In message , at 10:22:32 on
Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier today,
and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone having to take
a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the escalators. It wasn't
clear why, and the station employee I asked looked at me as if was
talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was the
lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we lean
over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.
--
Roland Perry

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at
10:22:32 on Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield
remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier
today, and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone
having to take a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the
escalators. It wasn't clear why, and the station employee I asked
looked at me as if was talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was
the lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we
lean over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.

Yes, I saw that yesterday when meeting my brother on his way through
London overnight at our mothers on his way from India back home to the US.

Our mother has had to give up driving so we were using the tube to meet
him for the first time for many years. She has a freedom Pass of course
and I had a day travelcard as I was in London for other proposes earlier
in the day.

I got my brother an Oyster card (£1 to Zone 2 instead of £4 cash fare) at
the ticket office then realised when we reached the platform that there
was no Oyster reader anywhere near the route from ticket office to
platform and had to dash back upstairs for him to touch it in. No
apologies for the confusion from staff at all.

Oyster is just what my brother and sister-in-law need as each can use it
when in London (they are rarely there together).

The only snag is how to get auto-top-up. I'm not sure someone can have an
online account without a UK address and the need for travel is probably
too low to justify £20 top-ups (the reason why I don't use auto-top-up).
The convenience might outweigh that for international travellers like
them, though. They also need to be sure which tube station they will hit
first after setting it up. Probably Heathrow Terminals 123 but not certain
at this range. I think they never need to visit the particular tube
station again.

It's a pity you can't just add PAYG credit online.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Nov 9, 1:10*pm, wrote:
In article , (Roland





Perry) wrote:
In message , at
10:22:32 on Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield
remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier
today, and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone
having to take a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the
escalators. It wasn't clear why, and the station employee I asked
looked at me as if was talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was
the lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we
lean over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.

Yes, I saw that yesterday when meeting my brother on his way through
London overnight at our mothers on his way from India back home to the US..

Our mother has had to give up driving so we were using the tube to meet
him for the first time for many years. She has a freedom Pass of course
and I had a day travelcard as I was in London for other proposes earlier
in the day.

I got my brother an Oyster card (£1 to Zone 2 instead of £4 cash fare) at
the ticket office then realised when we reached the platform that there
was no Oyster reader anywhere near the route from ticket office to
platform and had to dash back upstairs for him to touch it in. No
apologies for the confusion from staff at all.

Maybe they are following the example of much of the DLR.

In article
,
(MIG) wrote:

On Nov 9, 1:10*pm, wrote:
In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:
In message , at
10:22:32 on Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield
remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier
today, and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone
having to take a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the
escalators. It wasn't clear why, and the station employee I asked
looked at me as if was talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was
the lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we
lean over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.

Yes, I saw that yesterday when meeting my brother on his way through
London overnight at our mothers on his way from India back home
to the US.

Our mother has had to give up driving so we were using the tube to
meet him for the first time for many years. She has a freedom Pass of
course and I had a day travelcard as I was in London for other
purposes earlier in the day.

I got my brother an Oyster card (£1 to Zone 2 instead of £4 cash
fare) at the ticket office then realised when we reached the
platform that there was no Oyster reader anywhere near the route
from ticket office to platform and had to dash back upstairs for
him to touch it in. No apologies for the confusion from staff at all.

Maybe they are following the example of much of the DLR.

I don't think you can walk from ticket office to DLR platform without
passing even near an Oyster reader.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On 9 Nov, 13:10, wrote:

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at
10:22:32 on Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield
remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier
today, and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone
having to take a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the
escalators. It wasn't clear why, and the station employee I asked
looked at me as if was talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was
the lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we
lean over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.

Yes, I saw that yesterday when meeting my brother on his way through
London overnight at our mothers on his way from India back home to the US..

Our mother has had to give up driving so we were using the tube to meet
him for the first time for many years. She has a freedom Pass of course
and I had a day travelcard as I was in London for other proposes earlier
in the day.

