SWT Oyster facilities withdrawal

[cjohnson]

A letter from SWT arrived today informing me that they will be unable to top up Oysters or issue seasons on Oyster at their ticket offices from 1//1/14.

According to them they have considered "alternative ticketing solutions" but alas there exists "no appropriate system at present which can replicate this service".

Now I'm only a mere commuter/passenger/customer but I find it hard to believe that it's suddenly no longer possible to issue seasons for period longer than a week on Oyster. Presumably SWT have not been able to come to an arrangement with whoever supplies their Oyster machines...? In any case, there go my void day discounts/free weekend tickets....

Happily they note that "in the medium term both South West Trains and Transport for London will be introducing new methods of ticketing which will improve ease of ticket purchase". So that's alright then!

 

[swt_passenger]

It's far more likely that their ticket office equipment cannot do both Oyster and ITSO - and DfT is now forcing them down the ITSO route as part of SEFT. Haven't Southeastern also announced the same change as well, discussed here a while ago:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1547872#post1547872

 

[maniacmartin]

Don't they have a separate machine for Oyster anyway, separate from their usual TIS?
See this post

 

[Monty]

There was only a small number of SWT ticket offices (Wimbledon & Richmond being two) that could do Oystercard transactions, so I imagine in the drive to force ITSO upon everyone by the DafT it's no longer viable to continue selling oyster products at such a small number of locations.

To my knowledge it will be still be possible to purchase Oystercard products on SWT TVMs inside the travelcard area.

 

[burgesst]

So does that mean no more gold card with my annual season, as I'll have to buy it from a tube station ?

 

[LexyBoy]

So does that mean no more gold card with my annual season, as I'll have to buy it from a tube station ?

You'll still get a Gold Record Card; you'll not get any freebies that SWT may be offering though (free weekend tickets for instance).

It's far more likely that their ticket office equipment cannot do both Oyster and ITSO - and DfT is now forcing them down the ITSO route as part of SEFT.

And apparently this is more important than offering the full range of tickets at ticket offices...

 

[bicbasher]

How will ITSO affect London Overground? We've only just got round to having all of their managed stations Oyster enabled at the ticket office.

 

[wimbledonpete]

Had this letter too. I'll be sad to see the end of my free tickets from SWT and I'm sad that they think it's OK just to lose this business. Presumably they've worked out that it's worth their while. I certainly don't think it's worth going back to paper tickets.

And presumably TfL have no say, as they are SWT offices, even though there are significant LU customers at those stations.

 

[swt_passenger]

How will ITSO affect London Overground? We've only just got round to having all of their managed stations Oyster enabled at the ticket office.

ITSO is supposed to work in parallel with and then eventually replace Oyster. DfT have been fairly consistent on that for a number of years.

 

[Tom]

ITSO won't replace Oyster entirely, only for mainline TOCs.

 

[maniacmartin]

It's a shame. I always used to advise people to buy their Oyster Travelcards from SWT, as buying from a TOC gives you better season ticket changeover rights as per the NRCoC

 

[wimbledonpete]

It's a shame. I always used to advise people to buy their Oyster Travelcards from SWT, as buying from a TOC gives you better season ticket changeover rights as per the NRCoC

That's interesting - so do you think other TOCs will go the same way? Do Southern issue these tickets anywhere, for instance?

 

[bicbasher]

That's interesting - so do you think other TOCs will go the same way? Do Southern issue these tickets anywhere, for instance?

East Croydon, Balham and London Victoria booths 11-13 are Oyster enabled.

 

[wimbledonpete]

East Croydon, Balham and London Victoria booths 11-13 are Oyster enabled.

Great, thank you.

 

[island]

If you're buying zones 1-4 or more, buying from Chiltern gives you free weekend travel on all their services.

 

[Mojo]

ITSO is supposed to work in parallel with and then eventually replace Oyster. DfT have been fairly consistent on that for a number of years.

The biggest hit for Oyster is not going to be Itso but Contactless Payment Cards, at least on TfL services until the Tocs get round to agreeing something. Still, Oyster cards will be needed for monthly or longer seasons, or those without CPCs.

