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-   -   Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly? (https://www.londonbanter.co.uk/london-transport/2853-oyster-pre-pay-anomaly.html)

Graham J March 15th 05 03:08 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Yesterday morning I used Pre-Pay on the tubes for the first time during the
week (previously I've only used it at the weekends). Much to my
disappointment it seems to have charged me an incorrect fare. OK so it was
in my favour but I'd much rather it got it right.

I travelled from Blackfriars to Stepney Green at about 8:30am. As a Zone 1
to Zone 2 journey I expected to be charged £2.10 and I was. At 10:30am I
travelled from Stepney Green to Liverpool Street. As a Zone 2 to Zone 1
journey I expected to be charged £2.10 again. Instead I was charged £1.70
which is the single fare for a Zone 1 journey. My only other usage of the
card was an earlier tram journey so there doesn't seem any scope for capping
to kick in. Oyster help desk seemed as baffled as I was, though
unconcerned.

Something I've overlooked or just a flaw in the system somewhere?

G.


Robin Mayes March 15th 05 03:40 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Graham J" wrote in message
...
Yesterday morning I used Pre-Pay on the tubes for the first time during

the
week (previously I've only used it at the weekends). Much to my
disappointment it seems to have charged me an incorrect fare. OK so it

was
in my favour but I'd much rather it got it right.

I travelled from Blackfriars to Stepney Green at about 8:30am. As a Zone

1
to Zone 2 journey I expected to be charged £2.10 and I was. At 10:30am I
travelled from Stepney Green to Liverpool Street. As a Zone 2 to Zone 1
journey I expected to be charged £2.10 again. Instead I was charged £1.70
which is the single fare for a Zone 1 journey. My only other usage of the
card was an earlier tram journey so there doesn't seem any scope for

capping
to kick in. Oyster help desk seemed as baffled as I was, though
unconcerned.

Something I've overlooked or just a flaw in the system somewhere?


ISTR Liverpool Street to Stepney Green is one of those "short inter-zone"
journeys where the fare charged is just for the higher priced zone. Bethnal
Green to Bank is another that springs to mind.

I am surpised and rather saddened that the Oystercard helpdesk did not know
this and respond appropiately. Could you contact me via email if you have a
reference number as there may be a training need with somebody at the
Oystercard helpdesk.



Paul Corfield March 15th 05 03:51 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 16:08:25 GMT, "Graham J"
wrote:

Yesterday morning I used Pre-Pay on the tubes for the first time during the
week (previously I've only used it at the weekends). Much to my
disappointment it seems to have charged me an incorrect fare. OK so it was
in my favour but I'd much rather it got it right.

I travelled from Blackfriars to Stepney Green at about 8:30am. As a Zone 1
to Zone 2 journey I expected to be charged £2.10 and I was. At 10:30am I
travelled from Stepney Green to Liverpool Street. As a Zone 2 to Zone 1
journey I expected to be charged £2.10 again. Instead I was charged £1.70
which is the single fare for a Zone 1 journey. My only other usage of the
card was an earlier tram journey so there doesn't seem any scope for capping
to kick in. Oyster help desk seemed as baffled as I was, though
unconcerned.

Something I've overlooked or just a flaw in the system somewhere?


It is probably this is one of the special short distance cross boundary
fares that would be charged at the Z1 price and not Z12. Given the
short distances involved and the geographic nature of the system it is
similar in nature to other such fares I am aware of.

If you talk to the help desk again get them to check what the actual
fare is between those two locations.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!


Robin Mayes March 15th 05 06:01 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Barry Salter" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 16:40:10 -0000, "Robin Mayes"
wrote:


Thanks for posting the list Barry!

There seems to been some changes since I was selling tickets!

I must say I'm surprised that there are that many fares that are at reduced
rate in one direction only, this I fear could lead to confrontational
situations over fares.



Peter Smyth March 15th 05 06:28 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Robin Mayes" wrote in message
...

"Barry Salter" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 16:40:10 -0000, "Robin Mayes"
wrote:


Thanks for posting the list Barry!

