Another Oyster question
 

Yesterday I went from Canning Town to Bounds Green.

Used my PAYG to go through barrier at Canning Town, then used PAYG as I
went past the swipe thingy on the Silverlink/NLL platform. I was going to
go to Highbury and Islington and change.

I then remembered from the recent thread on UTL that the PAYG is not meant
to be used from Canning Town north of Stratford so I went back to the tube
(I'd just missed the Silverlink anyway). No more swipes or barriers. And
completed the journey on the tube.

Will I have been overcharged - ie charged for a Silverlink journey I never
actually took? I wasn't sure whether, when deciding afer all not to use
Silverlink, I should swipe at Canning Town again or ignore it. So I didn't
swipe out, in case the system (since I'd been on the platform for half and
hour) would think I'd done a round-trip Canning Town-Stratford-Canning Town
or something.

If I have been overcharged, any way of getting them to reimburse me? Or do
I (somewhat unfairly) have to put it down to my own fault for changing my
mind about my route after realising I couldn't legally do it on PAYG but
after honestly swiping the card on the thingy (what's the technical term
for these swipe thingies) at Canning Town platform?

Another Oyster question
 

On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 04:28:21 -0500, "Tristán White"
wrote:

Yesterday I went from Canning Town to Bounds Green.

Used my PAYG to go through barrier at Canning Town, then used PAYG as I
went past the swipe thingy on the Silverlink/NLL platform. I was going to
go to Highbury and Islington and change.

I then remembered from the recent thread on UTL that the PAYG is not meant
to be used from Canning Town north of Stratford so I went back to the tube
(I'd just missed the Silverlink anyway). No more swipes or barriers. And
completed the journey on the tube.

Will I have been overcharged - ie charged for a Silverlink journey I never
actually took? I wasn't sure whether, when deciding afer all not to use
Silverlink, I should swipe at Canning Town again or ignore it. So I didn't
swipe out, in case the system (since I'd been on the platform for half and
hour) would think I'd done a round-trip Canning Town-Stratford-Canning Town
or something.

If I have been overcharged, any way of getting them to reimburse me? Or do
I (somewhat unfairly) have to put it down to my own fault for changing my
mind about my route after realising I couldn't legally do it on PAYG but
after honestly swiping the card on the thingy (what's the technical term
for these swipe thingies) at Canning Town platform?

Check your journey / deduction history on the touch screen machine at a
LU station or at a LU station. The card stores your last 10 trips so can
display those at a machine.

I doubt very much that the system will have deducted anything other than
a journey on PAYG for Z123 as I assume you took the tube via Zone 1. The
PAYG tariff will not have a fare in the ticket gate at Bounds Green for
a journey via Silverlink as the product is not valid on that service to
Highbury. When PAYG does become available on the NLL throughout then
life will get complicated for the sort of trip you made as the system
has no way of knowing which route you took - i.e. via Z2 or via Z1. I
am sure the solution to that problem is taxing several brains as we
speak. A potential solution is to get people to validate en route at an
interchange point but that creates all sorts of issues of its own.

If by some miracle you have been overcharged then contact the Oyster
Help Desk as they seem to be the only people who can authorise a
resetting of a journey / refund.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Another Oyster question
 

Tristán White wrote:
Yesterday I went from Canning Town to Bounds Green.

Used my PAYG to go through barrier at Canning Town, then used PAYG as I
went past the swipe thingy on the Silverlink/NLL platform. I was going to
go to Highbury and Islington and change.

I then remembered from the recent thread on UTL that the PAYG is not meant
to be used from Canning Town north of Stratford so I went back to the tube
(I'd just missed the Silverlink anyway). No more swipes or barriers. And
completed the journey on the tube.

Will I have been overcharged - ie charged for a Silverlink journey I never
actually took? I wasn't sure whether, when deciding afer all not to use
Silverlink, I should swipe at Canning Town again or ignore it. So I didn't
swipe out, in case the system (since I'd been on the platform for half and
hour) would think I'd done a round-trip Canning Town-Stratford-Canning Town
or something.

Hmm, difficult to say...

The validator on the Silverlink platform is probably only for passengers
changing between the NLL and the Tube (i.e. those coming from stations
east of Custom House or west of Stratford where PAYG isn't valid).

This gives three possibilities as to what it has recorded on your card:
1. Canning Town - (unresolved)
Canning Town - Bounds Green
2. Canning Town
Canning Town - Bounds Green (revalidation)
3. Canning Town - Canning Town
(unresolved) - Bounds Green

I think the first and third scenarios would both overcharge you by £1.
The second scenario would be fine, and is similar to the way that
Stratford works with its secondary gateline for the Jubilee.

If I have been overcharged, any way of getting them to reimburse me? Or do
I (somewhat unfairly) have to put it down to my own fault for changing my
mind about my route after realising I couldn't legally do it on PAYG but
after honestly swiping the card on the thingy (what's the technical term
for these swipe thingies) at Canning Town platform?

Check if you've been overcharged, and if you have, you should definitely
ask for a refund (which is most easily done using the email service on
the website, IME) - just explain the situation clearly and I'm sure
they'll understand.

It's also worth complaining about how unclear the procedure is for when
you should or should not use validators - maybe that will get them to
put some extra signage with them!

A similarly confusing situation exists at Paddington H&C, where there is
a validator on the platform with few instructions next to it, and a
gateline elsewhere - it turns out you're not supposed to use the
validator unless changing to/from FGWL services on particular platforms
inside the barriers. How on earth anyone is supposed to work that out
upon arriving at Paddington by H&C for the first time is beyond me.
Farringdon is equally confusing, as is King's Cross Thameslink... and in
fact anywhere you might change to or from National Rail. Argh!

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