Hi,

I@n wrote:

Now available online (http://www.oystercard.com/prepay/fares.htm) or
over the phone (0870 849 9999).

Yes, I'm as shocked as anyone else! I'm going to try ordering one online
now...

How do you actually order it online? I've registered on the site, but
when progressing to the "buy oystercard online now" it insists on me
entering a photocard number. But I do not have a photocard, and nor do
I think I need one for single tickets or 7 day tickets.

The web site is AWFUL too.

The web site isn't the best!

I phoned the helpline, and apparantly you need a photocard even for a
prepay oyster (god knows why, when the site says you can lend it to
family and friends!). However the person I spoke to did explain to me
how I could get a prepay oyster and a blank photocard sent together, so
I can just bung a photo in when I got it (I don't live in London). I
presume they don't want everyone to do this automatically or they'd have
put details on the site, but it may be worth phoning the 0845 number and
explaining, if you can't get to a tube station easily at the minute.

Regards,

Lukr

Kat wrote in message ...
In message , David Walters
writes
On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 11:47:08 GMT, Thunderbug wrote:
Dave Arquati wrote:
Now available online (http://www.oystercard.com/prepay/fares.htm) or
over the phone (0870 849 9999).

Yes, I'm as shocked as anyone else! I'm going to try ordering one online
now...


So, available to order online now, can be topped up at stations from
15th December, can be used from 5th January on tube/DLR

What makes you think you can't use prepay now?

Because you can't! (Unless they've changed the rules since last Friday)
As I've mentioned before, if you load pre-pay now (by accident) you can
either wait until January and use it, or get a refund via CSC

But there is still no mention on oystercard.com of the pre-pay system
which has been much discussed on this group whereby, for multiple
journeys, you would be charged for the approprate 1-day travelcard (or
was it LT Card?) for the zones you have traversed if that is cheaper
than the sum of the fares for your single journeys.

Does anyone know if/when will this system be brought in - and why
isn't it mentioned on the Oystercard site? Am I wrong to suspect the
system can't cope with it yet? I do hope I am wrong, but it does seem
odd to introduce an 'interim' prepay system now if they are going to
add the daily travelcard capability later - it will confuse customers.
Better to delay until the system is ready.

Until they sort this out pre-pay will be a very unsatisfactory system
since, if you expect to do a number of journeys in a day, you will
need to decide whether your Oyster pre-pay fares (2003 prices) offer
a saving or whether you'd be better off buying a paper travelcard that
day, which will seem absurd when you already have an oyster in your
pocket!

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 18:21:42 +0000, Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 15:40:42 +0000, Jason wrote:
I'd like to know what's going to happen when using WAGN services.
Certain Underground tickets can be used between Seven Sisters,
Tottenham Hale and Walthamstow Central and the intermediate statins.

But you cannot use the tickets at any intermediate station as I
understand matters. You will note at Walthamstow Central that the

See printed page 18 / PDF page 11 of -
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/fa...ts-may2003.pdf

"Tube singles, returns, season tickets, One Day
LT Cards, ‘Youth’ LT Card seasons and Group Day
tickets can also be used on a number of joint
routes and services with National Rail.
Tickets must be valid between the appropriate
joint stations or zones. The routes a
[snip]
Liverpool Street to Walthamstow Central/
Tottenham Hale/Seven Sisters
(but not at intermediate stations for holders
of LT Cards)"

validators have been installed at the entrances to both WAGN platforms.

Of particular interest to me is St James Street, which isn't an
Underground interchange. If there's no reader, Oyster won't know the
journey has ended and will charge a zone 1-6 fare.


Cheers,

Jason.

On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 22:24:52 -0000, "Graham J" wrote:

But you cannot use the tickets at any intermediate station as I
understand matters.

This was discussed in another thread and although that is what the TfL
literature says I believe the conclusion was that the situation had now
changed though I must admit I didn't quite follow it.

If we're thinking of the same thread, I thought that was about LT
cards. I'm talking about singles/returns.

See printed page 18 / PDF page 11 of -
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/fa...ts-may2003.pdf

"Tube singles, returns, season tickets, One Day
LT Cards, ‘Youth’ LT Card seasons and Group Day
tickets can also be used on a number of joint
routes and services with National Rail.
Tickets must be valid between the appropriate
joint stations or zones. The routes a
[snip]
Liverpool Street to Walthamstow Central/
Tottenham Hale/Seven Sisters
(but not at intermediate stations for holders
of LT Cards)"


Cheers,

Jason.

Kat wrote in message ...

Because you can't! (Unless they've changed the rules since last Friday)
As I've mentioned before, if you load pre-pay now (by accident) you can
either wait until January and use it, or get a refund via CSC

Unless they've changed the rules very recently... Anything that you
have loaded onto prepay can be used to buy tickets at the big ticket
machines. The ticket won't be loaded onto the card, you will get a
normal, printed card ticket, but the money will be deducted from the
prepay balance. And as I discovered a few weeks ago, prepay seems to
work quite happily on buses equipped with Oyster readers. It only
charges you a penny for each ride mind you...

