Oyster Top-up Queries
 

I've only recently started using Oyster PAYG on a semi-regular basis. I
topped up on Tuesday using the FCC ticket machine next to the ticket office
at St Pancras International. I have a couple of queries:

(1) The top-up location on my journey history is shown as "Bus". Why would
that be?

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that the Oyster card was loaded with a
Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it offered me
the option of renewing it. I have never had any Travelcard loaded on the
Oyster card, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly Travelcard. I did
wonder whether this situation is in some way related to the fact that this
particular card was one I obtained by post (to Retford) during the short
period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit) cards were on offer. I can't
remember when that was - perhaps 2007? I think that at that time only cards
with a Travelcard loaded were normally issued free, so did TfL load an
'expired' Travelcard on all those free Oyster cards?

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

"John Salmon" wrote in message
...
I've only recently started using Oyster PAYG on a semi-regular basis. I
topped up on Tuesday using the FCC ticket machine next to the ticket
office at St Pancras International. I have a couple of queries:

(1) The top-up location on my journey history is shown as "Bus". Why would
that be?

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that the Oyster card was loaded with
a Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it offered
me the option of renewing it. I have never had any Travelcard loaded on
the Oyster card, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly Travelcard. I
did wonder whether this situation is in some way related to the fact that
this particular card was one I obtained by post (to Retford) during the
short period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit) cards were on offer. I
can't remember when that was - perhaps 2007? I think that at that time
only cards with a Travelcard loaded were normally issued free, so did TfL
load an 'expired' Travelcard on all those free Oyster cards?

Sorry, one more query:

(3) I haven't topped up my card since Tuesday. The journey history is
up-to-date to Wednesday and shows my current balance as £3.91, but the
previous page ('Card Overview') shows the balance as £11.21, a figure that
doesn't appear anywhere in the journey history. Can anyone suggest an
explanation?

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

"John Salmon" wrote
"John Salmon" wrote
I've only recently started using Oyster PAYG on a semi-regular basis. I
topped up on Tuesday using the FCC ticket machine next to the ticket
office at St Pancras International. I have a couple of queries:

(1) The top-up location on my journey history is shown as "Bus". Why
would that be?

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that the Oyster card was loaded
with a Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it
offered me the option of renewing it. I have never had any Travelcard
loaded on the Oyster card, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly
Travelcard. I did wonder whether this situation is in some way related
to the fact that this particular card was one I obtained by post (to
Retford) during the short period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit)
cards were on offer. I can't remember when that was - perhaps 2007? I
think that at that time only cards with a Travelcard loaded were normally
issued free, so did TfL load an 'expired' Travelcard on all those free
Oyster cards?

Sorry, one more query:

(3) I haven't topped up my card since Tuesday. The journey history is
up-to-date to Wednesday and shows my current balance as £3.91, but the
previous page ('Card Overview') shows the balance as £11.21, a figure that
doesn't appear anywhere in the journey history. Can anyone suggest an
explanation?

[now cross-posted to uk.railway]

OK, a day and a half has passed, and not a single reply. This could mean
(a) I've written complete rubbish so you're all ignoring me or (b) you've
all killfiled me, or even (c) no-one on utl knows any of the answers. I
*really* find (c) very difficult to believe, as I thought this group (utl)
was the fount of all knowledge on Oyster cards. Doesn't anyone have
anything to say?

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

On 19 Jan, 11:54, "John Salmon" wrote:
"John Salmon" wrote



"John Salmon" wrote
I've only recently started usingOysterPAYG on a semi-regular basis. *I
topped up on Tuesday using the FCC ticket machine next to the ticket
office at St Pancras International. I have a couple of queries:

(1) The top-up location on my journey history is shown as "Bus". Why
would that be?

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that theOystercard was loaded
with a Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it
offered me the option of renewing it. *I have never had any Travelcard
loaded on theOystercard, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly
Travelcard. *I did wonder whether this situation is in some way related
to the fact that this particular card was one I obtained by post (to
Retford) during the short period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit)
cards were on offer. I can't remember when that was - perhaps 2007? *I
think that at that time only cards with a Travelcard loaded were normally
issued free, so did TfL load an 'expired' Travelcard on all those free
Oystercards?

