Oyster fares - Quickest route?

[blakey1152]

Hi All,
Several months back I made loads of trips on one day using my contactless payment card and at the end of the week it capped at a higher amount than I expected. Worked out along with the help of a well known forum member that the suspect journey was one at peak time from Woolwich Arsenal to Welling.

Thinking it might have been just a one off that just was contactless related I repeated the journey (albeit Off Peak!) today but instead of using the infamous contactless card I now have a monthly Travelcard zones 4-6 loaded onto my Oyster.

I tapped in at Woolwich Arsenal at 1056 and proceeded to head to platform 2 for the 1102 Barnehurst service (which is one of the Cannon Street to Cannon Street loop journeys). The train was on time and there was even an onboard revenue check after Plumstead. The train went round via Slade Green and had its seemingly endless wait before continuing into Barnehurst where it became the 1138 service back to Cannon Street. 5 minutes later I was in Welling where I tapped out - and as I feared I was then charged £1.70 for the journey!

So despite catching a direct train, not using any zones other than those I have on my Travelcard (Welling and Woolwich Arsenal are both zone 4) I was charged for a journey via zone 3....

Journey planner seem to shows that the quickest route is via Blackheath. Quicker by about 9 minutes - So does Oyster also charge for the quickest route as well as charging certain journeys via zone 1 regardless of the route taken?

Has made me consider getting a paper Travelcard in future - as I know there wouldn't have been any issues with this particular journey!

Unfortunately, I also have to wait til tomorrow to phone up TfL and ask for a refund

Blakey

 

[josiah]

It's must have decided the way you went is via Blackheath which is in Zone 3, rather than round the loop. Although, peak trains from Woolwich don't go via Blackheath, they all go via Greenwich so you wouldn't even be able to do that journey in rush hour.

And yes, the idea of going round the loop sounds good on paper doesn't it? But waiting to go round the loop at Slade Green seems to take forever....

 

[MikeWh]

Worked out along with the help of a well known forum member

Hello!

I tapped in at Woolwich Arsenal at 1056 and proceeded to head to platform 2 for the 1102 Barnehurst service (which is one of the Cannon Street to Cannon Street loop journeys). The train was on time and there was even an onboard revenue check after Plumstead. The train went round via Slade Green and had its seemingly endless wait before continuing into Barnehurst where it became the 1138 service back to Cannon Street. 5 minutes later I was in Welling where I tapped out - and as I feared I was then charged £1.70 for the journey!

So despite catching a direct train, not using any zones other than those I have on my Travelcard (Welling and Woolwich Arsenal are both zone 4) I was charged for a journey via zone 3....

Journey planner seem to shows that the quickest route is via Blackheath. Quicker by about 9 minutes - So does Oyster also charge for the quickest route as well as charging certain journeys via zone 1 regardless of the route taken?

Has made me consider getting a paper Travelcard in future - as I know there wouldn't have been any issues with this particular journey!

Unfortunately, I also have to wait til tomorrow to phone up TfL and ask for a refund

Blakey

Oyster charges for it's default route unless routeing indicators have been set by using OSIs or pink validators. Sadly for journeys like yours there are two possible zone combinations so the most likely is set as the default. It may not always be the quickest route but often is. Because your travelcard didn't cover all the zones of the default route you were charged for the extra zone.

Given that you don't have to be touched in when using an Oyster with a valid travelcard within it's zones I would probably have touched out at Slade Green or Barnehurst.

I hope you get your refund.