There seems to been some changes since I was selling tickets!

I must say I'm surprised that there are that many fares that are at
reduced
rate in one direction only, this I fear could lead to confrontational
situations over fares.


Note that this list is from the National Fares Manual and appears to only
give fares starting from National Rail stations. I am sure that the fares
are available in reverse, they are just not relevant for the purposes of the
Fares Manual.

Peter Smyth



Dave Arquati March 15th 05 11:20 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Barry Salter wrote:
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 19:28:05 -0000, "Peter Smyth"
wrote:


Note that this list is from the National Fares Manual and appears to only
give fares starting from National Rail stations. I am sure that the fares
are available in reverse, they are just not relevant for the purposes of the
Fares Manual.



It does seem to include a couple of fares in both directions (e.g.
Balham - Clapham North, Finsbury Park - Seven Sisters), but in the
main it is just fares originating from NR interchange points. I would
hope that LU have a fares chart listing the full range of sub-standard
fares, even if it isn't on the website.


Fares from Gloucester Road to Holland Park and Fulham Broadway are both
charged as a short hop (as confirmed by making a Prepay journey or
checking the charts on the wall at the stations), but don't appear to be
listed.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

Graham J March 16th 05 07:40 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
ISTR Liverpool Street to Stepney Green is one of those "short inter-zone"
journeys where the fare charged is just for the higher priced zone.

Bethnal
Green to Bank is another that springs to mind.


Long after writing the message I suddenly wondered about that. I hadn't
thought about it at the time as I don't consider a journey taking the best
part of ten minutes to be short. Also there is not any mention of any such
thing in the Fares and Tickets guide (except for Season Tickets) or on the
TfL website as far as I can see so to the best of my knowledge such things
didn't exist.

Good job I have Pre-Pay really as if I'd been using ticket machines or even
at the ticket office I'd have just been looking to buy based on the
destination zone not the destination station and wouldn't have been looking
out for a cheaper fare.

I am surpised and rather saddened that the Oystercard helpdesk did not

know
this and respond appropiately. Could you contact me via email if you have

a
reference number as there may be a training need with somebody at the
Oystercard helpdesk.


No reference number. The thing that surprised me was just how long it
seemed to take to find the journeys on their system given that they were the
last two I'd made.

G.


Sir Benjamin Nunn March 16th 05 10:01 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Barry Salter" wrote in message
...

Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00



Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?

BTN



Jim March 16th 05 10:21 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Sir Benjamin Nunn" wrote in message
...

"Barry Salter" wrote in message
...

Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00



Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?

BTN


I used to all the time when I lived at Mornington Crescent, after getting
off a train at err... Euston.

Silly me!

xx j



Sir Benjamin Nunn March 16th 05 10:30 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Jim" wrote in message
k...

Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00



Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?

BTN


I used to all the time when I lived at Mornington Crescent, after getting
off a train at err... Euston.

Silly me!



Quite.

I'd also be interested in hearing about your tube journeys to work when you
lived in Covent Garden and worked in Leicester Square.

BTN



Colin Rosenstiel March 16th 05 10:43 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
In article , (Sir
Benjamin Nunn) wrote:

"Barry Salter" wrote in message
...

Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00



Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?


It wouldn't surprise me. People do Bayswater to Queensway or vice-versa.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Dave Arquati March 16th 05 10:47 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
In article , (Sir
Benjamin Nunn) wrote:


"Barry Salter" wrote in message
. ..


Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00



Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?



It wouldn't surprise me. People do Bayswater to Queensway or vice-versa.


Surely not... you can *see* one from the other!

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common
sense...

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

Jason March 16th 05 11:19 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:23:27 +0000, Barry Salter
wrote:

Section L of the National Rail Fares Manuals lists the following
sub-standard cash fares:

[snip list of routes]
NB: Fares are ONLY available in the direction shown.


In my experience, these one route there across a Z1/Z2 boundary that
works in the reverse too.

The fare is correctly charged at £2 - in fact £1.70 as I was using
Oyster, but the point stands.

