (PST),
MIG wrote:

Most of LU doesn't have platform validators, unfortunately, and if it
became normal, there would probably be safety implications to everyone
jumping off. Is the Gunnersbury one a legacy from before LO where one
might have changed trains from non-Oyster to Oyster?

Strange that there is generally better provision for people changing
trains than for people staying on the same train.

There's better provision for people changing oyster cards than people
using the same card, not just changing trains!

Example Waford Junction - Z1 via Euston at 11am

Using a single card:
Entry Watford Junction -5.50
Exit Euston +2.50
Entry Euston Underground -3.00
Exit Z1 0.00

total 6.00

Using two cards:
Entry Watford Junction -5.50
Exit Euston +2.50
Entry Euston Underground -1.50
Exit Z1 0.00

Total 4.50

It gets even worse if you do enough Z1 travel to reach your cap.

WJ-Z1 return plus 10xZ1 journeys

Use one card for WJ-Euston return and another for the 12 Z1 journeys
= 6.00 + 6.30(Z1 peak cap) = 12.30

Use one card for the whole thing:
= 12.00 + 15.00 capped at 17.10.

If you just use buses in Z1 then IIUC it goes from 9.00 max to 17.10
max.

Of course, it's not always cheaper to use two cards - WJ-Z1 return off
peak is cheaper with one card (7.00 than two 9.00). But WJ-Z1 plus some
Z1 offpeak travel is cheaper with two cards (10.80 rather than 12.60)

If I travelled WJ-Euston and then gave my prepay oyster card to someone
else to use during the day and they gave it back to me at the end of the
day for me to return to WJ (I rarely use the tube in Z1, I'm either
cycling or walking) then I suspect TfL wouldn't have a leg to stand on
if you demanded the difference as a refund. ;-)

Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://www.woodall.me.uk/