MIG wrote:

On 16 Feb, 15:16, Mizter T wrote:
MIG wrote:

[big snip]

The thing about this is that the Shepherds Bushes seem to be treated
not as an outerchange but as a more-like-Stratford situation where
it's all one station. *The poster seems to have been charged for
travelling via the Central Line despite entering a building from which
it isn't possible to access the Central Line.

I absolutely understand what you're saying - however I wonder if this
is currently an inevitable by-product of OSIs/ outerchanges. I don't
know, that's just speculation, but it would provide an explanation.


If the Shepherds Bushes were set up as separate stations with an
outerchange, you'd think he'd be charged the non-zone 1 fare.

I'm just wondering whether that's possible - see above. Perhaps it is
and this situation is simply the result of sloppy programming. I don't
know enough about the machinations behind it to say, unfortunately.


Just done an interesting experiment on these lines with the TfL Fare
Finder.

Hackney Central/Hackney downs is an outerchange.

The Fare Finder price from Hackney Central to Lewisham is not priced
via zone 1.

The Fare Finder price from Hackney Downs to Lewisham is priced via
zone 1.

This suggests that despite being a valid outerchange for continuing
journeys (eg Cambridge Heath to Homerton*), the two outerchange
stations are treated differently with respect to journeys that start
there, presumably because if you enter Hackney Downs you can only
reach Lewisham via zone 1.

Good work MIG - I had half-thought that one could perhaps try and
narrow things down like that, but my brain had turned to oysterised
mush by that point! The Hackney to Lewisham example seems to be a
particularly good one as it's really clear cut.


This suggests that there is something different about the Shepherds
Bushes whereby they are treated as a single station.

Perhaps the Oyster people have gone for the easier route in doing
that, I dunno. It does seem pretty daft that a Shepherd's Bush (LO/
WLL) to Stratford journey is charged as being via z1 when it seems
pretty obvious that a passenger would be going via the WLL and NLL.
Unless...

Perhaps there's some idea that a passenger might go via Kensington
Olympia or West Brompton and then the District line through central
London. This would of course be rather nuts as the blindingly obvious
route via central London is direct along the District line. OK, there
might be a few people who're rather claustrophobic or whatever and
wish to do as much of the journey on 'big' District line trains, or
indeed people going an unusual route so as to travel some of the way
with others, but the system's assumptions on the route taken obviously
cannot be made on this basis!

I'm guessing that the assumed routes were/are initially generated by a
computer, a process which perhaps involves it it quizzing the journey
planner as to what the quickest route is, and this forms the basis of
the assumed routes, though is then subject to human involvement in
finessing the results. But perhaps the computer decided that folk
using Shepherd's Bush going to Stratford would actually choose to
travel via Kensington Olympia/ West Brompton and decided to charge
them for so doing, and no human caught this in time?

The other possible explanation I'd though of is that the assumed
routes for both Shepherd's Bushes were deemed to be the same - but
this notion can easily be rubbished by querying the fares finder again
- the fares from Clapham Junction to Shepherd's Bush LU are z1&2
fares, whilst CJ to Shepherd's Bush (LO/ WLL) is just a zone 2 fare.

Hmm. It seems possible that this issue is the result of sloppy
assumptions over the assumed routes - if so, that's a bit of a shame.
Getting on to Oyster customer service centre about this might be a
good idea, as it could increase the chances of it being dealt with.
I'd actually be tempted to write a very short letter asking why
Shepherd's Bush (LO/ WLL) to Stratford journeys are being charged like
this.

The Oyster CSC contact details are he
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/contact/4417.a...Service_Centre


*My nemesis.

Ha ha! Wrong side of the tracks... or perhaps it's simply the wrong
side of the Thames! ;-)