--
Cheers,

Jason.

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet and in e-mail?

Jim March 16th 05 11:29 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Sir Benjamin Nunn" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
k...

Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00


Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?

BTN


I used to all the time when I lived at Mornington Crescent, after getting
off a train at err... Euston.

Silly me!



Quite.

I'd also be interested in hearing about your tube journeys to work when
you lived in Covent Garden and worked in Leicester Square.

BTN




Jim March 16th 05 12:01 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Sir Benjamin Nunn" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
k...

Euston - Mornington Crescent : £2.00


Heh. Has anyone ever actually made this journey?

BTN


I used to all the time when I lived at Mornington Crescent, after getting
off a train at err... Euston.

Silly me!



Quite.

I'd also be interested in hearing about your tube journeys to work when
you lived in Covent Garden and worked in Leicester Square.


Yes, yes. But it doesn't take much imagination to work out that Euston (main
line station.....get the hint??) - Mornington Crescent is often a
reasonable choice. I knew that the net saving in terms of walking distance
was probably only around 500 metres (and the full distance is quite a
schlepp - have you walked it?), but the reduced effort when carrying luggage
was very attractive, believe me! I even suspect that the tube might have
been quicker than walking sometimes, although that was not a concern for me.

Taxi, bus and walking have their various drawbacks too - people just weigh
the pros and cons differently, depending on the situation and what their
preferences are.

xx j



Sir Benjamin Nunn March 16th 05 12:21 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Jim" wrote in message
k...

I'd also be interested in hearing about your tube journeys to work when
you lived in Covent Garden and worked in Leicester Square.


Yes, yes. But it doesn't take much imagination to work out that Euston
(main line station.....get the hint??) - Mornington Crescent is often a
reasonable choice. I knew that the net saving in terms of walking distance
was probably only around 500 metres (and the full distance is quite a
schlepp - have you walked it?), but the reduced effort when carrying
luggage was very attractive, believe me! I even suspect that the tube
might have been quicker than walking sometimes, although that was not a
concern for me.

Taxi, bus and walking have their various drawbacks too - people just weigh
the pros and cons differently, depending on the situation and what their
preferences are.



Reduced effort? Euston NR to the CX platforms necessitates the descent of
three escalators/stairs and considerable walking. At MC it's stairs and lift
to get back to the surface - I'd rather walk about 1/3 of a mile on a level
surface with my luggage than do that.

Assuming an average waiting time of about 2 mins on the CX branch, I reckon
it would actually be quicker to exit Euston on the Eversholt street and walk
up to MC, than to take the Underground.

When I worked in between MC and Camden Town, I thought nothing of walking to
Euston, and I'm a right fat lazy *******, me.

BTN



Colin Rosenstiel March 16th 05 12:54 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
In article , (Dave Arquati)
wrote:

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common
sense...


Not just scientists!

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Jim March 16th 05 01:56 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Sir Benjamin Nunn" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
k...

I'd also be interested in hearing about your tube journeys to work when
you lived in Covent Garden and worked in Leicester Square.


Yes, yes. But it doesn't take much imagination to work out that Euston
(main line station.....get the hint??) - Mornington Crescent is often a
reasonable choice. I knew that the net saving in terms of walking
distance was probably only around 500 metres (and the full distance is
quite a schlepp - have you walked it?), but the reduced effort when
carrying luggage was very attractive, believe me! I even suspect that the
tube might have been quicker than walking sometimes, although that was
not a concern for me.

Taxi, bus and walking have their various drawbacks too - people just
weigh the pros and cons differently, depending on the situation and what
their preferences are.



Reduced effort? Euston NR to the CX platforms necessitates the descent of
three escalators/stairs and considerable walking. At MC it's stairs and
lift to get back to the surface - I'd rather walk about 1/3 of a mile on a
level surface with my luggage than do that.


OK that's up to you, but do you at least admit that the decision depends on
various factors, for example how heavy the luggage is and whether there are
wheels on it? Whether it's raining? Can you honestly not imagine a situation
where this tube journey might ever be a good idea? Even if you can't, you
have to admit there's not much in it, surely?

