Company Oyster Cards

[arabianights]

I have just got a new job and it is at a cool company with lots of "perks", however I'm concerned (for them) that one of the perks they're offering might be against the rules, was looking for input here and if it is then I will decide whether I should tell them or not.

Basically there are company oyster cards (on auto top up) that members of staff can use whenever they need to be travelling within London, and then get handed back. I have a very bad feeling this could be illegal (sharing oyster cards) and the staff member in charge, who certainly doesn't seem like a railway nerd like me - would not know this.

What's the position and is there any ambiguity?

 

[najaB]

What's the position and is there any ambiguity?

Perfectly legal.

 

[MikeWh]

Perfectly legal.

Absolutely. An adult blue Oyster card with only PAYG (with or without auto top up) is fully transferable. Only one person may use it at any one time, but as many as can make separate journeys can use it during a day.

Oyster photocards (zip/student), or blue cards with discount entitlement or loaded with a travelcard are NOT transferable.

 

[arabianights]

Even better, cool, ta!

That does seem a bit of a "loophole" with the maximum daily charge then.

 

[najaB]

Even better, cool, ta!

That does seem a bit of a "loophole" with the maximum daily charge then.

Well, as long as only one person is using it at a time then the number of journeys is what matters. Six journeys made by one person or one journey each by six people it's the same mass of water and carbon being moved (assuming average weight people).

 

[yorkie]

That does seem a bit of a "loophole" with the maximum daily charge then.

I don't agree, but then it depends on your definition of "loophole".

But what matters is what's permitted, and this is permitted.

 

[Elecman]

The only problem occurs if someone uses it for commuting from work to home then it becomes a taxable benefit in kind.

 

[arabianights]

In large part this was because I thought the maximum charge on Oyster PAYG was equivilant to (a discount on) an all zones travelcard, not tehse £50 examples I am seeing on other threads

Makes more sense now and shows what a 20-something year old dinosaur I am, just a couple of years away from the big smoke and I'm totally out of touch!

 

[PermitToTravel]

This wasn't permissible with travelcards, but is now allowed with Oyster cards.

 

[Starmill]

Well, as long as only one person is using it at a time then the number of journeys is what matters. Six journeys made by one person or one journey each by six people it's the same mass of water and carbon being moved (assuming average weight people).

It's more nuanced than that, the same argument can be made for a Travelcard and that remains very much un-allowed.

 

[miami]

TFL condition 6.1.3

6.1.3 If your Oyster card only has pay as you go credit on it to pay at adult rate, you can let
someone else use it, even if it is registered in your name. If you have a season ticket on your
Oyster card or smartcard, you cannot lend or transfer it to anyone else
....

This wasn't permissible with travelcards, but is now allowed with Oyster cards.

Section 7.4 says this about Day travelcars

Cannot be transferred from one person to another

Was this always the case?

It's not a loophole, the conditions don't just not disallow it, they explicitly say that it is permissible to transfer an oyster.

 

[dzug2]

Day travelcards have never been transferable

 

[najaB]

It's more nuanced than that, the same argument can be made for a Travelcard and that remains very much un-allowed.

I was explaining why there isn't a loss to TfL, not why it is allowed. It's allowed because the rules say it is.