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moley wrote:It should be pointed out that at present this does not include PrePay extending it's reach - only season tickets.

I'm afraid you're wrong there, as the TOCs are already REQUIRED to accept Season Tickets on Oyster as part of the Travelcard scheme, regardless of whether or not they've got validators/gates.

This is solely about PAYG Oyster, and one of the predicted side effects will be that Cheap Day Returns will no longer exist within the Travelcard Area. Instead, it'll be Standard Day Returns at twice the price of a Single, bringing NR in line with the LU fare structure. (In fact, you won't be able to get a Return on Oyster at all, as it's based on Single journeys with capping, but I digress).

Cheers,

Barry

I disagree.

Take SWT as an example. They do not accept Oyster PrePay full stop. They only accept Oyster on the Hounslow loop IF it is a season ticket.

They are not required to accept it on any other route. Indeed you cannot travel to stations on the Epsom branch as an example which fall inside zones 5 & 6 with an Oystercard season ticket or prepay - you will be liabile for a £20 penalty fair.

There are large posters explaining this at Waterloo. E.g. You cannot travel Wimbledon - Waterloo using any Oyster on SWT.

Whilst the National Rail TOCs will have the oppotunity to accept PAYG Osyter - they will not be required to. They will only be required to accept season tickets and pre-purchased travelcards.

National Rail stations are not going to actually issue Oyster either. They will issue a ATOC ITSO-compatible smart-card which will be able to be used on the Tube. The agreement - has protected the fare struture - this was one of the pinch points that has delayed agreement.

Could you just clear up one query I have regarding oyster...

Is it alright to use national rail i.e SWT if you have a travelcard on your oyster?

Cheers

Sam wrote:Could you just clear up one query I have regarding oyster...

Is it alright to use national rail i.e SWT if you have a travelcard on your oyster?

Cheers

I always thought it was? A travelcard is valid on everything except for the Heathrow Express, and as far as I know that doesn't change in case you have a travelcard on your oyster.

If you consult the Fares & Tickets booklet, it says there are only certain parts of the National Rail network within London that accept PAYG - thus implyting, in my eyes, that the whole network accepts travelcards on Oyster bought in advance (ie not a travelcard you have obtained by reaching your cap using PAYG).

Nowhere in the Fares & Tickets booklet does it mention which parts of the network you cannot use Oyster on, only PAYG.

TfL haven't done the best job in explaining where you can and cannot use PAYG, because they are inconsistent. At London Bridge, on platforms 5 & 6 there are large posters saying "Pay As You Go can NOT be used from this station" (which in itself is incorrect, as it is valid Northbound on the Thameslink line, it is just not valid from those Southbound platforms). However, on those very platforms they have Oyster card validators which have stickers on saying "Pay As You Go users, touch your card against the reader to enter or exit". Very confusing.

OK - I've just received clarification that Oyster Travelcard/season tickets are valid anywhere where the Freedom Pass is valid - see http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/free_map.pdf

However, PAYG is still heavilly restricted.

The change came into full effect at the fare change date (01/01/06).

Monthly and Longer Travelcards on Oyster have been available, and valid on National Rail within the relevant zones, just as with a paper Travelcard, since June 2003.

The main change this January was capping being reduced to 50p below the One Day Travelcard rate.

Key parts of the Press Release being:

Transport for London has agreed to pay for Oyster validation equipment to be provided for all London rail stations in Zones 1 - 6. It is a significant breakthrough that offers train companies the opportunity to accept Oyster pay-as-you go products on their services.

Transport for London has also agreed to work with the Department for Transport to ensure that all Oyster equipment is capable of accepting other smart cards. These are currently under development for use on public transport across the country by the Integrated Ticketing Smartcard Organisation (ITSO).

Cheers,

Barry

I thought if your're start station took Pay as you go and your end station did- even if they were on different lines you were allowed- New Cross- London Bridge or Greenford- Paddington for example?

Can conductors on NR check whether you have a valid travelcard on your oyster?

Yes, they have special Oyster readers that you touch your card on.

They already have them on the DLR.

standclearofthedoors wrote:I thought if your're start station took Pay as you go and your end station did- even if they were on different lines you were allowed- New Cross- London Bridge or Greenford- Paddington for example?

Nope. The list of lines accepting PAYG Oyster is in the TfL Fares and Tickets leaflet, and currently comprises:

• Amersham to Marylebone
• Finsbury Park to Kings Cross/Moorgate
• Harrow & Wealdstone to Euston (but not at Kilburn High Road or South Hampstead)
• Kentish Town to Moorgate/Elephant & Castle/London Bridge
• Liverpool Street to Walthamstow Central/Tottenham Hale/Seven Sisters (but not at intermediate stations)
• Richmond to Gunnersbury
• Stratford to Canning Town
• Stratford to Liverpool Street
• Upminster to Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street via Barking (but not at Forest Gate or Maryland)
• West Ruislip/South Ruislip to Marylebone (but not at intermediate stations)

Paper Tube/DLR tickets, meanwhile, have the following NR validity:

• Amersham to Marylebone
• Finsbury Park to Kings Cross/Moorgate
• Kenton to Euston
• Liverpool Street to Walthamstow Central/Tottenham Hale/Seven Sisters
• North Woolwich to Richmond (North London Line)
• Stratford to Liverpool Street
• Upminster to Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street via Barking (but not at Forest Gate or Maryland)
• West Brompton to Willesden Junction
• West Hampstead Thameslink to Moorgate/Elephant & Castle/London Bridge
• West Ruislip to South Ruislip

HTH,

Barry

Can someone please expalin why these are of no use when tube challenging?

I believe that someone did tell me before but I can't remember the exact reason now.....

Thanks

They used to time out after 2 hours, but that has now been extended to 3 hours 30 minutes.

Also, if you are using Prepay you are limited as to which NR routes you can use. I can only see this being a problem if you were planning on using that link between Heathrow & Richmond, though.

Wot Jonny said...And as most of the interchanges you do are wholly within the barrier line, they'd keep timing out, and that'd cost you £4 a throw now (£5 on certain NR journeys) and wouldn't count towards your cap.

Cheers,

Barry

i had to explain this to the ticket salesman at amersham station on thursday night