Southeastern Key Adventure

[dlj83]

Yesterday I bought a One Day Travel card London Zones 1-6 from Strood (with Network railcard discount)

A few times my card didn't work and I got various different excuses as to why.

At Piccadilly Circus I was told it's a national rail only ticket and it couldn't be used here, I walked to Oxford Circus and my card worked.

At Bermondsey it didn't work on exiting, I showed my plastic card and was told Oyster only and that I'm lucky not to be fined.

At Clapham Common station on entering it didn't when I entered I was told I'd need to call the Oyster card helpline as they don't accept National Rail smart cards as it's a London Underground station. When I explained it has a 1-6 travel card the gate assistant said National Rail only 1-6..

This is a journey I'm going to be undertaking once a week most likely. I was just wondering if a zone 1-6 travel card on The Key Is National Rail only or why my card wasn't accepted.

Any help as to the reasons why gratefully received.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Apr 2022 ==

I also meant to ask, is a Zone 1-6 one day travel card on the key valid on Tfl services or must it be a monthly or annual season ticket?

 

[Haywain]

I also meant to ask, is a Zone 1-6 one day travel card valid on Tfl services or must it be a monthly or annual season ticket?

Of course it is valid on TfL services.

Any help as to the reasons why gratefully received.

Poorly trained TfL staff.

 

[alistairlees]

Yesterday I bought a One Day Travel card London Zones 1-6 from Strood (with Network railcard discount)

A few times my card didn't work and I got various different excuses as to why.

At Piccadilly Circus I was told it's a national rail only ticket and it couldn't be used here, I walked to Oxford Circus and my card worked.

At Bermondsey it didn't work on exiting, I showed my plastic card and was told Oyster only and that I'm lucky not to be fined.

At Clapham Common station on entering it didn't when I entered I was told I'd need to call the Oyster card helpline as they don't accept National Rail smart cards as it's a London Underground station. When I explained it has a 1-6 travel card the gate assistant said National Rail only 1-6..

This is a journey I'm going to be undertaking once a week most likely. I was just wondering if a zone 1-6 travel card on The Key Is National Rail only or why my card wasn't accepted.

Any help as to the reasons why gratefully received.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Apr 2022 ==

I also meant to ask, is a Zone 1-6 one day travel card on the key valid on Tfl services or must it be a monthly or annual season ticket?

Most TfL staff need to be retrained. They are almost universally clueless as to basic ticket validities, including ones that have existed for 20 or more years.

 

[Watershed]

Yesterday I bought a One Day Travel card London Zones 1-6 from Strood (with Network railcard discount)

A few times my card didn't work and I got various different excuses as to why.

At Piccadilly Circus I was told it's a national rail only ticket and it couldn't be used here, I walked to Oxford Circus and my card worked.

At Bermondsey it didn't work on exiting, I showed my plastic card and was told Oyster only and that I'm lucky not to be fined.

At Clapham Common station on entering it didn't when I entered I was told I'd need to call the Oyster card helpline as they don't accept National Rail smart cards as it's a London Underground station. When I explained it has a 1-6 travel card the gate assistant said National Rail only 1-6..

This is a journey I'm going to be undertaking once a week most likely. I was just wondering if a zone 1-6 travel card on The Key Is National Rail only or why my card wasn't accepted.

Any help as to the reasons why gratefully received.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Apr 2022 ==

I also meant to ask, is a Zone 1-6 one day travel card on the key valid on Tfl services or must it be a monthly or annual season ticket?

It sounds like the ticket was somehow incorrectly added to your Key card. It should automatically operate the gates at all Zone 1-6 stations during the period of validity; a Travelcard is valid on all TfL services (except for river boats) within the relevant Zones.

Unfortunately the attitude of some gateline staff can be very poor. Suggesting you could have been fined or refusing you travel is unacceptable and you should raise a complaint with TfL over this. At a minimum, it would be reasonable to expect them to pay delay compensation as appropriate to any delay you suffered as a result.

 

[JonathanH]

...and we still expect paper travelcards to be discontinued later this year?

The issue with TfL does appear to be a 'not invented here' one, and of course they have Oyster and Contactless for inboundary purposes and selected outboundary locations. I guess it is no surprise that they have raised the possibility of withdrawing from the travelcard agreement.

 

[island]

At a minimum, it would be reasonable to expect them to pay delay compensation as appropriate to any delay you suffered as a result

That is very likely to be zero as it does not sound as though the OP suffered a delay of 15 minutes or more.

I agree, however, that they should not have been placed in this situation, and if TfL's gates are not correctly programmed to accept ITSO Travelcards, this should be fixed.

The OP may wish to consider using paper tickets for smoother travel.

 

[Haywain]

and we still expect paper travelcards to be discontinued later this year?

Paper in-boundary season Travelcards will be withdrawn in a matter of weeks.

if TfL's gates are not correctly programmed to accept ITSO Travelcards, this should be fixed.

They are programmed to accept ITSO from a number of operators but each TOC has to arrange this separately.

 

[JonathanH]

Paper in-boundary season Travelcards will be withdrawn in a matter of weeks.

Yes, but I suspect hardly any of those are issued nowadays because of Oyster and therefore few on TOC Smartcards.

I was referring to the point at which outboundary day travelcards are withdrawn as being more of an issue with regard to TfL acceptance.

 

[Haywain]

Yes, but I suspect hardly any of those are issued nowadays because of Oyster and therefore few on TOC Smartcards.

You'd be surprised. There are still many people who stubbornly stick to what's 'traditional'.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Apr 2022 ==

I was referring to the point at which outboundary day travelcards are withdrawn

No date has been set for that to happen.

 

[Hadders]

You'd be surprised. There are still many people who stubbornly stick to what's 'traditional'.

It's not just 'traditional'. If my brother rocks up at Enfield Chase (which is his local station) and asks for a Zones 1-5 Annual Travelcard it cannot be issued on Oyster, and I don't think it can be issued on The Key either (if it can it has only changed very recently) so he ends up with an old fashioned paper season ticket.

I still await the day when I can purchase on a smartcard a Stevenage to London Zones 1-6 Super Off Peak Day Travelcard with Annual Gold Card discount....

 

[Haywain]

If my brother rocks up at Enfield Chase (which is his local station) and asks for a Zones 1-5 Annual Travelcard it cannot be issued on Oyster, and I don't think it can be issued on The Key either (if it can it has only changed very recently) so he ends up with an old fashioned paper season ticket.

It can be issued on a smartcard unless the station mysteriously lacks the equipment to do so.

 

[Hadders]

It can be issued on a smartcard unless the station mysteriously lacks the equipment to do so.

The last time I went there, just before Christmas, the ticket clerk struggled to issue an Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals so I wouldn't be too confident of obtaining a Travelcard season on The Key, even if they do have the equipment.

 

[Sleepy]

The last time I went there, just before Christmas, the ticket clerk struggled to issue an Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals so I wouldn't be too confident of obtaining a Travelcard season on The Key, even if they do have the equipment.

Then the GTR manager for that station needs a rocket up the backside if staff training is as poor as it sounds (as do tfl dept. responsible for gateline staff)