Pink Readers – Interchange only

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I’ve just been informed that TfL has tightened up the use of pink readers from an unspecified date in March such that they will no longer start a journey if the Oyster card is not touched in at the time. Sadly it appears as though the fact that this was an unpublished feature means that they don’t see a need to communicate it to everyone.

14 thoughts on “Pink Readers – Interchange only”

  1. Hm I’ve always wondered if there was any advantage of pink readers starting Oyster journeys? One example I can think of is someone on a paper ticket from Cambridge or other intermediate stations alighting at Hackney Downs, switching to PAYG at Hackney Central. But are there any others?

    • Hi Lexi,

      Yes, starting Oyster journeys at places like Hackney and Stratford were easier, but the issue was always that you couldn’t end a journey in the same way. It was a bit of a kludge and I’m quite pleased that they’ve simplified it now.

  2. I recently (last week) travelled on a paper rail ticket to West Brompton, before touching in on Oyster at a pink validator on the overbridge at West Brompton station (without exiting the station) and making a journey onwards to Putney Bridge. My Oyster journey history confirms the touch in was successful and I was charged the correct PAYG fare. Therefore I believe that, at least at that time, it was still possible to touch in on a pink reader.

    • Hi Adam,

      Well that’s interesting. It contradicts what I was told by the helpdesk when writing the original post above. I’ll need to dig further.

  3. Hi,
    Same experience for me as with Adam. I arrived at Stratford on a paper ticket and then touched in with a pink validator on platforms 1/2 to start an Oyster journey on the Overground. It all worked fine. The date of the journey was 7th Aug 2017.

    • Hi Keith,

      Well that’s confusing. Stratford was the place where it was reported that it no longer started a journey. I need to try and find out what’s going on.

  4. I’m finding this difficult. How do you avoid zone 1 from Chadwell heath to oval station? It says to go via whitechapel (or canada water or shadwell) and Clapham high street/Clapham north. Also, must touch the pink reader if interchanging at whitechapel or Canada water. So I don’t touch the pink reader at Stratford?

    • Hi Vixy,

      No need to touch the pink reader at Stratford, you won’t actually go anywhere near it on that journey. I think I’d recommend the Jubilee line, so change at Stratford, Canada Water (pink) and Clapham High Street/North.

    • No, Whitechapel is all one station so you’ll need to touch the pink reader there.

  6. I have a travel card for zones 2-6 on my 18 plus Oyster card. I tap in at Stratford underground and take the Jubilee Line to Finchley road or Baker Street, after I switch to the metropolitan line which goes straight to Uxbridge. when I tap out of Uxbridge, despite having a travel card I still go into a minus why?

    also I heard I have to tap in at a pink reader but I cannot find one at Baker Street

    • Hi Richie,

      You are charged extra because you are travelling through zone 1. If you want to avoid the extra charge then you have to avoid zone 1. You need to take the Overground from Stratford to either Finchley Road & Frognal or West Hampstead, then walk to the nearby Jubilee Line station in either case. As you want the Metropolitan line you’re probably better off using Finchley Road.

  7. Hi Mike
    I’m doing a journey shortly between Stratford and Clapham Junction via Whitechapel.
    There is a pink reader on the platform At clapham, can I use this to end my journey.
    Or would I have the pain of leaving the station and coming back again
    Many thanks Shaun
    Enjoyed your video with Jeff Marshall

    • Hi Shaun,

      Pink Readers will never end a journey, so you have to go to the gateline. It’s not that far from the platforms that the Overground arrive on.

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