Oyster Missuse!

[jon0844]

Over the past couple of years, FCC has increased on-train RPI substantially, on all parts of the network, and with no apparent pattern. You are as likely to find an RPI on pbo-st neots as you are Hertford loop or welwyn terminators

I always thought RPIs were given schedules and trains to do, but it seems that (given they could get held up dealing with someone at any time, missing the next train) they are given a pretty free run - and must simply log down the trains they were on.

The ones hungry for PFs (the ones giving high fives to each other and comparing notes) will presumably go for the trains where they know they get easy results, while the lazy ones may go for services where they can walk through and find nobody without a ticket.

For the record, for a number of years I combined a paper ticket with an Oyster (Paper Hatfield > Z456 and Oyster Z1-3). Thus, every day I would touch in/out only at one end - having the tickets combine mid-journey.

That is ultimately what got me 'caught' by my favourite RPI who reported me for fraud, held me for over three hours and made me buy a ticket to cover the bit between Z3 and Z4. And we all know how that turned out (apology, case dropped, bulletin to all staff and a small (£50) voucher as compensation - but no refund of the ticket I was told to buy that I obviously didn't need.

To this day, he's the only RPI that ever checked my ticket thoroughly and every single time he came up with something, he was wrong! But that's not for discussing in this tread. However, suffice to say, not everyone will be up to no good - but it's quite hard to imagine such a fraud being detected, at least with anyone holding an annual Gold Card because staff usually give them nothing more than a cursory glance to check the date (and from the distance, it would be near impossible even with good eyesight to read more).

They don't check the validity (origin/destination) nor the photocard number. If they did on the trains I usually took, they'd ask why my ticket ended before the next station.

 

[island]

Virgin has also been reported to refuse to accept Oyster/BZ combinations. I'm possibly going to MKC next weekend so I might try it out.

 

[mattdickinson]

Do Grand Central, Hull Trains and Scotrail accept Travelcards on Oyster for the London part of their journeys?

 

[Mike395]

Do Grand Central, Hull Trains and Scotrail accept Travelcards on Oyster for the London part of their journeys?

Scotrail would be required to for the sleeper - not sure how this works with Open Access agreements, so unsure about GC & HT (but I would GUESS they are required to accept them also as part of the track access agreements)

 

[34D]

All those operators are required to accept 'any permitted' tickets, which would include weekly or longer travelcards on oyster then one or more tickets from the station their travelcard ceases to be valid at to a station that those operators set down at*. Recall HT is pick up only at Stevenage for example.

* = or a boundary zone x to huntingdon (or point south thereof) and a further ticket(s) from that place to the destination.

 

[Clip]

There is something quite satisfying about shutting the doors on somebody who has ran off of your train, touched "in" at the Oyster card reader on the platform and is in the process of running back to the train though. You dont get them very often, but when you do it feels like a bit of justice has been served.

How can you stop it without inconveniencing everybody else? I'm not sure you can without spending more money than you would save.

Drive for Chiltern on the Aylesbury line do you

Some of their commuters must think RPI's are thick - getting off a fast train that hasnt stopped at any london stations and still trying to use and oyster through the gates

 

[jon0844]

I start a journey outside of London, where there is no Oyster PAYG acceptance, and alight at King's Cross to use my Oyster (or, I did).

I've come back from Cambridge before on the fast train and come out with Oyster - and that's fine as I had an extension from the boundary. Seeing someone doing that in London can't guarantee that the person is trying it on - although clearly they could be! That's why there's the need for onboard checks even when stations are gated.

 

[SWT_USER]

I often use my Oyster travelcard to open the gates because I can't be bothered to get out my paper ticket if I've travelled long distances.

That said OP presumably it's not an issue specific to Oyster, a paper travelcard would also open the gates for those who had travelled long distances. Wasn't there a case recently where a couple were found guilty of using Bethnal Green to Liverpool Street season tickets for a much longer commute?

 

[LexyBoy]

That said OP presumably it's not an issue specific to Oyster, a paper travelcard would also open the gates for those who had travelled long distances. Wasn't there a case recently where a couple were found guilty of using Bethnal Green to Liverpool Street season tickets for a much longer commute?

There was indeed, IIRC they were fined for the value of travel they had fraudulently made over 18 months or so plus a couple of hundred quid costs.

I agree that using sandwich tickets isn't exclusive to Oyster, but it does make it easier- there's no need to buy a ticket in advance to get out in London. Of course, a Travelcard season would be just as easy (but fraudulent use of Travelcards in this way is probably outweighed by the number of people who are unaware of boundary zone fares and buy from London).

 

[RJ]

That's all well and good if you have an annual. What of the people with a weekly/monthly/etc. travelcard on Oyster?

I now buy weekly Zone 2-3 Travelcards. I presented my tickets for inspection at the St Pancras barrier (Boundary Zone 3 - Luton Airport Parkway) and didn't have any problems at all. I also handed over the London Thameslink to Kentish Town ticket but it was under the BZ3 one and the RPI didn't check it. The further tickets I held, including one for travel in the opposite direction, one whereby I was starting considerably short and an excess SOR amongst others not checked on board. The Oyster wasn't checked either, after I went to the trouble of retrieving the full details of products loaded from the FasTIS machine!

 

[londonbridge]

Do Grand Central, Hull Trains and Scotrail accept Travelcards on Oyster for the London part of their journeys?

First stop on GC is York,if coming into London can you even get a York-BZ6 (and how much would it cost?)

 

[island]

Boundary zone tickets are only available within the network area, but you could use a Z1-6 Travelcard on Oyster and a York to Hadley Wood ticket.

 

[yorkie]

First stop on GC is York,if coming into London can you even get a York-BZ6 (and how much would it cost?)

No, but you could get Hadley Wood/BZ6 to Huntingdon, Huntingdon to York (or whatever) in combination with a Travelcard Season loaded onto Oyster (or on paper).

 

[34D]

No, but you could get Hadley Wood/BZ6 to Peterborough, Peterborough to York (or whatever) in combination with a Travelcard Season loaded onto Oyster (or on paper).

Unless its changed, BZ6 to Peterborough isn't avail.

 

[yorkie]

Unless its changed, BZ6 to Peterborough isn't avail.

Hmm, not as an "Any Permitted" it seems! But you would be perfectly fine using BZ6-Huntingdon; Huntingdon-wherever (and so on) tickets.

 

[34D]

Hmm, not as an "Any Permitted" it seems! But you would be perfectly fine using BZ6-Huntingdon; Huntingdon-wherever (and so on) tickets.

Yes, or travelcard season with a hadley wood-york etc ticket.

In the past, BZ6 to Arlesey, and Arlesey-destination have worked out good - esp if travelling north first thing.