On 19 Dec, 11:08, MIG wrote:

On 19 Dec, 01:23, MIG wrote:

On Dec 19, 12:32 am, SamB wrote:

On Dec 19, 12:13 am, MIG wrote:

(smip)

And Lewisham, for some reason, although I think the ticket office can
only do it by going off somewhere away from the counter, so not ideal
to ask for if there's a queue behind you.

The reason being (I assume) that the DLR station has an oyster
machine, and Southeastern got fed up of people renewing Oyster cards
in the DLR station, then using Southeastern.

I don't know that that explains it. Firstly, DLR was accepting PAYG
long before there was a machine (which was installed a while before
the ticket office facility).


For the sake of clarity for other readers, the machine to which he
refers is an LU-style credit/debit card only 'Quickticket' machine,
albeit one that only sells Oyster products (topups and season
Travelcards) - this was installed a while back next to Southeastern's
ticket windows.


Secondly, the Oyster machine is at the NR ticket office, and thirdly
DLR stations don't generally have Oyster machines or any facility for
topping up Oyster* unless they are also LU stations. There must be
some reason why Lewisham is different.


The explanation for the Southeastern ticket office being able to sell
Oyster products (which is a much more recent innovation) is surely the
simple one of demand. Southeastern were willing to do so (and earn the
resultant commission), and the DLR and TfL wants to make it easier for
people to be able to topup. And passengers wanted it as well - they
can topup at the ticket office with cash (bear (remember the
Quickticket machine only takes cards), and also many people struggle
somewhat with using self-service ticket machines as well. Voila - the
ticket windows selling Oyster products sorts out several problems at
once.


*A sometimes open booth at Canary Wharf being an apparent exception.

There's also a booth at City Airport station, and was there not one at
Tower Gateway too?


Whaddayaknow. Just as I say that, I see that they are installing
brand new ticket machines at DLR stations which (can) have Oyster pads
attached.


Yes indeed - I think Lewisham was one of the first to get one of these
new machines. Thus far there's only one of them - it's replaced one of
the two old-style machines at the main road (i.e. Loampit Vale)
entrance to the DLR platforms. There the same design of TVM that FCC
(and FGW?) have installed at some stations lately - it's an odd
angular design that to me seems to have faintly dated futuristic look
about them (for some reason I thought 'Dr Who' when I saw it!).

Anyway it's good that at last the DLR appears to be getting some
Oyster-compatible TVMs - are there any others anywhere else, or is
this just a trial? I dunno if there were perhaps some possible
contractual complications when it comes to providing these - as is it
not the case that on the Lewisham extension the infrastructure
concessionaire, CGL Rail, gets to keep all the revenue from ticket
sales at the stations on the line? If so, does the same apply to the
concessionaire CARE and WARE on the City Airport and Woolwich
extensions? I've certainly seen that the people emptying the cash from
the TVMs on the Lewisham extension are CGL Rail staff (wearing CGL
Rail-marked high-vis and driving a van emblazoned with the CGL Rail
logo).

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[1] Acronym de-mystifier...
CARE = City Airport Rail Enterprises
WARE = Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises