Annual "outraged at the fare hike" thread

[lighterthief]

what I can't understand is how ken says that the rises are needed to pay for improvements etc, but is also saying how the price rises will encourage people to go onto oyster, so they'll pay less.

doesn't add up does it?

Costs less to administer oyster though, surely?

Although, as other cynics before me have argued, once we're all on Oyster what's to stop them ratcheting up the cashless fares too?

 

[dolly's gal]

what I can't understand is how ken says that the rises are needed to pay for improvements etc, but is also saying how the price rises will encourage people to go onto oyster, so they'll pay less.

doesn't add up does it?

it's bullshit. and it makes me really cross.

 

[PacificOcean]

Although, as other cynics before me have argued, once we're all on Oyster what's to stop them ratcheting up the cashless fares too?

Which they have done on the buses haven't they? Wern't Oyster bus fares only 70p a couple of years ago.

 

[linds]

Having been in London both just before Christmas and just after New Year I was fairly peeved that the price of a one-day zone 1-4 travel card had gone up from (I think) £5.40 to £5.70 between my two visits.

This set me thinking that as a relatively regular visitor (3-4 times per year), I should try the Oyster card out. Problem is, I don't really know how it works! My basic understanding was that you put money onto it then touch it on the pads to pass through gates at stations. I also thought that you are not supposed to pay more than the one-day travel card price in total for a day.

Trying the TFL site for a quick summary of how it works always seems to result in me ending up here:

https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do

(even www.oystercard.com automatically redirects here). Not wishing to sign up for an account just yet, I follow the "new to oyster?" link and get launched into a 208 answer FAQ. Nothing else.

Searching the FAQ it seems that I can't buy an Oyster card before I get to London when visiting, I can't have less than a 7-day travel card on it (so I can have a travel card ON the Oyster card??) and I can't use it on trains (important for some family members I visit in South London) UNLESS I have a travel card on it.

Have TFL got a basic summary of how the system works anywhere? Can anyone provide a basic explaination of the features of the system? Is there any merit in me getting one of these given that I usually visit for a few days at a time, need to use tube and national rail within zones 1-4 and usually just by a travel card each day of my stay?

Grateful for any suggestions!

 

[Tank Girl]

I've only lived in london for 3 and a half years, and the price on the bus has gone from 70p to £2 in that time

 

[Ms Ordinary]

Which they have done on the buses haven't they? Wern't Oyster bus fares only 70p a couple of years ago.

I'm sure I can remember cash fares on the bus being a flat rate of 50p... I think it was only about 3 or 4 years ago (prob the year Ken got in as mayor).

 

[lighterthief]

Having been in London both just before Christmas and just after New Year I was fairly peeved that the price of a one-day zone 1-4 travel card had gone up from (I think) £5.40 to £5.70 between my two visits.

This set me thinking that as a relatively regular visitor (3-4 times per year), I should try the Oyster card out. Problem is, I don't really know how it works! My basic understanding was that you put money onto it then touch it on the pads to pass through gates at stations. I also thought that you are not supposed to pay more than the one-day travel card price in total for a day.

Trying the TFL site for a quick summary of how it works always seems to result in me ending up here:

https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do

(even www.oystercard.com automatically redirects here). Not wishing to sign up for an account just yet, I follow the "new to oyster?" link and get launched into a 208 answer FAQ. Nothing else.

Searching the FAQ it seems that I can't buy an Oyster card before I get to London when visiting, I can't have less than a 7-day travel card on it (so I can have a travel card ON the Oyster card??) and I can't use it on trains (important for some family members I visit in South London) UNLESS I have a travel card on it.

Have TFL got a basic summary of how the system works anywhere? Can anyone provide a basic explaination of the features of the system? Is there any merit in me getting one of these given that I usually visit for a few days at a time, need to use tube and national rail within zones 1-4 and usually just by a travel card each day of my stay?

Grateful for any suggestions!

I think you shoud:

• obtain an Oystercard online (you can do this and have it sent to an address outside London)
• slap on £20 of prepay while you're there
• make sure you touch in and out for any tube journey
• take advantage of daily pricecapping and be secure in the knowledge that, as long as you don't travel in peak times (ie up to 9.30am in the morning) and stay within zones 1-4 (which I presume you do anyway) your daily fare will be capped at £5.20 (ie 70p less than the normal 1-4 travelcard fare).
• if you like you can be flash and instigate 'Auto top up' which means your oystercard gets credited a set amount from your bank account when the balance falls below a certain level (not for everyone, this option)

At least, that's the way I read it. What I'm not sure about, though, is what happens if you mix in a bit of bus travel as well. Anyone?

ETA: oh, and I just noticed you use the train as well. That's annoying, as one of the key faults of the system so far is that afaik prepay just hasn't been implemented yet. So you can ignore all my well-meaning advice above and carry on buying a one-day paper travelcard as before

 

[becky p]

I thought the Government and the GLA wanted people to leave their cars at home. These price rises are going to have the opposite effect.But there seems to be nothing anyone can do to stop it.

 

[lighterthief]

I thought the Government and the GLA wanted people to leave their cars at home. These price rises are going to have the opposite effect.But there seems to be nothing anyone can do to stop it.

Not really, no. Cycling can often be a good alternative though.