Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 20:32:32 on Sun, 30
Oct 2005, Nick Cooper
remarked:

No, she made the fatal mistake of not having enough Prepay on her
Oyster card, and then boarding despite the card reader on the bus not
giving her a green light and the driver not noticing it. She gambled
and lost. Just like you.

Or she might not have noticed the reader on the bus not giving her a
green light.

Which is akin to her offering cash to the driver and "not noticing"
when he doesn't take it because he's looking elsewhere/dealing with
another passenger. Would she have then been right to continue
boarding, rather than quierying the situation with the driver?

Completely different situation. Especially the amount and style of
feedback to the passenger.

Even the passenger is not claiming that she got a green light to
signify a valid reading, rather she is claiming that she didn't get an
acknowledgement of an _invalid_ reading.

What would an "invalid" indication be, then? A different kind of beep, a
Red light, or something like that? If she says she didn't get one of
these, then why are you doubting her.

If I place my Oyster on a reader and I don't get a green light, I'll
query it with the driver, regardless of whether it turns red, bleeps
the theme tune to 'Watchdog', or makes a cup of tea. What I won't do is
think, "Woo-hoo! Free journey!" and continue boarding. I doubt this
woman's story, because there are more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
She doggedly claims that the reader didn't tell her her card had
failed, but since she hasn't claimed that it indicated that it had been
successfully read, then obviously it didn't, and she knows it. Or is
totally stupid.