On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 17:08:04 -0000, Mizter T wrote:

TfL's offer to the National Rail (NR) Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to
fund the £20 million cost of installing equipment to allow Oyster
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG, a.k.a. Pre-Pay) isn't open ended, and the deadline -
the 31st of January - is fast approaching. It would appear the Mayor is keen
to bounce the TOCs into signing up to the deal.

See this TfL press release:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-cent....asp?prID=1037

"Almost three times as many passengers can pass an Underground payment
gate using Oyster card as can using printed tickets - 40 a minute
compared to 15 a minute."

That's funny - when using a paper ticket I just shove it straight in,
whereas with Oyster I hang back and wait for the previous person to go
through and the gates to close first, in case I pick up a £4 charge.

"asdf" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 17:08:04 -0000, Mizter T wrote:

TfL's offer to the National Rail (NR) Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to
fund the £20 million cost of installing equipment to allow Oyster
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG, a.k.a. Pre-Pay) isn't open ended, and the deadline -
the 31st of January - is fast approaching. It would appear the Mayor is
keen
to bounce the TOCs into signing up to the deal.

See this TfL press release:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-cent....asp?prID=1037

"Almost three times as many passengers can pass an Underground payment
gate using Oyster card as can using printed tickets - 40 a minute
compared to 15 a minute."

That's funny - when using a paper ticket I just shove it straight in,
whereas with Oyster I hang back and wait for the previous person to go
through and the gates to close first, in case I pick up a £4 charge.

Just wait for the light to go orange, and you can pass. It never screws up,
and if it would, it would behave like paper tickets, and close before you
could get through, or at least give you a fair chance to not enter and
correct it. But, as I say, I've yet to have it happen to me, and I've been
using oyster PAYG since the beginning.

But please, feel free to congest the gates. It really helps, I hear.

On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:25:46 +0000, asdf
wrote:

On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 17:08:04 -0000, Mizter T wrote:

TfL's offer to the National Rail (NR) Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to
fund the £20 million cost of installing equipment to allow Oyster
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG, a.k.a. Pre-Pay) isn't open ended, and the deadline -
the 31st of January - is fast approaching. It would appear the Mayor is keen
to bounce the TOCs into signing up to the deal.

See this TfL press release:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-cent....asp?prID=1037

"Almost three times as many passengers can pass an Underground payment
gate using Oyster card as can using printed tickets - 40 a minute
compared to 15 a minute."

That's funny - when using a paper ticket I just shove it straight in,
whereas with Oyster I hang back and wait for the previous person to go
through and the gates to close first, in case I pick up a £4 charge.

Then you're wasting your time and throwing away a clear benefit of
Oyster. As soon as the light goes orange, you can touch in/out. As
soon as the light goes green, you can go through the gate, knowing
that your card has been read and accepted.

James Farrar wrote:
On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:25:46 +0000, asdf
wrote:

"Almost three times as many passengers can pass an Underground
payment gate using Oyster card as can using printed tickets -
40 a minute compared to 15 a minute."

That's funny - when using a paper ticket I just shove it straight
in, whereas with Oyster I hang back and wait for the previous
person to go through and the gates to close first, in case I pick
up a £4 charge.

Then you're wasting your time and throwing away a clear benefit of
Oyster. As soon as the light goes orange, you can touch in/out. As
soon as the light goes green, you can go through the gate, knowing
that your card has been read and accepted.

Not sure about that. I've been caught out in what I believe is this
scenario:

The person ahead of me has his ticket (paper or Oyster) rejected. The
light goes red, and the gate stays shut. I then arrive at the gate, see
that the light is (by then) orange, touch in my Oyster, and then realise
that there is a person trapped in front of me. But the gates then open
(for me), the person ahead of me goes through, and the gates then shut
before I can pass through. Further attempts to read my Oyster are
rejected.

Your advice should be to touch in on orange only if the light was
previously green, or if no-one is between you and the gate.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Richard J. wrote:
snip But the gates then open (for me), the person ahead of me goes through, and the
gates then shut before I can pass through. Further attempts to read my Oyster are
rejected.

Oh yes, that's happened a lot - to me and others - around me when it's
very busy. The other problem is the people 'doubling up' deliberately,
as the new style gates are perfect at letting fare evaders through.
These are the same gates in use now on FCC GN (first being at Stevenage
and one other station). The evaders are already managing to get past
quite successfully, not helped by the fact that inspectors and other
staff will generally turn a blind eye to anyone they feel may assault
them. But that's a discussion best saved for another thread...!

To keep on topic, I'd like to see FCC sign up. I see Chiltern has
signed up (is it for the whole of their network?). In the long run, I
look forward to a standardised smartcard that will work outside of Zone
6 too.

Jonathan

"Jonathan Morris" wrote in message
oups.com...


To keep on topic, I'd like to see FCC sign up. I see Chiltern has
signed up (is it for the whole of their network?). In the long run, I
look forward to a standardised smartcard that will work outside of Zone
6 too.


Bear in mind one of the reasons the TOCs didn't go for Oyster is that the
government was pushing a different standardised smartcard (ITSO format),
and Oyster wasn't compatible with it.

Don't know what the current deal is on interoperability for smartcards,
though I think in the new SWT franchise for example they are not compelled
to introduce 'Oyster' as such, only a smartcard.

Paul

In article .com, j
(Jonathan Morris) wrote:

These are the same gates in use now on FCC GN (first being at
Stevenage and one other station).

Cambridge, allegedly. No sign of a planning application. Note that
neither of these stations is run by FCC.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:48:09 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote:

Your advice should be to touch in on orange only if the light was
previously green, or if no-one is between you and the gate.

Granted. I rather assume that people will act to curtail faredodgers'
activoty rather than facilitate it.