Annual gold card/travelcard - buses?

[Abpj17]

I can’t get a consistent view from TfL on the validity of my tickets. I would be grateful for advice from members.

I have bought an annual season ticket from Harpenden to London for the past ten years and include the travel card option. i.e. Beween Harpenden & London Zones 1 -6; Valid for 12 months. The ticket type is shown as Travelcard and is also issued as a Gold Card.

This is currently priced here (http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/seasonticket/tickets) at £4288 (i.e. several hundred more than the non-Travelcard version, which is only listed at £3504.

Can people advise on whether this valid on London buses please?

(There is a long drawn out list of inconsistent answers provided by Tfl - but grateful for initial views)

 

[Hadders]

Absolutley valid on all London buses.

 

[Abpj17]

Absolutley valid on all London buses.

Two drivers in the past month have told me otherwise... (one giving the surreal reason that it didn't say it was a 'travel card' - despite it saying exactly that). I fear it may be re-training due to the 'no cash' roll out.

In a sense of anticipation, will save the TfL HQ answers a lil longer - they are surreal.

 

[maniacmartin]

Definately valid on buses. It could be the Gold card stock that is confusing them

 

[Hadders]

I've never had a problem using a travelcard on the buses but this does tend to be a one-day variety rather than an annual gold card type.

Usually pointing out the 'London Transport' roundel on your ticket is sufficient to gain access.

 

[BurtonM]

If the ticket type is 'travelcard' you're fine - I'd suggest contacting the bus operator you're having issues with and making them aware of the ticket type.

Straight answers and local transport authorities don't go together in my experience - having a TfGM Scholar's Concessionary Permit was a barrel of laughs.
I had a similar issue with Stagecoach Manchester drivers assuming for some reason that I had a either a free pass or something that offered no discount - I was entitled to half fare. I made Stagecoach aware of the drivers' errors and a memo got sent round the depots to look out for the passes and to charge the right amount.

 

[paul1609]

Are you sure its printed on the right ticket stock? Mines issued by Southeastern and has the NR and TFL symbols with Travelcard at the top and Annual Gold card at the bottom. Mines never been queried despite using it on buses at least twice every day. Practically everyone getting on at Charing Cross in the morning has one of these!

 

[RJ]

Two drivers in the past month have told me otherwise... (one giving the surreal reason that it didn't say it was a 'travel card' - despite it saying exactly that). I fear it may be re-training due to the 'no cash' roll out.

In a sense of anticipation, will save the TfL HQ answers a lil longer - they are surreal.

Did they say they weren't valid?

 

[PermitToTravel]

Bus drivers are taught to look for the roundel at the top beside the word "Travelcard". As Hadders suggested it might help to draw attention to this bit.

All travelcards are certainly valid on all buses, and it's completely unacceptable for TfL to be giving out any information to the contrary

 

[Abpj17]

For the extra detail - which at least raises some similar questions!

Driver 1 said not valid on buses as it doesn’t say Travelcard or have zones on [It absolutely does say Type = Travelcard and Zones 1 -6]
Driver 2 just said it wasn’t valid on buses
FCC website says ‘most buses’ but contact Tfl
99% of bus drivers accept it (and most only glance at it)
It’s various bus operators - I assume there is some kind of central TfL training? - so have gone via TfL form on website for customer services

TfL say “I’m sorry to confirm but your ticket isn’t actually valid on buses. We do accept some Gold cards. However, the Gold cards that we accept must have the TfL roundel on them. Yours doesn’t so unfortunately it is only for rail travel.”

My card - to be fair - doesn’t have the roundel printed on it. But does say it’s a Travelcard. And TfL after saying it wasn’t valid, has suggested I ask for TOC to reissue on the correct stock. (Is it really the paper that it’s printed that’s important rather than the Ticket Type??).

Given the no more than two duplicates in a year rule, I’m loathe to get it re-issued. From various advice above, it’s sounds like I need to watch like a hawk when it is reissued that it is printed on the right stock. But that there are really two different paper types? I’m not imagining that the guy in the ticket office will be enthusiastic about customer asking if he’s issuing a ticket correctly!!

 

[iphone76]

I'd be tempted to take it back to the station and say it doesn't work the barriers and then ensure it's printed on the ticket with the roundel on it.

I believe there are no limits on the number of times an annual can be reissued if it doesn't work the barriers, so I don't think you need to worry about that.

 

[Abpj17]

Iphone76 - a few years ago it kept not working at the barriers (conflict between card system at work suspected); it's much better now. It literally used to stop working within a week of buying it. At the time, the barriers were normally open at the time I travelled tho.

