Richard J. wrote:
asdf wrote:
On 25 Mar 2006 13:37:09 -0800, "MIG"
wrote:

The equivalent valid paper tickets would be my travelcard and an
extension ticket, which would not get me in trouble,

They would if you went out of zone without buying the extension
first (e.g. because your plans changed en route).

Having valid tickets for your whole journey but still risking being
penalty-fared is an artefact of Oyster.

I don't think you'd have valid tickets for your whole journey. Your
Travelcard is only valid in its zones, and you need a validated
Oyster card to use pre-pay (which you'd need to go outside them).

True. If you have some PAYG credit loaded on your Oyster, but haven't
touched in, it's no different from having money in your pocket and the
intention of paying at your destination. In a Penalty Fare area, you're
liable for a penalty in both cases.

I don't think it's the same, because you have already paid TfL for your
prepay credit which can only be used for travel. Unlike cash in your
pocket, you'd have trouble spending it in the pub. People see prepay
credit as buying tickets in advance, and they are being sold the idea
that it's flexible and avoids having to plan.

I'm sure it's in the rules, but it's not obvious to the everyday
traveller that the gate which registers the fact that you've got a
valid travelcard at that station is "validating" your prepay, just in
case you go out of your zone.

Is there a time limit on this validation?

One might have touched in several times before this and not touched
out. For example, if you regularly travelled from Oxford Circus to
Canary Wharf and back with a zone 1 and 2 travelcard, all your
touchings in and out would be at Oxford Circus (to get through the
gates). If one day you got back in the DLR and headed for West Ruislip
via Bank, would the previous touching in at Oxford Circus be deemed to
be the start of your journey, or would it work out that you'd taken too
long?