Ok - maybe slightly weird 'feature' of Oyster, or just me and the DLR
captain being stupid...

Today, I had to pop home to pick up something at lunchtime. So, got the DLR
from Bank using my Pre-pay Oystercard to swipe in through the gates.

Got to my stop on the DLR, walked out and swiped my card again to say that I
was leaving - and checked that it actually did register.

Picked up what I needed to get and literally got back to the DLR for the
next train back. Went to swipe in again but this time it still said 'exit'
instead of 'enter'. Thought that maybe I was going made and had misread the
machine when I left and it hadn't swiped properly on the way out so I had
just registered my exit and not entrance onto the DLR (are you all still
with me?). So, I swiped it again. And it still said 'exit'. After a third
time it said 'Seek assistance' (which is great on an unmanned DLR station).

Anyway, when the train came I was lucky enough to be at the door with the
DLR captain/ticket inspector so I asked her to check the card. She checked
it and said that it said it was registered as a 'continuation of exit' but
had no idea what that meant. As I didn't want to get stuck at Bank, she
reset the card register as the start of a normal single trip.

So, does anyone know what this all means and what would've happened when I
got to Bank? Would it have registered the journey as Bank - Bank and only
charged me for a zone 1 journey (instead of the zone 1 - zone 2 journey
that it really was).

A continuation exit is where someone swipes their Oyster card at an
intermediate stop on their journey but in fact is not exiting at that
particular stop.

e.g.

Joins the underground at Moorgate get to Bank and goes to the DLR platforms
and swipes their card again at readers there. The system would assume at
this point that the person has exited at bank because they swiped in at
Moorgate and the second swipe at bank would be an exit. However the person
continues to their destination and swipes it on their 'real' exit and the
system automatically recognises the middle swipe as not the real exit.

Stations where which have this probability include Farringdon, Barking and
other interchanges. They are known as Continuation exit stations.

Without knowing your exit on DLR I cant be sure what has happened but if you
put your card on the big ticket machines or get a printout at the ticket
office it will show the last 8 journeys.

Steve

"Stevie" wrote in message
...
Ok - maybe slightly weird 'feature' of Oyster, or just me and the DLR
captain being stupid...

Today, I had to pop home to pick up something at lunchtime. So, got the
DLR
from Bank using my Pre-pay Oystercard to swipe in through the gates.

Got to my stop on the DLR, walked out and swiped my card again to say that
I
was leaving - and checked that it actually did register.

Picked up what I needed to get and literally got back to the DLR for the
next train back. Went to swipe in again but this time it still said 'exit'
instead of 'enter'. Thought that maybe I was going made and had misread
the
machine when I left and it hadn't swiped properly on the way out so I had
just registered my exit and not entrance onto the DLR (are you all still
with me?). So, I swiped it again. And it still said 'exit'. After a
third
time it said 'Seek assistance' (which is great on an unmanned DLR
station).

Anyway, when the train came I was lucky enough to be at the door with the
DLR captain/ticket inspector so I asked her to check the card. She
checked
it and said that it said it was registered as a 'continuation of exit' but
had no idea what that meant. As I didn't want to get stuck at Bank, she
reset the card register as the start of a normal single trip.

So, does anyone know what this all means and what would've happened when I
got to Bank? Would it have registered the journey as Bank - Bank and
only
charged me for a zone 1 journey (instead of the zone 1 - zone 2 journey
that it really was).

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 23:15:53 +0100, "SJCWHUK"
wrote:


Joins the underground at Moorgate get to Bank and goes to the DLR platforms
and swipes their card again at readers there.

Are they working yet? Last time I went past them they weren't and
there was still a poster up saying that they wouldn't be working "for
a few more weeks" (poster dated Feb 2004)

I also can't understand what they are for. What circumstances would
you need to use it?

SJCWHUK wrote:

Stations where which have this probability include Farringdon, Barking and
other interchanges. They are known as Continuation exit stations.

Without knowing your exit on DLR I cant be sure what has happened but if you
put your card on the big ticket machines or get a printout at the ticket
office it will show the last 8 journeys.


Well - it was Elverson Road on the DLR which I would've thought wouldn't
be a continuation station as there's nowhere else you can continue on
from there. The only continuation from there would be if you got off,
realised you actually left the train too early and jumped back on.

Strange.