I was given the impression at the time that the two-issuance limit did apply. (Although if you're handing back in the original card, I've got no idea why it should - is there a subtle distinction between re-printing and re-issuing?)

It expires in September - so with holidays thrown in, that's only about 6 weeks of use left. I'm relatively confident that I've paid for the right ticket so fines etc. ought not to apply if it's merely been printed on the wrong paper by the TOC.

 

[iphone76]

Yes, it definitely is the correct ticket. I'm surprised the drivers even look, let alone comment. Whenever I get on a bus in London, most of them don't look around when I show my ticket. It's only when I say thank you they look. Not sure if it's out of shock for me thanking them, or because I'm not using Oyster.

 

[GoByThameslink]

I was given the impression at the time that the two-issuance limit did apply. (Although if you're handing back in the original card, I've got no idea why it should - is there a subtle distinction between re-printing and re-issuing?)

I've had my Annual card re-printed more than twice without any complaint or comment from the ticket office person (other than "stopped working the barriers again then?"). I would say I have had it re-done 5 or 6 times during one year - and I am a fellow Harpenden traveller, so have direct experience of the ticket office (at the moment I am travelling on weekly or odd-period tickets, but have never had any problems with them on the buses).

 

[Be3G]

For reference, this is the ‘stock’ (the pre-printed card) that any travelcard-inclusive gold card should be printed on. London's bus drivers have what's called the Big Red Book which includes pictures of the ticket types they accept, and this is the type it shows – so the drivers can't really be blamed for accepting a ticket that's been printed on the wrong stock.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Given the no more than two duplicates in a year rule, I’m loathe to get it re-issued. From various advice above, it’s sounds like I need to watch like a hawk when it is reissued that it is printed on the right stock. But that there are really two different paper types?

Whilst there's a "no more than two duplicates" rule, simply getting the ticket reprinted doesn't count. It's if you lose the ticket or it gets stolen that it becomes a Duplicate.

As for the stock, there are seven different varieties of "Gold Card" stock in regular use in the South East.

First up is the "Rail Only" version, though they no longer feature the Network SouthEast logo:

Then there's the Travelcard version:

Both of the above have alternative versions with "DUPLICATE" and "REPLACEMENT" overprints. No prizes for guessing when they're used!

And finally there's the Gold Record Card, used when an "in-boundary" Travelcard is issued on Oyster:

 

[Abpj17]

For reference, this is the ‘stock’ (the pre-printed card) that any travelcard-inclusive gold card should be printed on. London's bus drivers have what's called the Big Red Book which includes pictures of the ticket types they accept, and this is the type it shows – so the drivers can't really be blamed for accepting a ticket that's been printed on the wrong stock.

Thank you - and to CyrusWuff. That's really helpful

I agree drivers should be following their training (but it's exasperating it appears to have been printed on the wrong stock in the first place, and that it takes over two weeks to get something resembling an answer from TfL).

 

[paul1609]

That is the stock mines printed on. Mine was recently mangled by a ticket barrier at charing cross. It. Took Headcorn ticket office all of 10 seconds to reissue it for me.

 

[Wolfie]

Definately valid on buses. It could be the Gold card stock that is confusing them

My annual Z1-2 Travelcard is on paper Goldcard ticket stock and I have NEVER had any problem on any London bus....

I have had some fun with RPIs and outsourced inspectors trying to use an electroic Oyster checker but that is another story.....
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've had my Annual card re-printed more than twice without any complaint or comment from the ticket office person (other than "stopped working the barriers again then?"). I would say I have had it re-done 5 or 6 times during one year - and I am a fellow Harpenden traveller, so have direct experience of the ticket office (at the moment I am travelling on weekly or odd-period tickets, but have never had any problems with them on the buses).

Courtesy of I guess a batch of duff ticket stock I had to get SWT to replace mine three times in two weeks - the shortest lived ticket lasted a day....

 

[bb21]

Thank you - and to CyrusWuff. That's really helpful

I agree drivers should be following their training (but it's exasperating it appears to have been printed on the wrong stock in the first place, and that it takes over two weeks to get something resembling an answer from TfL).

What is your ticket printed on?

If you can upload a scan (blocking out personal information) we might have a better idea. I am none the wiser at the moment.

 

[Tetchytyke]

bb21, I think it's the rail-only Gold Card stock.

Given the number of people who try and use rail-only season tickets on buses, I'm not surprised the OP has had the issues they have.