Roland Perry wrote on Mon, 31 Oct 2005
In message , at 20:32:32 on Sun, 30
Oct 2005, Nick Cooper
remarked:

No, she made the fatal mistake of not having enough Prepay on her
Oyster card, and then boarding despite the card reader on the bus not
giving her a green light and the driver not noticing it. She gambled
and lost. Just like you.

Or she might not have noticed the reader on the bus not giving her a
green light.

Which is akin to her offering cash to the driver and "not noticing"
when he doesn't take it because he's looking elsewhere/dealing with
another passenger. Would she have then been right to continue
boarding, rather than quierying the situation with the driver?

Completely different situation. Especially the amount and style of
feedback to the passenger.

Even the passenger is not claiming that she got a green light to
signify a valid reading, rather she is claiming that she didn't get an
acknowledgement of an _invalid_ reading.

What would an "invalid" indication be, then? A different kind of beep,
a Red light, or something like that? If she says she didn't get one of
these, then why are you doubting her.

Had she been paying the driver, she would have got a different kind of
failure notification - like still having the money in her hand, for
example.

From Your-guide-to_Oyster-2005-02-27.pdf:

"+ Touch in and touch out. At Tube and National Rail stations,
always touch your Oyster card on a card reader at the start and
end of your journey .....

"On Tube, DLR and National Rail, card readers normally show an
orange light. When you touch your Oyster card on the card reader
the light should turn green. If it doesn't, try again. If you
still fail to get a green light, or if it turns red, see a member
of staff. If none are available at the start of your journey, see
a member of staff as soon as possible.

"+ Touch in. On buses, always touch your Oyster card flat on the
card reader by the driver at the front of the bus as you board or,
where indicated on bendy-buses, on the reader by any door. On
buses with conductors, when asked, you must touch your Oyster
card on the card reader on his/her ticket machine.

"If the driver/conductor advises you that there is a problem with
your Oyster card, you will need to pay a cash fare for your
journey either on the bus or, where cash fares are not accepted
on the bus, from the nearest roadside ticket machine. You should
then contact the Oyster helpline on 0845 330 9876 for assistance
on what to do next."

Perhaps they should have said something about the passenger's
responsibility to check the lights when using an Oyster on a bus.
But they clearly haven't. They mention only the driver's
responsibility to check.
--
Iain Archer