I'd rather walk 15 minutes to the tube from my house, but my partner prefers
to walk 5 minutes to the bus stop, 5 minutes waiting and 5 minutes on the
bus - to get to the tube! I have my preference, but I find myself not as
shocked as you are that anyone should have a different preference.


Assuming an average waiting time of about 2 mins on the CX branch, I
reckon it would actually be quicker to exit Euston on the Eversholt street
and walk up to MC, than to take the Underground.


As I said, time was not an issue


When I worked in between MC and Camden Town, I thought nothing of walking
to Euston, and I'm a right fat lazy *******, me.


That's not quite my point - what I'm saying is there may be circumstances
when what seems to you at first sight like an idiotic solution is a
perfectly good idea.

xx j



Chris Tolley March 16th 05 03:47 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:47:10 +0000, Dave Arquati wrote:

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common
sense...


It isn't common sense they lacked, but local knowledge. I'd reckon these
people were engineers rather than scientists. they chose a robust
solution to a simple problem.

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9683660.html
(Class 108 54194 at Corby - last day of the Corby service, 1990)

Sir Benjamin Nunn March 16th 05 04:27 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Jim" wrote in message
k...


OK that's up to you, but do you at least admit that the decision depends
on various factors, for example how heavy the luggage is and whether there
are wheels on it? Whether it's raining? Can you honestly not imagine a
situation where this tube journey might ever be a good idea? Even if you
can't, you have to admit there's not much in it, surely?



I agree there's not much in it, which is why I find the idea of someone
paying a £2 fare for the privilege (vs a short, free walk) fairly unlikely.

Obviously it would be a different matter if you already had a travelcard, so
the cost of the journey would effectively be free, but that's straying from
the original point about somebody paying the single fare to make a journey
from Euston to MC.


When I worked in between MC and Camden Town, I thought nothing of walking
to Euston, and I'm a right fat lazy *******, me.


That's not quite my point - what I'm saying is there may be circumstances
when what seems to you at first sight like an idiotic solution is a
perfectly good idea.



Sorry, I can only see very, _very_ exceptional circumstances, in which
paying full fare to go from the surface at Euston to the surface at MC would
be a good idea.

For example, if I needed to go somewhere North of MC, and there was a
violent riot taking place in Eversholt street, I might consider it.

BTN



Dave Arquati March 16th 05 04:33 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Chris Tolley wrote:
On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:47:10 +0000, Dave Arquati wrote:

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common
sense...


It isn't common sense they lacked, but local knowledge. I'd reckon these
people were engineers rather than scientists. they chose a robust
solution to a simple problem.


Actually I was generalising... they were medics...

Surely common sense would dictate that you ask someone. Also combining
the fact that the distance was only one Tube stop, and that they must
have known that many other Imperial students go to the shops on Ken High
St, would have led to a reasonable conclusion...

Personally I'd probably baulk at the price more than the distance.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

[email protected] March 16th 05 05:08 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

Dave Arquati wrote:
I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't

know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common


sense...


Or the science museum tourists I followed down the subway to South Ken
when there was no circle line. They muttered about how awkward it was
to get to High St Ken


Jim March 16th 05 05:10 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Sir Benjamin Nunn" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
k...


OK that's up to you, but do you at least admit that the decision depends
on various factors, for example how heavy the luggage is and whether
there are wheels on it? Whether it's raining? Can you honestly not
imagine a situation where this tube journey might ever be a good idea?
Even if you can't, you have to admit there's not much in it, surely?



I agree there's not much in it, which is why I find the idea of someone
paying a £2 fare for the privilege (vs a short, free walk) fairly
unlikely.

Obviously it would be a different matter if you already had a travelcard,
so the cost of the journey would effectively be free, but that's straying
from the original point about somebody paying the single fare to make a
journey from Euston to MC.


When I worked in between MC and Camden Town, I thought nothing of
walking to Euston, and I'm a right fat lazy *******, me.


