Oyster card users: always touch in and out or get fined!

Old_Gold

Then if you were at that time capable of looking after yourself well done but many people are not for whatever reason. There are many people who cheat the system but this oyster scheme does not catch them as much as innocent travellers.

MrSmartprice

Why are public transport costs in this country so outrageous? No wonder they have so many people dodging fares and trying to beat the system. I am actively discouraged from visiting London, and using public transport generally, as it is so expensive.

Go to other European cities and you find clean, modern metro systems in relatively small cities, where people all use them and therefore don't clog up the roads. There is little fare dodging since it is so cheap to use. Examples I have used recently are Barcelona, Valencia, Lille, Lisbon and Porto.

I have just returned from Porto, where in a city of 250,000 people there is an ultra-modern 5 line metro which includes the airport link. They use the smart card system where you just hold the card near the reader at the start of each journey. A day ticket is 3 euros for the central zones, a bit more to include the airport zone. A monthly pass is about 23 euros. This includes buses, metros and even the funicular and the sightseeing trams.

When will this country ever get the message on public transport?

SammyD_2

jobbingmusician wrote:

Back on subject - what happens if the bloody machines don't work properly, and how are you supposed to know? ATM they give you a very brief glance at how much money they have deducted - if you're lucky. I'm a very fast reader, but I can never check that my daily fare has been 'capped' at the correct level

My oyster currently has an "uncompleted journey" on it, which I think means that I swiped in but not out. I am absolutely certain this has not happened. My best guess is that I had my oyster in my hand when I went through a barrier on one of the days that the Tube was accepting my train pass (ie when First Capital was once again not running), and it picked it up.

Every time I try to sort it out with the underground staff, I have had no luck - in the City, they say sort it out at the other end, then they say no staff available when I get there. Better sort it before the 19th I guess.

Also, I find it incredibly frustrating that you can't use the PAYG oysters twice on the same journey - ie, my husband and I can't go on the bus with one oyster between us.

jinkssick

I buy a weekly travelcard, but are people sure this wont affect me.

And how does this work when you are solely using the British Rail to travel to your destination. Not all have a oyster reader. remote stations such as Barnes. or Catford Bridge.

UltraCheap_2

My OH and I have had Oyster Cards now for about 2 years. Beware that after awhile they become FAULTY which is a real problem when you are getting on to a bus (which is 30 minutes late - and you are therefore once again late to get to your destination due to the London Bus system) and the reader is unable to read the card. I have been thrown off the bus twice now due to the card no longer working, and have received really nasty customer service from the driver that wouldn't even allow me to pay for the trip with cash. My OH and I have both replaced our cards now once, and it looks like I will have to replace my again as this week I had another problem with my card. It seems that the microchip - or whatever - inside the card eventually becomes damaged? I keep my card in my wallet, so it does not get bent or anything.

On Tuesday, I swiped my card through and it came up faulty, the driver got really upset with me and started to make a scene, so I swiped again, and it still came up faulty, so I pulled the card out of the holder and this time the card worked. I then told the driver that I thought they had been rude. The driver proceeded to shout swear words at me, "f***ing b**tch cow" to be precise. I jotted down the license plate of the bus and I am going to write a letter to London busses to find out if this is a special aspects of their driver training and customer service! Bet I don't get a reply.

I am really unhappy with this system. It isn't my fault that these cards stop working after a few years, and yet I have been treated really badly by the drivers. It's like some sort of weird power trip, where they have the power to throw you off the bus - even though you have followed the rules and pre-paid your fare.

Also, if the card becomes faulty, the system can no longer retrieve details from the card including the remaining balance!

Old_Gold

And yet TFL seem to claim the system works. Oh for some kind of passenger representation.

gromituk

Old_Gold wrote:

Yes I think we can see where you are coming from. Start off by insulting me

If you think being called silly is an insult, then you ought to get off the internet, for your own sanity. Saying London Transport acts like Nazis is disproportionate and silly.

tottiefish

firstly, yes they are trying to get us to use oyster cards: but only because processing cash costs more, takes more time etc: and people don't seem to mind paying by 'topup' for mobile phones etc; and there is always the option of buying a carnet of tube tickets, or those bus 6ers (and these can be shared).

but what will happen if you don't know that you have less than £4 on you oystercard? only some tube barriers show the balance on your card when you check them in or out

[Deleted User]

I put my oyster card inside a nice leather holder (2.50 from M&S), it never leaves it. I've had the card for over a year and it looks as fresh as the day I got it from the shop.

I can see no reason why the RFID chip in the card would fail though.

My big gripe is my local station leaves it's gates open in the morning.. this is almost an enticement to forget to swipe though.

Once London Transport starts restricting the rights of specific groups and systematically sends them to their death, then you can call them Nazi's. Charging you 4 quid for being stupid enough to not swiping a piece of plastic past a tube/bus entrance is not fascism.

gromituk

Yes, it seems the barriers at the more central stations don't have balance displays - perhaps to reduce congestion. But you can use any of the large ticket machines to check your balance. (And get it topped up automatically from a credit card.)