please help with zone 1 fare

[Shannianni]

Hi everyone.

Could someone please give me advice. I will be starting a job at waterloo soon. I can't afford the 236 a month ticketst as I live in croydon and am only working 7am to 7pm 4 on and 4 off.
what I was going to do was but a zone 2 to 5 month ticket and pay the extra for going through waterloo gate on the morning but then getting a bus in the evening from waterloo to vauxhall which takes 10 mins then getting a train from vauxhall to clapham which both are zone 2.
could someone let me know how much does it cost off peak to go through waterloo station barrier zone 1

 

[James Wake]

Monday-Friday there is the X68 bus from West Croydon to Russell Square via Waterloo, which may help get the costs down a bit, as it would be just £1.50 per journey on Oyster or Contactless details here:
http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/X68.htm

 

[maniacmartin]

Do you live within walking distance of East Croydon station? If so, do not buy any season ticket. Use Oyster or contactless bank card pay as you go. As long as you touch in in the morning before 06:30 and in the evening after 19:00 the journeys will class as off-peak, so it works out at £3.30 each time, or £6.60 a day. You work 15 days a month on average, so 15 x £6.60 = £99 per month.

If you live somewhere else in Croydon, let us know and we'll try to find a better solution

 

[Shannianni]

Do you live within walking distance of East Croydon station? If so, do not buy any season ticket. Use Oyster or contactless bank card pay as you go. As long as you touch in in the morning before 06:30 and in the evening after 19:00 the journeys will class as off-peak, so it works out at £3.30 each time, or £6.60 a day. You work 15 days a month on average, so 15 x £6.60 = £99 per month.

If you live somewhere else in Croydon, let us know and we'll try to find a better solution

Hi i live outside croydon so get a tram to east croydon. If I went through waterloo zone 1 off peak before 630 how much extra would the oyster charge me as I would have a zone 2 to 5 not zone 1. I know if I went to zone 6 on a zone 2 to 5 oyster it charges 1.50. But not sure about zone 1

 

[MikeWh]

Hi i live outside croydon so get a tram to east croydon. If I went through waterloo zone 1 off peak before 630 how much extra would the oyster charge me as I would have a zone 2 not 1. I know if I went to zone 6 on a zone 2 to 5 oyster it charges 1.50. But not sure about zone 1

If you have a zone 2-5 travelcard and travel from East Croydon to Waterloo then the key time is your touch in at East Croydon. If that is before 0630 then it'll be off-peak. It doesn't matter that the only bit of the journey being paid for from your credit is after 0630.

 

[themeone]

The X68 will definitely be the cheapest option, but don't expect it to be particularly quick or comfortable. I used it for a while commuting from Croydon to Holborn - it would probably be a slightly better experience at the times the OP would be using it, assuming he can get the last bus from Waterloo in the evening.

 

[Shannianni]

If you have a zone 2-5 travelcard and travel from East Croydon to Waterloo then the key time is your touch in at East Croydon. If that is before 0630 then it'll be off-peak. It doesn't matter that the only bit of the journey being paid for from your credit is after 0630.

Hi I would be travelling from outside croydon by tram to east croydon. Getting the train from East croydon (6.00) to clapham junction then to waterloo .all by zone 2 to 5 monthly oyster. But was going to get off at vauxhall zone 2 then the 77 bus to waterloo. But was trying every angle so was asking you guys.

 

[maniacmartin]

I know if I went to zone 6 on a zone 2 to 5 oyster it charges 1.50. But not sure about zone 1

MikeWh will be able to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think £2.10 if touched at an off-peak time, otherwise £2.60

 

[MikeWh]

MikeWh will be able to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think £2.10 if touched at an off-peak time, otherwise £2.60

That's correct if the zone 1 journey is National Rail (like Vauxhall to Waterloo). If it was Underground then it would be £2.40 all day.

The £1.50 for zone 6 is only true if it's a TfL set fare. If you went from East Croydon to Purley with your travelcard it would be £1.90.