 

[swt_passenger]

The biggest hit for Oyster is not going to be Itso but Contactless Payment Cards, at least on TfL services until the Tocs get round to agreeing something. Still, Oyster cards will be needed for monthly or longer seasons, or those without CPCs.

I think it will become a legacy option for PAYG for those who don't want to use, or don't have CPCs (sometimes known as EMV).

If Tfl's gates have to be made to work for ITSO seasons sold by TOCs anyway, as is obviously going to be required (based on Southern's recent announcements), what would be the point of having two types of electronic media to carry seasons?

 

[bicbasher]

The biggest hit for Oyster is not going to be Itso but Contactless Payment Cards, at least on TfL services until the Tocs get round to agreeing something. Still, Oyster cards will be needed for monthly or longer seasons, or those without CPCs.

And those who are entitled to discounted travel, such as those on certain DWP benefits.

 

[wimbledonpete]

If you're buying zones 1-4 or more, buying from Chiltern gives you free weekend travel on all their services.

This is interesting - I like the idea of free weekend travel up to Birmingham and places but living on South Western their free tickets are more useful, I guess. Although thinking about it I don't use them THAT often. Are there any other similar offers around the TOCs that people know of?

 

[island]

East Coast gives rewards points, although I think it's only for point-to-point tickets on its own network.

 

[cjohnson]

And apparently this is more important than offering the full range of tickets at ticket offices...

Possibly a stupid question, but isn't there some rule that TOCS are required to sell all available tickets where facilities are in place?

 

[causton]

Possibly a stupid question, but isn't there some rule that TOCS are required to sell all available tickets where facilities are in place?

So they are removing the 'facilities' by getting rid of the Oyster machines! Sneaky!

SWT's ticket offices are mainly dire, anyway. They still don't know how to issue an All Line Rover at Clapham Junction!

 

[radamfi]

I think it will become a legacy option for PAYG for those who don't want to use, or don't have CPCs (sometimes known as EMV).

I wouldn't be surprised if PAYG users will be required to get a pre-paid contactless payment card, which would be widely available, such as at places where you can currently get Oyster cards. The main point of introducing card payment is so that TfL can get rid of the PAYG side of Oyster, as well as cash payment on buses.

 

[paddington]

a pre-paid contactless payment card

also known as an Oyster...

but perhaps also usable elsewhere!

 

[bicbasher]

What about those people who are on benefits who may not have access to more than an basic bank account which doesn't come with Contactless who currently get discounted travel connected to Oyster?

Contactless cards will be great as a back-up to Oyster as TfL have been advertising on the buses, yet it's not going to fully replace the smartcard.

 

[radamfi]

What about those people who are on benefits who may not have access to more than an basic bank account which doesn't come with Contactless who currently get discounted travel connected to Oyster?

They could get a pre-paid contactless card which does not need a credit or identity check.

 

[Tibbs]

They could get a pre-paid contactless card which does not need a credit or identity check.

And get stung with top up and/or usage charges in addition to the fare.

Ah well, yet again the poorest in society wind up paying the most.

 

[bicbasher]

And get stung with top up and/or usage charges in addition to the fare.

Ah well, yet again the poorest in society wind up paying the most.

Indeed, which is why I'm against the use of contactless cards being used for the poorest passengers who can ill afford errors in the system, which involve the use of the bank.

At least with Oyster, it's self contained.

 

[radamfi]

They could get a pre-paid contactless card which does not need a credit or identity check.

And get stung with top up and/or usage charges in addition to the fare.

Ah well, yet again the poorest in society wind up paying the most.

In the event of the scrapping of Oyster a fee free contactless card could be developed, subsidised if necessary. Even now, the Orange prepay card does not have usage charges and only a £5 purchase cost.

 

[bicbasher]

In the event of the scrapping of Oyster a fee free contactless card could be developed, subsidised if necessary. Even now, the Orange prepay card does not have usage charges and only a £5 purchase cost.

Why not just use Oyster or an ITSO based product instead of another pointless expense? It's bad enough the amount of GLA taxpayers money that was spent in acquiring the rights to Oyster.