Blackhorse Road to Stepney Green Avoiding Zone 1

[IanD]

On Saturday, I made the journey from Blackhorse Road to Stepney Green changing at Tottenham Hale, Stratford and Mile End thus avoiding zone 1. As I had to tap out and back in at Tottenham Hale to change from the Victoria Line to National Rail and didn't tap out and in at Liverpool Street to change to the Hammersmith and City line I assumed I would be charged the not via zone 1 fare (£1.50). However, I was charged the via zone 1 fare (£2.80).

I've now had a look at the TfL website and it says to avoid the zone 1 fare, I would have to travel via Highbury and Islington and Stratford (surely a much longer route) and touch the pink validators at both. As far as I can remember there are no pink validators if arriving at Stratford from Tottenham Hale - platform 11 - they're on the North London Line platforms (1 & 2 I think). Or maybe there's some by the Central Line that I didn't notice.

I know it's only £1.30 but in percentage it's almost 90% more than I think the fare should have been.

I've made a similar journey to Bethnal Green loads of times (not changing at Mile End obviously) and been charged only £1.50 so I'm not sure why TfL don't recognise the same route to Stepney Green. Is it likely that they forgot to add it when the Lea Valley route opened?

I'll probably ring the Oyster helpline tomorrow and see if they'll refund but I suspect that they'll just repeat the "via Highbury and Stratford" advice so maybe an email to TfL would yield better results (for future journeys, at least).

 

[MikeWh]

It's an entirely reasonable route. If they do insist that you travel via Highbury then point out the arrangement for Bethnal Green and enquire just why this is different. I know there is one more change of train (which might be the tipping point), but the cross platform nature of that change at Mile End means it's really not an issue.

I think they'll refund you. Just one thing - Do NOT mention Liverpool Street when you call. That will just confuse them. Concentrate on the reasonableness of the route combined with the availability of it when travelling to nearby Bethnal Green.

 

[IanD]

Thanks Mike.

I did wonder if it was one change too many but it's the same number of changes as if taking the longer, cheaper route so figured it must be a lack of validators issue.

Hopefully, I'll have some time to ring today.

Cheers.

 

[IanD]

Well that was a waste of time. Apparently it's all my fault for not going all round the houses to touch the pink reader at Highbury. The person on the phone wouldn't even consider that it was a reasonable route. She wouldn't log a complaint because "nobody reads any comments they log" . She also refused to take my Oyster number so there will be no record at all that I called. She just kept saying I should have touched the pink reader when I was at Highbury (where I never went) and Stratford (where there isn't one unless you take a big detour to platform 1).