--
-sandy

"umpston" wrote in message
om...

But there is still no mention on oystercard.com of the pre-pay system
which has been much discussed on this group whereby, for multiple
journeys, you would be charged for the approprate 1-day travelcard (or
was it LT Card?) for the zones you have traversed if that is cheaper
than the sum of the fares for your single journeys.

Does anyone know if/when will this system be brought in - and why
isn't it mentioned on the Oystercard site? Am I wrong to suspect the
system can't cope with it yet? I do hope I am wrong, but it does seem
odd to introduce an 'interim' prepay system now if they are going to
add the daily travelcard capability later - it will confuse customers.
Better to delay until the system is ready.

Until they sort this out pre-pay will be a very unsatisfactory system
since, if you expect to do a number of journeys in a day, you will
need to decide whether your Oyster pre-pay fares (2003 prices) offer
a saving or whether you'd be better off buying a paper travelcard that
day, which will seem absurd when you already have an oyster in your
pocket!

There are currently 'undocumented features' causign the system not to deal
effectively with multiple journeys. Staff training, bar those in the ticket
offices and a select number of station staff is IMHO inadequate to the
extreme. Yet another project that has great potential but is being
introduced without well thought out implementation.

On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 08:05:14 -0000, Robin Mayes wrote:
There are currently 'undocumented features' causign the system not to deal
effectively with multiple journeys.

Do tell, you can't leave us hanging on like that!

David

In message , David Walters
writes
On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 08:05:14 -0000, Robin Mayes wrote:
There are currently 'undocumented features' causign the system not to deal
effectively with multiple journeys.

Do tell, you can't leave us hanging on like that!

That's all we've been told officially.
One hears things from the technicians but it's hard to sort out what's
true and what's conjecture...
--
Kat Frogs have it easy. They can eat what bugs them.

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 01:44:35 +0000, Jason wrote:

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 18:21:42 +0000, Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 15:40:42 +0000, Jason wrote:
I'd like to know what's going to happen when using WAGN services.
Certain Underground tickets can be used between Seven Sisters,
Tottenham Hale and Walthamstow Central and the intermediate statins.

But you cannot use the tickets at any intermediate station as I
understand matters. You will note at Walthamstow Central that the

See printed page 18 / PDF page 11 of -
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/fa...ts-may2003.pdf

"Tube singles, returns, season tickets, One Day
LT Cards, ‘Youth’ LT Card seasons and Group Day
tickets can also be used on a number of joint
routes and services with National Rail.
Tickets must be valid between the appropriate
joint stations or zones. The routes a
[snip]
Liverpool Street to Walthamstow Central/
Tottenham Hale/Seven Sisters
(but not at intermediate stations for holders
of LT Cards)"

Well you learn something new everyday. I do find that a very odd ruling
in the way singles and returns are OK but LT cards are not. Must be
something to do with the apportionment process or somesuch.

validators have been installed at the entrances to both WAGN platforms.

Of particular interest to me is St James Street, which isn't an
Underground interchange. If there's no reader, Oyster won't know the
journey has ended and will charge a zone 1-6 fare.

Well given the above info re the validity then equipment should be being
installed at Bethnal Green, Cambridge Heath, London Fields, Hackney
Downs, Clapton, St James St, Rectory Road, Stoke Newington and Stamford
Hill stations. That's quite an undertaking in such a short time.

I've also spotted a problem given the recent decision to close the
Walthamstow Central Ticket hall after 21.00. All the validators are in
there and the side gate has no such facility. Therefore inter available
pre-pay will not work where validators are not provided at these late
night side exits - I believe Stoke Newington station certainly works
like this.
--
Paul C
Admits to Working for London Underground!

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 23:27:23 +0000, Luke Ross
wrote:



I phoned the helpline, and apparantly you need a photocard even for a
prepay oyster (god knows why, when the site says you can lend it to
family and friends!). However the person I spoke to did explain to me
how I could get a prepay oyster and a blank photocard sent together, so
I can just bung a photo in when I got it (I don't live in London). I
presume they don't want everyone to do this automatically or they'd have
put details on the site, but it may be worth phoning the 0845 number and
explaining, if you can't get to a tube station easily at the minute.

I went and got a new Oyster with a 7 day Travelcard loaded on it
yesterday. I had to supply a photocard number (my NR one seemed to be
good enough), but the fella stated I didn't need a dedicated LU one
for my Oyster card as it was a 7 dayer. In addition, as PrePay is
*officially* transferable ("you can lend it family and friends" quoth
the website) why would a photocard be of any use?

Rob