Sorry, one more query:

(3) I haven't topped up my card since Tuesday. *The journey history is
up-to-date to Wednesday and shows my current balance as £3.91, but the
previous page ('Card Overview') shows the balance as £11.21, a figure that
doesn't appear anywhere in the journey history. *Can anyone suggest an
explanation?

[now cross-posted to uk.railway]

OK, a day and a half has passed, and not a single reply. *This could mean
(a) I've written complete rubbish so you're all ignoring me or (b) you've
all killfiled me, or even (c) no-one on utl knows any of the answers. *I
*really* find (c) very difficult to believe, as I thought this group (utl)
was the fount of all knowledge onOystercards. *Doesn't anyone have
anything to say?

1) I have no idea - can you post a screenshot of your journey
history? I presume you are viewing your online payg journey history?
If not - what are you looking at?

2) The expired Travelcard loading is unlikely. Two questions:
- Could you have switched Oyster card with someone else in the last
three years?
- Are you sure you never bought a 7 day (I vaguely remember having one
or two myself but can't remember the details.

3) Online payg journey history is never the place to see your
'current' balance. The card overview page will show the last
available reported balance - the only time it will not be correct is
if you have made bus journeys that day and the bus has not returned to
depot (data needs to be uploaded from bus machine)

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:57:15 -0800 (PST), JS wrote:

the only time it [the oyster payg balance] will not be correct is
if you have made bus journeys that day and the bus has not returned to
depot (data needs to be uploaded from bus machine)

How is the uploading done?

Here (Kristiansand) we use ticket machines that are always online via GPRS.

Are iBus and the ticket system completely separate?

--
jhk

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:15:12 +0100, Jarle H Knudsen wrote:

How is the uploading done?

I don't know the specifics in this case, but it's often by 802.11 wifi,
when the bus drives into the garage, it makes contact with the LAN and
downloads it's data.


Here (Kristiansand) we use ticket machines that are always online via
GPRS.

Part of the attraction of a 'smart card' system is that they CAN run off-
line - they trust the data in card. (In theory,the Mifare classic Oyster
uses has been compromised.) Then they don't have to worry about the
effect of a loss of mobile phone signal.

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

On Jan 19, 11:54*am, "John Salmon" wrote:
"John Salmon" wrote





"John Salmon" wrote

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that the Oyster card was loaded
with a Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it
offered me the option of renewing it. *I have never had any Travelcard
loaded on the Oyster card, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly
Travelcard. *I did wonder whether this situation is in some way related
to the fact that this particular card was one I obtained by post (to
Retford) during the short period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit)
cards were on offer. I can't remember when that was - perhaps 2007? *I
think that at that time only cards with a Travelcard loaded were normally
issued free, so did TfL load an 'expired' Travelcard on all those free
Oyster cards?


I don't know about parts 1) and 3), but I have seen reports of 'new'
Oystercards which are actually second-hand. I suppose it is possible
that you acquired an (unregistered?) old Oyster which had a weekly
ticket upon it in the past. Once the card was registered, it
'remembered' the old weekly ticket loaded by the previous owner.

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

"John Salmon" wrote in message
...
"John Salmon" wrote
"John Salmon" wrote
I've only recently started using Oyster PAYG on a semi-regular basis. I
topped up on Tuesday using the FCC ticket machine next to the ticket
office at St Pancras International. I have a couple of queries:

(1) The top-up location on my journey history is shown as "Bus". Why
would that be?

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that the Oyster card was loaded
with a Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it
offered me the option of renewing it. I have never had any Travelcard
loaded on the Oyster card, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly
Travelcard. I did wonder whether this situation is in some way related
to the fact that this particular card was one I obtained by post (to
Retford) during the short period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit)
cards were on offer. I can't remember when that was - perhaps 2007? I
think that at that time only cards with a Travelcard loaded were
normally issued free, so did TfL load an 'expired' Travelcard on all
those free Oyster cards?

