I thought it was time for another snippet from my own Oyster travels. Today I had to get into Farringdon for a meeting. With no services there or at Barbican I decided to use the bus from Southwark Jubilee line station. This meant that I had to exit Waterloo East via the Southwark connection and walk straight through the Underground station without travelling. There is a special setting
Oyster Diary
Using Oyster with a Travelcard
In the last week I had to make an unusually high number of evening peak journeys between Crayford and Sidcup, so for the first time I decided to buy a weekly travelcard for zones 5 and 6. I now have first hand experience of some of the differences that occur when you have a travelcard season loaded on your card. I’ll be adding stuff to the main site pages in due course, but for now, here is a summary of the best and worst bits:
Tram Update – Now ends rail journey
An eagle eyed site visitor has tipped me off that if you change between train and tram at either Elmers End or Wimbledon you do not need to end the rail journey as well as start a tram journey. You must touch in on the tram boarding validator, but
A Visit To Finsbury Park
Other travel during the day had almost applied an off-peak cap to my card so I took the opportunity to investigate reports of problems, both current and future, at Finsbury Park. Before I outline the full story though, the important message here is that at the moment you do NOT need to touch out or in if interchanging between Underground and National Rail. In fact, if you try to touch out you will hit serious problems.
As usual I started my journey at Crayford.
Another Refund
My own personal use of Oyster has been ticking along quite nicely of late. I check journey history regularly and get statements from time to time to keep records for posterity. You can imagine my surprise
New Pink Route Validators
I have finally received a reply to my suggestion that TfL need to install a pink route validator at Surrey Quays. Whilst not promising anything specific, it does appear as though there will be some new opportunities to avoid zone 1 in the new year. Here is the reply:
OSI may not end journey
Yesterday I discovered another little anomaly with the Oyster system. I ventured out with one of my kids on a circular route taking in the DLR and Overground. We touched in at Crayford and took the rounder service to Woolwich Arsenal. Then it was the DLR to Shadwell with the obligatory sitting in the front seat pretending to drive the train.
Travel one more stop and pay less!
It’s official, travelling a stop further on than you need to can actually reduce the fare you are charged! Following on from the recent story about the missing route validator at Surrey Quays, this morning I went from Crayford to Honor Oak Park via New Cross and Canada Water.
An Unusual Refund
A couple of weeks ago I had a surprising email from Transport for London. It told me that I was due a refund of £4 because of an ‘operational issue’. It said that the refund was ready to be picked up from London Bridge Underground station. This was just the start of a whole new discovery.
TfL forget ELL route validator
The East London Line has re-opened and from this Sunday (23rd May) will provide direct services from Dalston Junction to West Croydon and Crystal Palace. That’s great, but there’s a vital piece of equipment missing at Surrey Quays if you change there when travelling between New Cross and New Cross Gate.