I got my brother an Oyster card (£1 to Zone 2 instead of £4 cash fare) at
the ticket office then realised when we reached the platform that there
was no Oyster reader anywhere near the route from ticket office to
platform and had to dash back upstairs for him to touch it in. No
apologies for the confusion from staff at all.


This sounds like it's a thoroughly silly situation and will be causing
lots of angst to lots of passengers be they irregular visitors to
London or even regular travellers. Might I suggest you make a quick
complaint - it won't take a moment and might ensure that the higher
echelons of LU management become aware if this issue and ensure that
in future it is properly addressed, for example Oyster readers are
placed in an obvious location for the period of the works.

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/contact/tube/default.asp


Oyster is just what my brother and sister-in-law need as each can use it
when in London (they are rarely there together).

The only snag is how to get auto-top-up. I'm not sure someone can have an
online account without a UK address and the need for travel is probably
too low to justify £20 top-ups (the reason why I don't use auto-top-up)..
The convenience might outweigh that for international travellers like
them, though. They also need to be sure which tube station they will hit
first after setting it up. Probably Heathrow Terminals 123 but not certain
at this range. I think they never need to visit the particular tube
station again.


I'm curious as to why you've come to the conclusion that your low
usage means that you cannot justify enabling auto-topup?

Erm, sorry offhand I can't remember what the deal is with regards to
Oyster, auto-topup and users with a non-UK address.


It's a pity you can't just add PAYG credit online.


Problem being that every single Oyster reader at every Tube station
(and indeed mainline rail station where Oyster PAYG is accepted) would
need to hold a complete list of all Oyster cards on which a top-up (or
new season Travelcard) was pending - and that's without even even
considering buses! Perhaps this will be possible one day, but not at
present - the technology simply could not deal with that!

On Nov 9, 2:10*pm, wrote:
In article
,





(MIG) wrote:
On Nov 9, 1:10*pm, wrote:
In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:
In message , at
10:22:32 on Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield
remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier
today, and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone
having to take a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the
escalators. It wasn't clear why, and the station employee I asked
looked at me as if was talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was
the lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we
lean over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates..

Yes, I saw that yesterday when meeting my brother on his way through
London overnight at our mothers on his way from India back home
to the US.

Our mother has had to give up driving so we were using the tube to
meet him for the first time for many years. She has a freedom Pass of
course and I had a day travelcard as I was in London for other
purposes earlier in the day.

I got my brother an Oyster card (£1 to Zone 2 instead of £4 cash
fare) at the ticket office then realised when we reached the
platform that there was no Oyster reader anywhere near the route
from ticket office to platform and had to dash back upstairs for
him to touch it in. No apologies for the confusion from staff at all.

Maybe they are following the example of much of the DLR.

I don't think you can walk from ticket office to DLR platform without
passing even near an Oyster reader.

The DLR doesn't sell Oyster, so all Oyster holders will have got it
somewhere else, but the problems are around touching in and out on a
normal route to/from the platform from/to the direction an Oyster
holder is likely to be coming/going. Some of them are very badly
placed, for no apparent reason.

"MIG" wrote ...
I don't think you can walk from ticket office to DLR
platform without passing even near an Oyster reader.
The DLR doesn't sell Oyster, so all Oyster holders will have
got it somewhere else, but the problems are around touching
in and out on a normal route to/from the platform from/to
the direction an Oyster holder is likely to be coming/going.
Some of them are very badly placed, for no apparent reason.

I suspect that Mnay senior bods at DLR rejoiced in their 'separateness' from
the rest of TFL - and making Oyster convenient was extremely low on their
list of priorities.

Lately, DLR seems to be more of a team player.
--

Andrew

On Sun, 9 Nov 2008 09:42:06 -0800 (PST), MIG
wrote:

The DLR doesn't sell Oyster, so all Oyster holders will have got it
somewhere else, but the problems are around touching in and out on a
normal route to/from the platform from/to the direction an Oyster
holder is likely to be coming/going. Some of them are very badly
placed, for no apparent reason.

