In message , Iain
writes
For a while now I've been tempted to do something like that so that the
Oyster sits somewhere halfway up my forearm, and then go to one of the
more touristy central London tube stations and go through the barriers
by waving my arm over the oyster scanner and at just the right moment
clicking my fingers with a flourish. Very puerile but I'd love to see
the expression on people's faces!
One of my clients (from the North of England) was absolutely
*fascinated* by people using Oysters on buses a couple of weeks ago.
It was as though someone had just demonstrated Nuclear fusion to
him.......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In article ,
Iain wrote:
For a while now I've been tempted to do something like that so that the
Oyster sits somewhere halfway up my forearm, and then go to one of the
more touristy central London tube stations and go through the barriers
by waving my arm over the oyster scanner and at just the right moment
clicking my fingers with a flourish. Very puerile but I'd love to see
the expression on people's faces!

Wave a shortish (8-12 inches or so) stick at the gate while muttering
"Alohomora".

At Kings Cross.

--
Mike Bristow - really a very good driver

On 05 Jan 2005 20:09:39 GMT, Iain wrote:
This is what really prompted me to reply to this thread. My workplace
also uses an embedded-chip smartcard to get through doors and it works
in a very similar way to Oyster -- simply wave the card within a couple
of centimetres of the reader and the door opens. I was wondering if any
problems would be caused if I also put the Oyster into the holder for my
works ID ... and it looks like it would. Oh well, so much for that idea.

It depends on the system in use at your work. I have two contactless
cards from work for different buildings, one interferes with Oyster,
one doesn't. You might as well experiment, Oyster seems robust
enough that the worst you will get is a seek assistance.

David

Ian Jelf wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 5 Jan 2005:

In message , Iain
writes
For a while now I've been tempted to do something like that so that the
Oyster sits somewhere halfway up my forearm, and then go to one of the
more touristy central London tube stations and go through the barriers
by waving my arm over the oyster scanner and at just the right moment
clicking my fingers with a flourish. Very puerile but I'd love to see
the expression on people's faces!
One of my clients (from the North of England) was absolutely
*fascinated* by people using Oysters on buses a couple of weeks ago. It
was as though someone had just demonstrated Nuclear fusion to
him.......

I was, too, the first time I saw similar cards in use (in Switzerland in
1999). And yesterday I went into Town and back by Tube, and at the end
of the trip decided I needed to top-up my pre-pay. A friend (a Freedom
Pass user) watched me do it with her mouth hanging open in fascination!
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 2 January 2005

On 05 Jan 2005 20:09:39 GMT, Iain wrote:

"Dave Plumb" wrote in
:

Has anyone gotten round to sewing their Oystercard into their coat
sleeve? You could keep the photo card seperate just in case and as
long as you don't need to pass the card through a ticket window you
should be ok - surely?

I seem to recall seeing an item at work that said that station staff
doing gateline duty could order gloves with a special pocket sewn into
them to allow for easier use of Oyster based gate permits.

For a while now I've been tempted to do something like that so that the
Oyster sits somewhere halfway up my forearm, and then go to one of the
more touristy central London tube stations and go through the barriers
by waving my arm over the oyster scanner and at just the right moment
clicking my fingers with a flourish. Very puerile but I'd love to see
the expression on people's faces!

When we did the very first LU trials many years ago we had great fun at
the test sites - Green Park, St James Park and Victoria.

One of the testers put the card in a glove and waved his hand over the
reader and the gate opened. Some American tourists watched this and then
did the same and walked into the gate paddles.

I also once put my card inside a thick book and plonked the book on the
gate at Victoria and the gate opened. That caused some double takes.
Similar tricks were done with bags etc and as the technology was very
new then (for a transport application) there were a lot of bemused
looks.

At the time we had a mix of staff and some annual travelcard holders
taking part in the trial and absolutely no one wanted to give the cards
back as they found them so much more convenient.

I've seen women with it in the bottom of their handbags, they just
plonk the whole handbag on the reader pad, or more often have to tip
everything out holding everyone else up when it doens't work

By wife does this (puts the Oyster in her handbag and plonks that on the
reader). She tells me it's never not worked -- but then she's got a
small compartment on the front of the handbag which it lives in, rather
than being in the main bit of the bag where it can get mixed up with
everything else.

This is very common in Hong Kong with the Octopus cards - whether on the
bus or trams or MTR / KCR. All the parking meters that I saw accept
Octopus as a payment means as do the telephones and many other outlets.

I found the other night I can't keep my Oyster in the same wallet as
my works ID (which also has an embedded chip to get me in and out of
buildings) - the Oyster pad reads the works ID and ignores the
Oyster. It flashes up a code 70 (read error - re-present card).
Putting it on a ticket machine shows "Your smartcard is not
initialised for Prestige". The system at work ignores the Oyster card
totally.

I understand that the very first Oyster Cards interfered with shop
security systems so some people had rather embarrassing discussions with
security staff when they went to the shops at lunchtime. I believe these
sorts of "interference" have been resolved.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

also uses an embedded-chip smartcard to get through doors and it works
in a very similar way to Oyster -- simply wave the card within a couple
of centimetres of the reader and the door opens.

I found my works ID was read "in preference" to the Oyster and caused Oyster
to throw up code 70's. The works system ignores Oyster totally. I knw TfL
have issued local authorities with library cards which have Oyster chips in
them, which can be used for travel. It might be ID cards through the back
door ... I guess it would have been kind of cool if I could get my works ID
validated for Oyster as it's one less bit of plastic to carry.

problems would be caused if I also put the Oyster into the holder for my
works ID ... and it looks like it would. Oh well, so much for that idea.
I guess my works ID is supposed to be in the works holder on show, and
common sense says the Oyster should live in the flimsy plastic wallet
separately from all my cash and credit cards ...

Cheers,
Dave

I seem to recall seeing an item at work that said that station staff
doing gateline duty could order gloves with a special pocket sewn into
them to allow for easier use of Oyster based gate permits.
Why don't staff have station gate passes instead of using their personal
Oysters to assist people? It must really mess up the managements attempts to
watch where and when they travel, you could catch out early finishers or
late starters dead easily

At the time we had a mix of staff and some annual travelcard holders
taking part in the trial and absolutely no one wanted to give the cards
back as they found them so much more convenient.
Ditto, though it's cost me a couple of zones off my all zones travelcard
from NR to get one it's slightly cheaper and a lot more convenient.

I understand that the very first Oyster Cards interfered with shop
security systems so some people had rather embarrassing discussions with

D

Dave Plumb wrote:
common sense says the Oyster should live in the flimsy
plastic wallet separately from all my cash and credit
cards ...

Common sense? For what reason? I would find it inconvenient to have
two wallets.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Richard J. wrote to uk.transport.london on Fri, 7 Jan 2005:

Dave Plumb wrote:
common sense says the Oyster should live in the flimsy
plastic wallet separately from all my cash and credit
cards ...

Common sense? For what reason? I would find it inconvenient to have
two wallets.

You wouldn't if one of them were nicked..... most women have a
credit-card wallet separate from their main one which lives in a
different section of their handbags.
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 2 January 2005

common sense says the Oyster should live in the flimsy
plastic wallet separately from all my cash and credit
cards ...
Common sense? For what reason? I would find it inconvenient to have
two wallets.

Getting your wallet out with all your money and credit cards when someone
could snatch it and leave you the wrong side of a gate line. I too find it
convenient to keep them all together but it's crossed my mind it's maybe not
the best thing to do.