Stevie wrote:
SJCWHUK wrote:


Stations where which have this probability include Farringdon, Barking
and
other interchanges. They are known as Continuation exit stations.

Without knowing your exit on DLR I cant be sure what has happened but
if you
put your card on the big ticket machines or get a printout at the ticket
office it will show the last 8 journeys.


Well - it was Elverson Road on the DLR which I would've thought wouldn't
be a continuation station as there's nowhere else you can continue on
from there. The only continuation from there would be if you got off,
realised you actually left the train too early and jumped back on.

Strange.

Change to St. John's? (Unlikely I know but possible).

On a related note, I did a trip at the weekend from Z1 via the Jubilee
line to Canary Wharf, changing to DLR via Heron Quays to get to Island
Gardens (I'm pleased to say the LU Canary Wharf - DLR Heron Quays worked
as a continuation exit).

On the way back I went from Crossharbour to Bank. Nature called (or
rather shouted) en route, so I got off at Canary Wharf, wandered into
the shopping centre to answer and got back on again at Canary Wharf.
Despite the name of my website, I neither touched out nor touched in again.

This leads to two questions. Firstly, how long are you given to make an
out-of-station interchange? Doing LU-DLR would I have had time for a
tea break, lunch, or a day's shopping?
Secondly, I sense that the DLR Oyster system is unfortunately open to
abuse. If I live in Beckton and want to see my mate in Poplar, then
could I catch a train from Beckton to Poplar, touching in at Beckton but
NOT out at Poplar, and then travel back to a different station - say
Cyprus - touch out there and just get charged for Beckton - Cyprus? Is
there any time limit?

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

Did you enter by the main gates at Bank and then touch the readers again
towards the DLR platforms?

Steve

"Stevie" wrote in message
...
SJCWHUK wrote:

Stations where which have this probability include Farringdon, Barking
and
other interchanges. They are known as Continuation exit stations.

Without knowing your exit on DLR I cant be sure what has happened but if
you
put your card on the big ticket machines or get a printout at the ticket
office it will show the last 8 journeys.


Well - it was Elverson Road on the DLR which I would've thought wouldn't
be a continuation station as there's nowhere else you can continue on
from there. The only continuation from there would be if you got off,
realised you actually left the train too early and jumped back on.

Strange.

Like paper tickets, out of station inter-changes allow 15 minutes.

Whereas before SA's when busy would in many cases just allow a person in who
took longer, the Oyster card is pre-set so if you take longer it will end
the last journey and start a new one.

As for the possible abuse on DLR yes its there. Its also been there on the
tube as well where people get a single ticket (or even pre-pay) and travel
to meet someone at a station stay inside the barriers and then go to there
destination.

Steve

"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...
Stevie wrote:
SJCWHUK wrote:


Stations where which have this probability include Farringdon, Barking
and
other interchanges. They are known as Continuation exit stations.

Without knowing your exit on DLR I cant be sure what has happened but
if you
put your card on the big ticket machines or get a printout at the
ticket
office it will show the last 8 journeys.


Well - it was Elverson Road on the DLR which I would've thought wouldn't
be a continuation station as there's nowhere else you can continue on
from there. The only continuation from there would be if you got off,
realised you actually left the train too early and jumped back on.

Strange.

Change to St. John's? (Unlikely I know but possible).

On a related note, I did a trip at the weekend from Z1 via the Jubilee
line to Canary Wharf, changing to DLR via Heron Quays to get to Island
Gardens (I'm pleased to say the LU Canary Wharf - DLR Heron Quays worked
as a continuation exit).

On the way back I went from Crossharbour to Bank. Nature called (or
rather shouted) en route, so I got off at Canary Wharf, wandered into
the shopping centre to answer and got back on again at Canary Wharf.
Despite the name of my website, I neither touched out nor touched in
again.

This leads to two questions. Firstly, how long are you given to make an
out-of-station interchange? Doing LU-DLR would I have had time for a
tea break, lunch, or a day's shopping?
Secondly, I sense that the DLR Oyster system is unfortunately open to
abuse. If I live in Beckton and want to see my mate in Poplar, then
could I catch a train from Beckton to Poplar, touching in at Beckton but
NOT out at Poplar, and then travel back to a different station - say
Cyprus - touch out there and just get charged for Beckton - Cyprus? Is
there any time limit?

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London