Oyster and London Overground

[sentry100]

Just a quick query relating to the national railway and underground which is confusing me.

I have an Oyster card Travelcard zones 1-3 and went from West Silvertown to Peckham Rye (via DLR to Canning Town, Jubilee to Canada Water and Overground to Peckham Rye) and then returned using the same route. I was charged 1.70 pounds for the journey out, and nothing for the journey back (it thought I had gone via Zone 4 for the journey out)

I mentioned this to a member of DLR staff and he said to put a claim in for a refund, so that's fine, but after some thought he mentioned that I'd need to validate my route at Canada Water because the system might think I'm taking a train from Woolwich Arsenal.

Does anyone happen to know if this is a temporary glitch given the new Overground route or I have to be extra careful with any train route that could arguably go through Woolwich Arsenal? The TFL journey planner always shows the route to go is via the DLR/Jubilee/Overground and I was only charged one way despite making the same route.

 

[yorkie]

Welcome to the forum.

For sure, you should request a refund. Let us know how you get on.

The default fare will be priced assuming you do not pass through any gatelines, and where there are different reasonable options it should normally give you the 'benefit of the doubt' and shoud not assume you go via Zone 4. However I have looked up the fare on the Single Fare Finder and this is indeed a fare via Zone 4.

Using the pink reader at Canada Water will reduce the fare, to an avoiding Zone 1 fare, according to the Single Fare Finder. I think that is misleading as the default fare does not assume you go via Zone 1 and this appears to actually be an avoiding Zone 4 fare.

How confusing!

 

[34D]

Certainly agree a refund should be requested.

For me, it is worrying that a z1-3 oyster travelcard can be touched in at a zone 3 station and out at a zone 2 station, and for a journey involving just those two zones to be charged as Z234.

Can someone see whether Canning Town to Peckham Rye is charged as Z2-3 (I would guess it is) meaning our problem stations are just the four on that branch, ie West Silvertown, Pontoon Dock, City Airport and King George V.

In your email, please point out the disconnect between the recommended route on the journey planner and the fare charged.

Please update us, and thank you again

 

[island]

Yes, Canning Town to Peckham Rye is just Z2-3.

It's another anomaly related to the new LOROL extension.

 

[sentry100]

Very many thanks for your helpful suggestions, much appreciated.

This week TFL did helpfully process a refund and didn't make any issue of it. They didn't specify whether this was a temporary issue or not, so I'll just have to remember to break a journey or touch one of the pink Oyster readers!

 

[MikeWh]

Very many thanks for your helpful suggestions, much appreciated.

This week TFL did helpfully process a refund and didn't make any issue of it. They didn't specify whether this was a temporary issue or not, so I'll just have to remember to break a journey or touch one of the pink Oyster readers!

It's a permanent issue. If you pass a pink reader while changing trains it is always worthwhile touching it, even if you have a travelcard. As yorkie says, this is an unusual route because the avoiding zone is 4 rather than 1, but the key is that it does use fewer zones and there is no other way to tell the system what you've done. A lot of the time you will get there quicker via Woolwich Arsenal and London Bridge or Lewisham so they will want to charge accordingly if they can.

 

[duncanp]

I also have an oyster travelcard for Zones 1 - 3 and recently travelled from Fenchurch Street to Blackhorse Road, changing at Barking.

Blackhorse Road is in Zone 3 but the interchange station at Barking is in Zone 4. However nothing extra was deducted from my PAYG credit to cover going via Zone 4.

I suspect that there are many anomalies like this in the system waiting to be discovered.

 

[island]

It probably thinks you went via West Ham, Stratford, and Tottenham Hale.