Oyster prepay inconsistencies & Baker Street Station Evacuation 24 Apr 08

hubris

This applies to those who use oyster prepay, and especially to those who were also evacuated from Baker Street Station on the morning of Thursday 24th April 2008.

Oyster prepay on the tube works as follows:
1. Swipe in at start station. (full cash cost of journey is deducted from card).
2. Swipe out at end station (difference between cash cost and oyster cost is refunded to card).

So on my journey to work, swiping in at Dollis Hill £4 would be deducted from my card, and swiping out at Moorgate would put £1.50 back on, meaning my journey is £2.50.

At around 0845 on Thursday 24th April, thousands of commuters had to evacuate Baker Street station due to a reported emergency. From the Bakerloo line platform, of the two escalators, one travelled upwards, and was extremely crowded with commuters evacuating, and the other continued to travel down and was empty - how this helps in an evacuation situation, I do not know, but I digress...

At the exits of the station, all the barriers were open, to help with the evacuation. I was not able to swipe out, and in an evacuation situation, I'm not sure if people would be thinking about this anyway.

I (and how many other of the thousands of evacuees who use prepay rather than season ticket?) was charged the full cash cost of my journey to Baker Street.

My journey history for that day as retrieved from my online oyster account is viewable at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/tubuntu/Mse/photo#5193864130609088546

My amended journey to work on that day involved further swipes to my oyster card. Should I absorb this cost, or should I be reimbursed?

Incidentally I note that my debits for that day total £16.90, but the credits are £7, meaning my cost of oyster travel was £9.90. London Transport provide a daily price cap for oyster pre-pay users. But the recent London Transport fares guide (available in pdf from TFL), shows that on 24th April, I was charged more than they said I would be (I travelled in the zone range 1-3 on that day): http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/tubuntu/Mse/photo#5193864130609088562

A couple of years ago (in my old job) I swiped in to Southwark Tube station on my way home from work. Immediately realising I had left something at work, I swiped out again, and £1.50 was debited from my oyster card. I never got around to speaking up about that time, and I'm not sure if that 'problem' was raised to TFL/the public and thus rectified, but I think pre pay oyster card users should be made aware of these issues. I will contact TFL about refunds due to me, and improving the accuracy of their system. For one, as the oyster card is like a payment card, I would like to receive weekly emailed 'statements'.

chuckley

contact them as they know what happened that morning so they will refund it all.

dzug

I'm not sure about 'improving the accuracy of their system' - it seems to have faithfully reproduced what you did. It has no way of knowing what you did at Baker Street - or that you were there at all. The £4 cash fare is I think outside the capping arrangement.

But yes you are due a refund - if for nothing else then for the delayed journey from Dollis Hill to your final destination. It will be a voucher for £4 which you can put back on your card at a station ticket office. You can apply online.

As to the swipe in/immediately swipe out issue - I don't know if this has yet been resolved. If not it's in the pipeline.

Print_Screen

Yes definately contact them and request a refund. This happens at big events also, such as football matches where they open barriers to help with congestion. However it also means you are charged the price of a paper ticket.

Also the price cap will not apply if you don't touch out properly as is what happened here as a double insult!

So ask them for a refund!!