 

[Shannianni]

That's correct if the zone 1 journey is National Rail (like Vauxhall to Waterloo). If it was Underground then it would be £2.40 all day.

The £1.50 for zone 6 is only true if it's a TfL set fare. If you went from East Croydon to Purley with your travelcard it would be £1.90.

But if I get off at vauxhall then it's zone 2 isn't it. Also is sat Sunday off peak anytime

 

[bb21]

Vauxhall is on the boundary of Zone 1/2 so the cheaper fare from either Zone 1 or 2 would be charged.

Sat/Sun would be off-peak.

The X68 bus would be the cheapest even if you need to connect with the tram in the morning, as the hopper fare means it's just £1.50 all the way if you don't have a season ticket. In the evening peak you probably won't be able to make the connection in under 60 minutes so would end up with two £1.50 fares if connecting the X68 with the tram.

 

[Shannianni]

Thank you for all your replies

 

[njr001]

Given you are working 12 hour days provided you start your morning journey before 0630 and return after 1900 I think you will find the Oyster / contactless off-peak single fare of £3.30 between East Croydon & Waterloo your best option. Are you eligible for a National Rail card which you could add to PAYGO Oyster which would reduce each off peak fare to £2.20

 

[Shannianni]

Given you are working 12 hour days provided you start your morning journey before 0630 and return after 1900 I think you will find the Oyster / contactless off-peak single fare of £3.30 between East Croydon & Waterloo your best option. Are you eligible for a National Rail card which you could add to PAYGO Oyster which would reduce each off peak fare to £2.20

Hi but that wouldn't cover my tram journey as well would it

 

[bb21]

Hi but that wouldn't cover my tram journey as well would it

It would not, no, and tram/bus fares cannot be discounted by a Railcard.

 

[MikeWh]

Just had another thought on this. Why not buy a zone 1-3 travelcard and take the tram all the way to Wimbledon. You've then got a very frequent service to Waterloo. Monthly 1-3 is £148.70, or 2-3 is £94.90. Both tickets would cover any bus or tram within London.

 

[lightbulb]

[...] tram/bus fares cannot be discounted by a Railcard.

True, with one exception: the daily bus/tram cap is £4.50 without a railcard, and £4.35 with a railcard. The £4.35 railcard cap would also apply if any rail / underground / overground travel is taken within Zones 1 and / or 2, but not outside these zones.

 

[Shannianni]

Hi if I got a zone 1 to 3 monthly travel card. How much would it cost to go through east croydon zone 5 off peak.

 

[MikeWh]

Hi if I got a zone 1 to 3 monthly travel card. How much would it cost to go through east croydon zone 5 off peak.

Off-peak single fare for zones 4-5 on National Rail services is £2.10.

 

[Shannianni]

Off-peak single fare for zones 4-5 on National Rail services is £2.10.

Hi I have a zone 2 to 5 monthly oyster. I put £5 this morning on it. I got the tram bus to the tram stop at 7 this morning to east croydon and a train to clapham junction . I then waited for the waterloo train and got off at vauxhall then got a bus to waterloo station.

I left waterloo at 7.03pm this evening using my oyster at waterloo. And travelled to clapham junction then a train to east croydon

I checked my oyster at east croydon to find my card only had 60p on it how have I been charge 440 if I only used it once at waterloo at 703
vauxhall is zone 1/2 so I shouldn't have been charged on yhe outward journey should i

 

[MikeWh]

Hi I have a zone 2 to 5 monthly oyster. I put £5 this morning on it. I got the tram bus to the tram stop at 7 this morning to east croydon and a train to clapham junction . I then waited for the waterloo train and got off at vauxhall then got a bus to waterloo station.