Sorry, one more query:

(3) I haven't topped up my card since Tuesday. The journey history is
up-to-date to Wednesday and shows my current balance as £3.91, but the
previous page ('Card Overview') shows the balance as £11.21, a figure
that doesn't appear anywhere in the journey history. Can anyone suggest
an explanation?

There is a difference here of £7.30. I suspect this is the maximum chargable
amount for a journey at the time you travelled (Day Travelcard rate), this
gets taken off at start of journey and the difference refunded according to
the actual length of journey. If you don't touch out you are charged the
full rate.

HTH,
Nick

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

"Nick P" wrote in message
...

"John Salmon" wrote in message
...

(3) I haven't topped up my card since Tuesday. The journey history is
up-to-date to Wednesday and shows my current balance as £3.91, but the
previous page ('Card Overview') shows the balance as £11.21, a figure
that doesn't appear anywhere in the journey history. Can anyone suggest
an explanation?

There is a difference here of £7.30. I suspect this is the maximum
chargable amount for a journey at the time you travelled (Day Travelcard
rate), this gets taken off at start of journey and the difference refunded
according to the actual length of journey. If you don't touch out you are
charged the full rate.

According to the fares letter quoted here a couple of times in the past
months, the 'normal' amount deducted at the start of a journey (the
entry/exit charge) is £6.00 peak and £4.30 off peak, these equate to the
TfL/NR through fares for a single zone 1-6 journey. Some NR 'entry charges'
can be higher still, as before, but there isn't a £7.30 fare as far as I can
tell. £7.30 could be achieved with an offpeak zone 1 tube fare of £3.00,
followed by an unresolved offpeak journey, £4.30.

There doesn't seem anything to support your suggestion that the 'entry/exit
charge' would ever be the same amount as a day travelcard rate.

Paul S

Oyster Top-up Queries
 

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:54:57 -0000, "John Salmon"
wrote:

"John Salmon" wrote
"John Salmon" wrote
I've only recently started using Oyster PAYG on a semi-regular basis.
I
topped up on Tuesday using the FCC ticket machine next to the ticket
office at St Pancras International. I have a couple of queries:

(1) The top-up location on my journey history is shown as "Bus". Why
would that be?

(2) I noticed that the machine showed that the Oyster card was loaded
with a Zones 1-4 Weekly Travelcard for a specific week in 2007, and it
offered me the option of renewing it. I have never had any Travelcard
loaded on the Oyster card, indeed I've never used any kind of Weekly
Travelcard. I did wonder whether this situation is in some way related
to the fact that this particular card was one I obtained by post (to
Retford) during the short period that 'free' (i.e. without £3 deposit)
cards were on offer. I can't remember when that was - perhaps 2007? I
think that at that time only cards with a Travelcard loaded were
normally
issued free, so did TfL load an 'expired' Travelcard on all those free
Oyster cards?

Sorry, one more query:

(3) I haven't topped up my card since Tuesday. The journey history is
up-to-date to Wednesday and shows my current balance as £3.91, but the
previous page ('Card Overview') shows the balance as £11.21, a figure
that
doesn't appear anywhere in the journey history. Can anyone suggest an
explanation?

[now cross-posted to uk.railway]

OK, a day and a half has passed, and not a single reply. This could mean
(a) I've written complete rubbish so you're all ignoring me or (b) you've
all killfiled me, or even (c) no-one on utl knows any of the answers. I
*really* find (c) very difficult to believe, as I thought this group (utl)
was the fount of all knowledge on Oyster cards. Doesn't anyone have
anything to say?

I looked at your post and I do not understand why any of the outcomes
you have outlined could arise. That is why you have not had an answer -
I suspect people really do not know the answers.

If you have not already tried the Oyster Help Line then I suggest they
are your best port of call - they at least have access to the central
system and may be able to offer some explanation.

Thanks Paul. I'll try the Help Line, but I know from past experience that
I'll have to have plenty of time to spare. I'll report back in due course
if I learn anything of interest. I should add that I'm not in any way
anti-Oyster, but I do want to understand some of the apparently quirky
behaviour that I keep encountering.