At Sloane Square yesterday (presumably due to the increased traffic for
the Chelsea Flower Show) announcements and staff were telling Oystercard
users not to bother touching out and that their fare would be correctly
debited.

How could that work, without giving an unresolved journey and presumably
messing up any daily caps?

As it happens, I wasn't using mine yesterday (left jacket and Oystercard
at home and had to buy a paper ticket) but I'd be fascinated to see what
my journey history would have looked like!
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

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

Because the gates had been pre-set not to penalty charge anyone re-
entering that station (and surrounding stations) later with a previous
"unresolved" journey.

e.g. started a journey that day at Upminster (touched in), left Sloane
Square without touching out, commenced return journey at Sloane Square
(touched in), or Knightsbridge (touched in). System would normally
think: no record of where first journey terminated (unresolved) so
charge full single fare, but with gate settings at these stations
altered, this process is not applied.

Of course if you get a lift to Uxbridge these gates will not be re-
programmed and return home from there your card will still show two
'touches in' with no 'touch out' in the middle and the penalty will
still be applied.

The Oyster software is not fit for purpose in other words.

On May 24, 12:17 pm, wrote:
Because the gates had been pre-set not to penalty charge anyone re-
entering that station (and surrounding stations) later with a previous
"unresolved" journey.

e.g. started a journey that day at Upminster (touched in), left Sloane
Square without touching out, commenced return journey at Sloane Square
(touched in), or Knightsbridge (touched in). System would normally
think: no record of where first journey terminated (unresolved) so
charge full single fare, but with gate settings at these stations
altered, this process is not applied.

Of course if you get a lift to Uxbridge these gates will not be re-
programmed and return home from there your card will still show two
'touches in' with no 'touch out' in the middle and the penalty will
still be applied.

The Oyster software is not fit for purpose in other words.

Is this the same scenario for the various stations near football
grounds? I've always been concerned about the inability to touch out
at Upton Park due to the crowds and being hit with the £4 charge....

wrote:

Of course if you get a lift to Uxbridge

Or if you went home by bus, or if you went for a walk before entering
the Underground somewhere else entirely, or if you don't live in
Uxbridge (Upminster?) but actually live near Sloane Square.

ISTM that the only safe way to handle this is to assume that everybody
who didn't touch out (during the time this was in effect) exited at
Sloane Square and to charge accordingly.
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA

On 25 May, 06:37, David of Broadway
wrote:
wrote:
Of course if you get a lift to Uxbridge

Or if you went home by bus, or if you went for a walk before entering
the Underground somewhere else entirely, or if you don't live in
Uxbridge (Upminster?) but actually live near Sloane Square.

ISTM that the only safe way to handle this is to assume that everybody
who didn't touch out (during the time this was in effect) exited at
Sloane Square and to charge accordingly.

Hypothetical, but how about some sort of long-range scanner? So
everyone passing out the door would effectively get touched-out...

David.

David F wrote in uk.transport.london on 25 May 2007 02:34:49 -0700
ps.com:

On 25 May, 06:37, David of Broadway
wrote:
ISTM that the only safe way to handle this is to assume that everybody
who didn't touch out (during the time this was in effect) exited at
Sloane Square and to charge accordingly.

Hypothetical, but how about some sort of long-range scanner? So
everyone passing out the door would effectively get touched-out...

I carry my Oystercard in my wallet all the time, but on those
occasions when I'm using National Rail I'll buy a card ODTC, so I'd
rather object to having my journey counted on an Oystercard I happen
to have about my person.

ISTR some previous discussion here about the range of the cards being
limited following experience during testing?

Dave

wrote in uk.transport.london on 24 May 2007
14:47:58 -0700
ups.com:

Is this the same scenario for the various stations near football
grounds? I've always been concerned about the inability to touch out
at Upton Park due to the crowds and being hit with the £4 charge....

It appears that it is, a while back I had a similar experience when
visiting Loftus Road, I had to get an unresolved journey sorted (made
slightly more complicated by the fact that I'd left at Shepherds Bush
and re-entered at White City). This was well before the £4 charge.

Dave

David F typed


On 25 May, 06:37, David of Broadway
wrote:
wrote:
Of course if you get a lift to Uxbridge

Or if you went home by bus, or if you went for a walk before entering
the Underground somewhere else entirely, or if you don't live in
Uxbridge (Upminster?) but actually live near Sloane Square.

ISTM that the only safe way to handle this is to assume that everybody
who didn't touch out (during the time this was in effect) exited at
Sloane Square and to charge accordingly.

Hypothetical, but how about some sort of long-range scanner? So
everyone passing out the door would effectively get touched-out...

Would cause potential problems for the likes of me. I travel with my
Freedom Pass but carry an Oyster PAYG for friends. Remote activation of
the latter could create an incomplet journey.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

On May 24, 12:17 pm, wrote:
Because the gates had been pre-set not to penalty charge anyone re-
entering that station (and surrounding stations) later with a previous
"unresolved" journey.

e.g. started a journey that day at Upminster (touched in), left Sloane
Square without touching out, commenced return journey at Sloane Square
(touched in), or Knightsbridge (touched in). System would normally
think: no record of where first journey terminated (unresolved) so
charge full single fare, but with gate settings at these stations
altered, this process is not applied.

Of course if you get a lift to Uxbridge these gates will not be re-
programmed and return home from there your card will still show two
'touches in' with no 'touch out' in the middle and the penalty will
still be applied.

The Oyster software is not fit for purpose in other words.



That depends on what you think its purpose is. It does quite well at
extracting the maximum money with the minimum of staff.