I have wondered if it would make more sense, given the open nature of
DLR's system, to have a flat fare and readers on-board instead of
having them on the stations.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On 8 Nov, 16:05, Roland Perry wrote:
Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier today,
and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone having to take
a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the escalators. It wasn't
clear why

The signs say "escalator closure trials". I think the station has two
sets of escalators - one beyond the ticket office for people going
in, and one before the ticket office for people leaving, which have
their own gateline that exits directly onto the airport corridor.
Everyone was being sent via the latter.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was the
lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we lean
over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.

I noticed after lapping the ticket office that one gate of the exit-
only gateline is actually open and has a standalone reader positioned
next to it between you and the escalator. This is of course no good if
you go in through the normal entrance, or are coming from the ticket
office.

U

In article
,
(Mizter T) wrote:

On 9 Nov, 13:10, wrote:

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at
10:22:32 on Sat, 8 Nov 2008, Paul Corfield
remarked:

irregular travellers and tourists may struggle

Talking of which, I went through T123 Underground station earlier
today, and the automatic barriers were taped off, with everyone
having to take a scenic tour of the booking office to get to the
escalators. It wasn't clear why, and the station employee I asked
looked at me as if was talking Swahili.

The thing that may have confused "irregular users and tourists" was
the lack of an obvious Oyster ad to touch in. It was recommended we
lean over the tape and use one of the pads on the inoperative gates.

Yes, I saw that yesterday when meeting my brother on his way through
London overnight at our mothers on his way from India back home to
the US.

Our mother has had to give up driving so we were using the tube to
meet him for the first time for many years. She has a freedom Pass of
course and I had a day travelcard as I was in London for other
purposes earlier in the day.

I got my brother an Oyster card (£1 to Zone 2 instead of £4 cash
fare) at the ticket office then realised when we reached the platform
that there was no Oyster reader anywhere near the route from ticket
office to platform and had to dash back upstairs for him to touch it
in. No apologies for the confusion from staff at all.

This sounds like it's a thoroughly silly situation and will be causing
lots of angst to lots of passengers be they irregular visitors to
London or even regular travellers. Might I suggest you make a quick
complaint - it won't take a moment and might ensure that the higher
echelons of LU management become aware if this issue and ensure that
in future it is properly addressed, for example Oyster readers are
placed in an obvious location for the period of the works.

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/contact/tube/default.asp

Done. You too, Roland?

Oyster is just what my brother and sister-in-law need as each can use
it when in London (they are rarely there together).

The only snag is how to get auto-top-up. I'm not sure someone can have
an online account without a UK address and the need for travel is
probably too low to justify £20 top-ups (the reason why I don't use
auto-top-up). The convenience might outweigh that for international
travellers like them, though. They also need to be sure which tube
station they will hit first after setting it up. Probably Heathrow
Terminals 123 but not certain at this range. I think they never
need to visit the particular tube station again.

I'm curious as to why you've come to the conclusion that your low
usage means that you cannot justify enabling auto-topup?

Because the minimum of £20 top-up represents several years' usage! I've
spent less than a tenner on pre-pay so far this year. Yesterday was the
first time I've even bought a day travelcard (from Cambridge) for some
time. I mostly cycle in London these days, or occasionally get SWT from
Vauxhall to Putney.

Erm, sorry offhand I can't remember what the deal is with regards to
Oyster, auto-topup and users with a non-UK address.

I did a bit more digging and you have to have a UK postcode and phone
number for an account. Didn't get to look at auto-top-up specifically.

It's a pity you can't just add PAYG credit online.

Problem being that every single Oyster reader at every Tube station
(and indeed mainline rail station where Oyster PAYG is accepted) would
need to hold a complete list of all Oyster cards on which a top-up (or
new season Travelcard) was pending - and that's without even even
considering buses! Perhaps this will be possible one day, but not at
present - the technology simply could not deal with that!

Yes, I understand that but for people who don;t live near a tube station,
that presents a number of problems in using Oyster, some of which have
been discussed here.

--
Colin Rosenstiel