Replacing Tfl Out of Station Interchanges

[DynamicSpirit]

TfL has a huge list of out of station interchanges (OSIs) - pairs of stations where it's recognised that if you exit at one station and enter at the other one on Oyster/contactless within a specified time, that's recognised as changing trains on one single journey and charged as such. Examples: Woolwich Arsenal to Woolwich, or Embankment to Charing Cross NR (but not Charing Cross underground). This is great, but I find if I'm making an unusual interchange, it always leaves me wondering whether what I'm doing is an allowed OSI or not.

Wouldn't it be better for passengers if TfL abandoned the fixed OSI list, and instead just made it a general rule that, if you touch out at one station and then touch in at either the same or any other station within - say - 20 minutes, then that is considered a single journey, and charged at whatever zonal fare will cover the end points of your journey plus the interchange/break of journey station(s).

 

[JonathanH]

Wouldn't it be better for passengers if TfL abandoned the fixed OSI list, and instead just made it a general rule that, if you touch out at one station and then touch in at either the same or any other station within - say - 20 minutes, then that is considered a single journey, and charged at whatever zonal fare will cover the end points of your journey plus the interchange/break of journey station(s).

While the idea has some attractions, it would be a bit discriminatory if fit and able passengers could touch out at London Bridge and back in at Liverpool Street in 20 minutes and be recognised as making a through journey, but those less mobile couldn't. The use of different connection times takes into account that some transfers are more difficult than others.

As they write on their website

OSIs are time-limited to ensure only those genuinely passing through on a single journey benefit.

 

[SynthD]

Many of the OSIs serve NR stations, which includes allowance for half hourly services. 20 minutes is too short for a limit on legitimate interchanges.

 

[Nottingham59]

Wouldn't it be better for passengers if TfL abandoned the fixed OSI list,

I'm not sure about that, but I'd propose one change TfL should make.

The system should disregard a recorded OSI if the combined journey turns out to have taken longer than the maximum allowed time for the combined journey, and charge it as two single journeys instead.

Judging from the disputes forum, a lot of people get caught by the OSI mechansim combining what the traveller thought was two journeys into one, and then applying a maximum charge penalty to that combined journey.