On 17 Jan, 08:47, Hertsman wrote:

From Rail Staff Travel
http://www.atoc.org/rst/Updates_&_Reminders.asp

PRIVILEGE TICKETS ON OYSTER 'PAY AS YOU GO'

From 3 July 2006, safeguarded active and retired staff and their
dependants who hold a valid Staff Travel Card (STC) will be afforded
the option of participating at privilege rates (on London Underground
[LU], Docklands Light Railway [DLR] and National Rail services which
accept Oyster pay as you go) in the 'Pay as you go' Oyster
arrangement. As staff may know, the Oyster concept enables travellers
to pay for travel in advance by the addition of value to a smart
card.

The existing arrangements whereby LU/DLR privilege tickets for
individual journeys can be purchased before travel at LU Booking
Offices will remain.

The 'Pay as you go' Oyster arrangement is for leisure use only. Those
who travel on LU services to get to and from work (or dependants who
travel to an educational establishment) will still need to purchase an
appropriate Privilege Season Ticket. (Remember: Travelcard Seasons are
NOT available at privilege discount rates)

Transport for London is extending 'Pay as you go' Oyster to staff to
make it more convenient for those who make regular LU/DLR trips. The
benefits are two-fold; travel is cheaper (being based on the public
Oyster single fares which are cheaper than cash fares) and the need to
regularly queue at Booking Offices is eliminated.

Just ask for a Priv Day Ticket at the Ticket Office.


The last line that appears immediately above (about a "Priv Day
Ticket") is totally incongruous with the rest of the information - and
indeed it doesn't actually appear on the ATOC webpage whatsoever, so
it has seemingly been added by the poster 'Hertsman' as a ploy to
confuse you. Either that or he's made an honest mistake!

The information about 'Priv Oyster cards' in fact continues as such...

---quote---
[...] and the need to regularly queue at Booking Offices is
eliminated.

Those wishing to make use of privilege 'Pay as you go' Oyster will
need to register their STC at a LU Booking Office using a new form
which has been introduced. There are two forms, one subtitled
'National Rail Employees' (RSTL 5001) for active staff and their
dependants and another subtitled 'NR Retired Employees' (RSTL 5002)
for retired staff and their dependants. Click whichever form you
require.

On completion, the form needs to be authorised by the applicant's
employing company (Pensions Management in the case of the vast
majority of Retired Staff and their dependants) and then taken to a LU
Booking Office for the Oyster card to be issued.

Details of the arrangement are contained on the form but the following
important points are highlighted:
[...continues...]
---/quote---

A list of bullet points then follows.

Note that the webpage, a spectacular bit of user friendly design
(not!), actually has two chunks of text about Priv Oyster cards - the
first chunk you get to higher up the page is actually about renewal of
these Priv Oyster cards, the lower chunk provides the information
quoted above.

Note to the OP - you may not think you "frequent the City enough to
warrant" going down the Oyster route, but even very infrequent
visitors will likely benefit from using Oyster.

Presumably, when Oyster starts to be accepted across National Rail in
London, then these Priv Oyster cards will also offer Priv rates for
travel on NR - what the charging scheme will be for NR in London is
currently unclear but it will become so nearer the time (as presumably
will the charging scheme for Priv Oyster cards too).


One thing I am interested in, not knowing as I do that much about Priv
arrangements, is this:
---quote---
The 'Pay as you go' Oyster arrangement is for leisure use only. Those
who travel on LU services to get to and from work (or dependants who
travel to an educational establishment) will still need to purchase an
appropriate Privilege Season Ticket. (Remember: Travelcard Seasons are
NOT available at privilege discount rates)
---/quote---

How are Priv season tickets for the Underground issued - on a point-to-
point basis, or merely for the appropriate zones (for LU/DLR travel
only)?