I left waterloo at 7.03pm this evening using my oyster at waterloo. And travelled to clapham junction then a train to east croydon

I checked my oyster at east croydon to find my card only had 60p on it how have I been charge 440 if I only used it once at waterloo at 703
vauxhall is zone 1/2 so I shouldn't have been charged on yhe outward journey should i

I don't think you were charged anything for the morning journey as that was clearly all covered by your travelcard. At Waterloo you will have had £4.40 deducted. This is a reduced maximum fare because you have a travelcard but your touch in was outside the zones of that travelcard. When you touched out at East Croydon this would be adjusted so that you only pay the zone 1 fare of £2.10. If you had still been charged £4.40 then it appears as though the touch out didn't happen.

Were the gates open at East Croydon?
If yes, did you touch out so you got a green light?
How did you check your balance, at a ticket machine or online?

If you can answer these questions I can offer further advice.

 

[maniacmartin]

One thing to note: Whilst the time of first touch at the start of a whole journey determines if the journey is peak or not, bus and tram parts are considered standalone by the system and are not joined together with the rail part to make one journey by the Oyster system.

Anyway, back to today's problem. When using pay as you go credit for all or part of the journey, you must touch in at both the origin and destination of the journey, even if one end is covered by your Travelcard. If you have a travelcard and only touch in at one end only which is in the zones you are covered by, you will be given the benefit of the doubt. However, if you touch at one end only and that is not covered by your travelcard, you will not be given the benefit of the doubt and the system will assume you might be making a long expensive journey unless you touch at the other end to prove otherwise.

Based on the way you've worded your questions in this thread, regarding the price to touch at certain gatelines, I suspect you have misunderstood how the system works. There is not a price for each gateline encountered, but a price for a whole journey which is determined by where it starts and ends. If you have a travelcard for part of the journey, you are charged for the zones that your travelcard doesn't cover on that journey. I suspect MikeWh's guess is right, ie there was no evening touch out at East Croydon.

 

[Shannianni]

One thing to note: Whilst the time of first touch at the start of a whole journey determines if the journey is peak or not, bus and tram parts are considered standalone by the system and are not joined together with the rail part to make one journey by the Oyster system.

Anyway, back to today's problem. When using pay as you go credit for all or part of the journey, you must touch in at both the origin and destination of the journey, even if one end is covered by your Travelcard. If you have a travelcard and only touch in at one end only which is in the zones you are covered by, you will be given the benefit of the doubt. However, if you touch at one end only and that is not covered by your travelcard, you will not be given the benefit of the doubt and the system will assume you might be making a long expensive journey unless you touch at the other end to prove otherwise.

Based on the way you've worded your questions in this thread, regarding the price to touch at certain gatelines, I suspect you have misunderstood how the system works. There is not a price for each gateline encountered, but a price for a whole journey which is determined by where it starts and ends. If you have a travelcard for part of the journey, you are charged for the zones that your travelcard doesn't cover on that journey. I suspect MikeWh's guess is right, ie there was no evening touch out at East Croydon.

Hi I touched out at east croydon or I wouldn't get through the gates as with waterloo and vauxhall

 

[MikeWh]

Hi I touched out at east croydon or I wouldn't get through the gates as with waterloo and vauxhall

OK, so the gates were operating and they opened when you touched. Can you explain where you checked your balance (at a ticket machine or on your phone) and if on your phone were you still in the system or had you already touched out?

 

[Shannianni]

OK, so the gates were operating and they opened when you touched. Can you explain where you checked your balance (at a ticket machine or on your phone) and if on your phone were you still in the system or had you already touched out?

Hi opened the gates then checked the oyster balance while in yhe front ticket area on their machines

 

[MikeWh]

Hi opened the gates then checked the oyster balance while in yhe front ticket area on their machines

Thanks,

Well, that is strange. It's possible that you might not have touched out if it was busy and the gates opened on the person behind either touching or inserting a ticket. Have you checked your balance since, or looked up your journey history online? If you contact the helpdesk and explain what happened you should be given a refund of the difference between the fares (£2.30).

 

[Joe Paxton]

... It's possible that you might not have touched out if it was busy and the gates opened on the person behind either touching or inserting a ticket. ...

I've seen that happen a fair few times, with people being blissfully unaware of it.