I recently had need to make a return journey on my Oyster card from
Kings Cross St Pancras tube station to the Canonbury Overground station.

Interchanging at Highbury and Islington on the outward journey there was
a pink Oyster validator on the Overground platform at Highbury and
Islington with instructions that one must touch the validator when
interchanging at that station, and a notice about penalties for
travelling without a validated Oyster card. It was worded in a way that
didn't seem to make touching the pink validator optional.

My recollection of previous descriptions on this group was that the pink
validators were route validators, and that one could optionally touch
them to get cheaper journeys when one took a route using fewer zones?

So, is their use really compulsory? If so, under what circumstances?
Does one always need to check for route validators on every platform one
interchanges at, or is Underground-to-Overground transfer a special case?

I touched the pink validitor as instructed (although, not expecting it,
I very nearly failed to notice the validator); what (if anything) would
have happened if I *hadn't* touched the pink validator?

Thanks,

-roy

On Jul 20, 12:31*am, Roy Badami wrote:
I recently had need to make a return journey on my Oyster card from
Kings Cross St Pancras tube station to the Canonbury Overground station.

Interchanging at Highbury and Islington on the outward journey there was
a pink Oyster validator on the Overground platform at Highbury and
Islington with instructions that one must touch the validator when
interchanging at that station, and a notice about penalties for
travelling without a validated Oyster card. *It was worded in a way that
didn't seem to make touching the pink validator optional.

My recollection of previous descriptions on this group was that the pink
validators were route validators, and that one could optionally touch
them to get cheaper journeys when one took a route using fewer zones?

So, is their use really compulsory? *If so, under what circumstances?
Does one always need to check for route validators on every platform one
interchanges at, or is Underground-to-Overground transfer a special case?

In a word Roy (well, not many), no, I don't think there is (or indeed
can possibly be) any compulsion to use Oyster route validators (or
penalty for not using them) - touching on them mid-journey can
possibly result in a cheaper (non zone 1) fare being charged, but that
is conditional on the specific journey that a passenger is making. In
your case, a journey from KXSP to Canonbury is always going to be a
zones 1&2 journey - no possible way of avoiding zone 1 because you
started there!


I touched the pink validitor as instructed (although, not expecting it,
I very nearly failed to notice the validator); what (if anything) would
have happened if I *hadn't* touched the pink validator?

Nothing, and you would have still been travelling perfectly
legitimately.

Oyster route validators are all about providing a way for people to
prove they've avoided zone 1 and hence allow them to pay/ be charged
the non-z1 fare.

Commissioner Hendy's Pread-Street-torian guards won't be hunting you
down for this, worry not. But that chocolate truffle you had on the
Victoria line - it wasn't infused with booze, was it?

On 20/07/10 00:49, Mizter T wrote:

In a word Roy (well, not many), no, I don't think there is (or indeed
can possibly be) any compulsion to use Oyster route validators (or
penalty for not using them) - touching on them mid-journey can
possibly result in a cheaper (non zone 1) fare being charged, but that
is conditional on the specific journey that a passenger is making.

Thanks - my first reaction was to assume as much, but a combination of
the threatening signage and a significant number of other passengers
using the validator raised doubts in my mind; and as I didn't want to
risk getting held up (e.g. if my Oyster didn't open the barriers at
Canonbury) I didn't feel like testing what would happen if I ignored it.

I didn't think to take a photo of the signage though I imagine it is
fairly consistent between stations; if I'm travelling that way again
I'll try to remember to do that.

In
your case, a journey from KXSP to Canonbury is always going to be a
zones 1&2 journey - no possible way of avoiding zone 1 because you
started there!

Maybe I needed to prove I didn't take the Central Line to Stratford and
hence go via zone 3? ;-)

-roy

FWIW the conditions of use for Oyster
http://www.tfl.gov.uk%2Fassets%2Fdow...uL_YIr_fB1vJpg
do make the distinction between what you "should" and "must" do:

"3.16 Oyster route validators (pink card reader)
Oyster route validators can be identified by a pink card reader:

These are located at a number of interchange stations. If you pass an
Oyster route validator when changing from one train to another, and you
are using your Oyster card to pay as you go for any part of your
journey, you should touch your card on the pink card reader to ensure
you pay the cheapest appropriate Oyster single fare for the route you
are taking.

You must still touch in on a yellow card reader at the start of your
journey and touch out at the end to ensure you pay the correct Oyster
single fare."


(I was sad enough to check when they were introduced at Highbury &
Islington.)

--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

The sign at Wimbledon also seems to suggest that you must touch the
pink validator if changing between tube and train, but as far as I can
see almost no one ever does. The confusion isn't helped by the fact
that there's yellow validators on the tube platforms, pink validators
just beyond the platforms, yellow ones on the ticket gates at the top,
and special tram ones on that platform - I think people have learnt to
ignore them unless they have to open a gate.

skyguy wrote:
The sign at Wimbledon also seems to suggest that you must touch the
pink validator if changing between tube and train, but ...

Well this *is* the same organisation which tells travellers that "dogs
must be carried" before they may use an escalator
--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

On 20 July, 09:28, skyguy wrote:
The sign at Wimbledon also seems to suggest that you must touch the
pink validator if changing between tube and train, but as far as I can
see almost no one ever does. The confusion isn't helped by the fact
that there's yellow validators on the tube platforms, pink validators
just beyond the platforms, yellow ones on the ticket gates at the top,
and special tram ones on that platform - I think people have learnt to
ignore them unless they have to open a gate.

The situation has been improved by the acceptance of PAYG on NR.

Previously, at Stratford you could ignore the pads at the end of the
DLR and on the Central platforms and touch out at the barrier.

But at Greenwich, if you didn't spot the validator halfway back down
the DLR platform and headed for the exit, you'd find yourself not
passing a barrier or validator. Now there is one at the main exit and
also the DLR one is a bit better placed.

"skyguy" wrote in message
...
The sign at Wimbledon also seems to suggest that you must touch the
pink validator if changing between tube and train, but as far as I can
see almost no one ever does. The confusion isn't helped by the fact
that there's yellow validators on the tube platforms, pink validators
just beyond the platforms, yellow ones on the ticket gates at the top,
and special tram ones on that platform - I think people have learnt to
ignore them unless they have to open a gate.

It isn't a good idea to ignore the tram validator if interchanging either -
if heading onto the tram with PAYG you'll end up with an uncompleted tube/NR
journey depending on origin, and could be caught on the tram without a touch
in. If coming the other way, you'll be in the paid area without touching
in, so will register an unstarted journey when (if) you eventually touch
out.

The yellow platform validators are needed for PAYG passengers transferring
to/from NR services that extend beyond zone 6. Otherwise said passengers
would have to leave and re-enter the main gateline, adding to the
congestion...

Paul S

Mizter T wrote:


Oyster route validators are all about providing a way for people to
prove they've avoided zone 1 and hence allow them to pay/ be charged
the non-z1 fare.

Very useful they are, too - had to use the pink'un at H&I on Saturday,
going from Finsbury Park to Acton Central. A nice, spacious 378 beats
the Piccadilly Line any day.

Commissioner Hendy's Pread-Street-torian guards won't be hunting you
down for this, worry not. But that chocolate truffle you had on the
Victoria line - it wasn't infused with booze, was it?

Oddly enough, I think truffles are legal, it's 'open containers of
alcohol' that are banned. Not that it's enforced in any way, shape or
form, as the sight of an extremely drunk lady staggering off a westbound
Piccadilly a couple of weeks back and plonking her empty wine bottle on
the Help Point attests.

Tom