Absurd Oyster Top-up Process

24567

Comments

  • wealdroam
    wealdroam Posts: 19,181 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
    Nessun_Dorma wrote: »
    My son starts college next week, which is in London, Zone 5. In order to get there, he will need to take the bus, so we need top up his Oyster card.

    As we do not live in London, there are no tube stations near-by and certainly no shops that do top-ups. So, we decided to attempt to top-up on line. He will not be travelling passed, or near, any tube stations along the way.

    But, here is the absurdity; after having to wait twenty-four hours, the top-up has to be activated at a pre-nominated tube station. There is apparently no way around it. I spent half an hour on the phone this morning trying to establish some way of resolving this and all I got was, "that is the way it is."

    We put men on the moon over forty years ago, but today we still can't operate a public transport payment system.

    Has anyone else had this issue, if so, did you get around it and how?
    I can understand why it is an inconvenience for you, but 'absurd'... that is an exaggeration.

    Lend you son your contactless debit card for the first day of travel, during which he can top up his oyster at the nominated station.
    He won't need your PIN so there is no risk to your bank account.
  • Nessun_Dorma
    Nessun_Dorma Posts: 6,436 Forumite
    wealdroam wrote: »
    I can understand why it is an inconvenience for you, but 'absurd'... that is an exaggeration.

    Lend you son your contactless debit card for the first day of travel, during which he can top up his oyster at the nominated station.
    He won't need your PIN so there is no risk to your bank account.

    Sorry, I have probably been to appear a little disingenuous here. I can drive him there by car for his first day, then drive around to a station, pay for parking and activate the card. But the point is that this situation shouldn't actually exist.

    Why on Earth can the data not update itself globally? Why does this multi-million pound system only work in half of the network? The very fact that the public cannot use cash to travel on a bus is just as absurd as the top-up process.

    And yes, it is absurd, there is no hyperbole, nor overreaction, it is an illogical and unreasonable process, the very definition of "absurd."
  • Kite2010
    Kite2010 Posts: 4,304 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Home Insurance Hacker! Car Insurance Carver!
    agrinnall wrote: »
    Oyster cards are pretty much a dead duck (if that's not a mixed metaphor) now, the vast majority of people will have a contactless card or a phone that will make NFC payments. Why carry an extra piece of plastic around when you'll almost certainly have one or both of the other means to pay?

    Not for those passengers with railcards, which can be loaded onto Oyster to make some travelling cheaper.

    Can't do that when paying with contactless ;)
  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Nessun_Dorma wrote: »

    2. There are no nearby shops selling Oyster top-ups, as we live outside London, there is little call for it.

    But he's getting on a TfL bus? Surely everyone else who gets that bus needs to use an oyster.
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
  • Nessun_Dorma
    Nessun_Dorma Posts: 6,436 Forumite
    peachyprice wrote: »
    But he's getting on a TfL bus? Surely everyone else who gets that bus needs to use an oyster.

    Yes, but they already will have topped up their cards.
  • Nessun_Dorma
    Nessun_Dorma Posts: 6,436 Forumite
    Kite2010 wrote: »
    Not for those passengers with railcards, which can be loaded onto Oyster to make some travelling cheaper.

    Can't do that when paying with contactless ;)

    Which is something we will be doing later. He has a disabled persons railcard and he uses it quite often.
  • wealdroam
    wealdroam Posts: 19,181 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
    Nessun_Dorma wrote: »
    Why on Earth can the data not update itself globally? Why does this multi-million pound system only work in half of the network?
    That would require two-way communication between the Oyster reader and the 'head office' computer.
    That communication would take far too long - think many seconds - for Oyster readers in stations. How many people would be queuing behind you in the rush hour?
    For Oyster readers on buses that two-way communication is not even possible.
    Nessun_Dorma wrote: »
    The very fact that the public cannot use cash to travel on a bus is just as absurd as the top-up process.
    The whole of London, and indeed anyone else with an opinion, was consulted before TfL took the decision to stop accepting cash on buses.
    Yes, I know you are not in London so may not have even been aware of the proposal, but you are wishing to take advantage of London's transport facilities so must accept their rules.

    For more information on topping up an Oyster card, I can recommend this excellent independent site:
    Topping Up an Oyster Card
  • martindow
    martindow Posts: 10,214 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Your son could open an account - he'll need one at some point. This one offers a contactless card, for instance

    http://www.barclays.co.uk/Otheraccounts/Childrensaccounts/YoungPersonsAccount/P1242557963846

    He could continue using this or move to the Oyster card if he can link his rail card to it. You need to ask the staff at the station to do this - they hang around by the machines now that ticket offices are closed.
  • fabforty
    fabforty Posts: 809 Forumite
    edited 3 September 2016 at 10:27AM
    The first time may be a pain, but once you get the card and set up auto-top up (using your credit or debit card), it will top up the balance on the bus.
  • Nessun_Dorma
    Nessun_Dorma Posts: 6,436 Forumite
    wealdroam wrote: »
    That would require two-way communication between the Oyster reader and the 'head office' computer.
    That communication would take far too long - think many seconds - for Oyster readers in stations. How many people would be queuing behind you in the rush hour?
    For Oyster readers on buses that two-way communication is not even possible.

    And as such is the crux of the issue; it should work. There is no reason for it not to work. I can connect to the internet through many mobile devices, there is no reason why a bus can't do the same. In fact, there is already a permanent connection between buses and the static mainframe. Even on buses around here, as dire the service is (three buses a day, if we are lucky), we actually get wi-fi.
    The whole of London, and indeed anyone else with an opinion, was consulted before TfL took the decision to stop accepting cash on buses.

    That as maybe so, but it still doesn't help those who not live or work in London.
    Yes, I know you are not in London so may not have even been aware of the proposal, but you are wishing to take advantage of London's transport facilities so must accept their rules.

    That doesn't mean I can't protest against them and tell TfL that they are absurd rules. Who knows, my complaint may actually spur them along to do something about it. I have faith in Sadiq. :D
    For more information on topping up an Oyster card, I can recommend this excellent independent site:
    Topping Up an Oyster Card

    Thanks, I'll have a look.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards