Oyster Card v Paper Season Ticket

fleetingmind

I currently get a paper annual season ticket for zones 1-5 and it is up for renewal soon. I get a bus to Bromley then train up to Victoria then tube up to Camden.
Can I get a Oyster to cover this?

Does anyone know if there is a price difference between a Oyster and a paper ticket? Seems they would both cost £1880

So would the Oster be used simply to open gates at train and tube station i.e don’t have to worry about swiping out at final destinations as you don’t pay per journey as you have paid for the whole year?

With my paper ticket I have a photo id which restricts other people using it on the weekend. With the Oyster what is stopping me lending it to other people at the weekend or is this not allowed?

dzug1

Yes you can get an Oyster to cover this at the same price as the paper ticket. Don't know if you can do this at Bromley South or whether you'd have to go to a tube station to buy it. It will cover your bus journey too - as I'm pretty sure your current season does anyway.

Price is the same, it will open the gates. You get (and should carry) a printout with it as not all on train staff have Oyster readers. Not sure what other security measure there are to prevent misuse

AirlieBird

fleetingmind wrote: »

With my paper ticket I have a photo id which restricts other people using it on the weekend. With the Oyster what is stopping me lending it to other people at the weekend or is this not allowed?

Sharing an Oyster card with a travelcard loaded on it is against the TfL conditions of carriage.

TimothyEBaldwin

You need to touch in and out when Oyster pay as you go, and for Travelcard only journeys within a few hours. If you don't the system doesn't know whether you are entering or leaving a station when using standalone validators and you may be charged a penalty fare.

yorkie2

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

You need to touch in and out when Oyster pay as you go

True

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

and for Travelcard only journeys within a few hours.

Not quite sure what you mean here, particularly the reference to "within a few hours"?

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

If you don't the system doesn't know whether you are entering or leaving a station when using standalone validators

Depending on the exact journey being made and ticket held, it could cause problems. However if the Travelcard is Zones 1-5 card, and all travel is within Zones 1 and 5, there should be no problem.

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

and you may be charged a penalty fare.

I disagree. The OP cannot be charged a Penalty Fare unless she/he is caught outside the Zones on his Travelcard and has not touched in.

For example, if you started in Zone 1 and finished at Zone 5, and had not touched in, that would be no problem. However if you started in Zone 1, and finished at Zone 6 (on a Zones 1-5 Travelcard) if you were inspected by an RPI in Zone 6, then you would be liable for a Penalty Fare. Touching in at the start of the journey ensures that a Penalty Fare cannot be charged if you stray outside your valid Zones while also within the Oyster PAYG area.

If the OP stuck to his regular commute, there'd be no risk of a PF if he did not touch in.