That's not quite my point - what I'm saying is there may be circumstances
when what seems to you at first sight like an idiotic solution is a
perfectly good idea.



Sorry, I can only see very, _very_ exceptional circumstances, in which
paying full fare to go from the surface at Euston to the surface at MC
would be a good idea.

For example, if I needed to go somewhere North of MC, and there was a
violent riot taking place in Eversholt street, I might consider it.

BTN




Jim March 16th 05 05:34 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

"Sir Benjamin Nunn" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
k...


OK that's up to you, but do you at least admit that the decision depends
on various factors, for example how heavy the luggage is and whether
there are wheels on it? Whether it's raining? Can you honestly not
imagine a situation where this tube journey might ever be a good idea?
Even if you can't, you have to admit there's not much in it, surely?



I agree there's not much in it, which is why I find the idea of someone
paying a £2 fare for the privilege (vs a short, free walk) fairly
unlikely.

Obviously it would be a different matter if you already had a travelcard,
so the cost of the journey would effectively be free, but that's straying
from the original point about somebody paying the single fare to make a
journey from Euston to MC.


When I worked in between MC and Camden Town, I thought nothing of
walking to Euston, and I'm a right fat lazy *******, me.


That's not quite my point - what I'm saying is there may be circumstances
when what seems to you at first sight like an idiotic solution is a
perfectly good idea.



Sorry, I can only see very, _very_ exceptional circumstances, in which
paying full fare to go from the surface at Euston to the surface at MC
would be a good idea.

For example, if I needed to go somewhere North of MC, and there was a
violent riot taking place in Eversholt street, I might consider it.


I think you'd be surprised how many people would do this under much less
exceptional circumstances.

xx j



[email protected] March 17th 05 11:16 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Sorry, I can only see very, _very_ exceptional circumstances,
in which paying full fare to go from the surface at Euston to
the surface at MC would be a good idea.

For example, if I needed to go somewhere North of MC, and
there was a violent riot taking place in Eversholt street, I
might consider it.


And if there was a non-violent riot?


Matt Ashby
www.mattashby.com


James Farrar March 18th 05 08:23 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Dave Arquati wrote:

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common
sense...


Funnily enough, in all the years I've been travelling to IC (mostly, as
last night, for the express purpose of consumption of intoxicating
liquor...), I've still never learnt the route from HSK to the Union Bar.
Which I suspect would have been quicker than waiting 5 minutes for a
Circle line train, and walking up from Gloucester Road...

James Farrar March 18th 05 08:23 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
Dave Arquati wrote:
Chris Tolley wrote:

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:47:10 +0000, Dave Arquati wrote:

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't
know the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no
common sense...



It isn't common sense they lacked, but local knowledge. I'd reckon these
people were engineers rather than scientists. they chose a robust
solution to a simple problem.



Actually I was generalising... they were medics...


Oh, well, enough said! :)

Christine. March 19th 05 01:36 AM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 
In message ,
Colin Rosenstiel writes

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on
their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from
Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no common
sense...


Not just scientists!

There does seem to be some sort of level playing field, those that are
intelligent tend to lack common sense and those less blessed with
intelligence tend to be more savvy.
--
Clive.

[email protected] March 20th 05 01:57 PM

Oyster Pre-Pay Anomaly?
 

James Farrar wrote:
Dave Arquati wrote:

I did once meet a couple of Imperial students on the Circle line on


their way from Gloucester Road to High St Ken... having walked from


Imperial to Gloucester Road to catch the Tube because they didn't

know
the way to Kensington High St on foot! Some scientists have no

common
sense...


Funnily enough, in all the years I've been travelling to IC (mostly,

as
last night, for the express purpose of consumption of intoxicating
liquor...), I've still never learnt the route from HSK to the Union

Bar.
Which I suspect would have been quicker than waiting 5 minutes for a
Circle line train, and walking up from Gloucester Road...


It's pretty simple... from hsk tube turn right and walk until you get
to the albert hall



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