South West Trains + Oyster, no machines at Weybridge

[hwangeruk]

Can someone who is knowledgable on SWT+Oyster help me understand the limitations?

 

I travel occasionally from Weybridge to Waterloo, then hop around on the tube.

The ticket machines have such a bad user interface I'm never sure I've got the right or cheapest fare.

(Can't believe these ever got signed off as acceptable, but thats IMHO)

 

Then people queue at the single ticket window, which is slow, and you run the risk of missing your train.

 

So I thought, OYSTER, gotta be the answer. Never have to queue again.

 

But it seems from reading the Internet that somehow SWT don't have a touch point at Weybridge, neither in nor out?

Yet, looking at say Watford Junction, all the overland trains on that line have Oyster gates, and machines.

 

Can someone tell me if its worth getting an Oyster, and getting a "train ticket" into Waterloo, then using Oyster.

Or am I better off with an all zones Travelcard still? (Although I've read you can get extension "permits" to and from where you can use Oyster, which is even more confusing)

[Surfer01]

Coincidence reference your nickname as I worked in a place called Hwange in Zimbabwe. Sorry I can't help on the train issue.

[Stigy]

Can someone who is knowledgable on SWT+Oyster help me understand the limitations?

 

I travel occasionally from Weybridge to Waterloo, then hop around on the tube.

The ticket machines have such a bad user interface I'm never sure I've got the right or cheapest fare.

(Can't believe these ever got signed off as acceptable, but thats IMHO)

 

Then people queue at the single ticket window, which is slow, and you run the risk of missing your train.

 

So I thought, OYSTER, gotta be the answer. Never have to queue again.

 

But it seems from reading the Internet that somehow SWT don't have a touch point at Weybridge, neither in nor out?

Yet, looking at say Watford Junction, all the overland trains on that line have Oyster gates, and machines.

 

Can someone tell me if its worth getting an Oyster, and getting a "train ticket" into Waterloo, then using Oyster.

Or am I better off with an all zones Travelcard still? (Although I've read you can get extension "permits" to and from where you can use Oyster, which is even more confusing)

The reason these's no Oyster tapping places at Weybridge is because you can't use your Oyster card there. Weybridge is outside of Zone 6 London, in fact, It's not in London at all. You'd need to have a ticket from Weybridge to Surbiton (which is in Zone 6) and from there alight the train and tap an Oyster Card in, which probably defeats the object in the first place.

[Wriggler7]

The 'best' advice is available from the clerk at Weybridge station! Fares are changing on 2nd (?) January, and the clerk will be able to look up what the return prices are compared with a travelcard, or 'London terminals' plus an Oyster is going to cost.

 

They will also be able to ask you questions such as 'what time are you travelling?', how many journeys will you make whilst you are 'in the zones', which all have a bearing on the price and value. I am a great believer in 'talking to staff' about these subjects.

 

I was in a queue yesterday behind a pair of tourists. The clerk explained the validity of the ticket, and then asked about why they were going to London. Then she explained a current special offer on entry to various tourist attractions, and handed over a booklet detailing those attractions, and a 'tube' map. You won't get that from the ticket machine!

 

For the record, despite the prolongued conversation with the tourists, she served me in plenty of time to get the train I wanted.

[hwangeruk]

The reason these's no Oyster tapping places at Weybridge is because you can't use your Oyster card there. Weybridge is outside of Zone 6 London, in fact, It's not in London at all. You'd need to have a ticket from Weybridge to Surbiton (which is in Zone 6) and from there alight the train and tap an Oyster Card in, which probably defeats the object in the first place.

 

You're right, that would defeat the ease of use

 

Watford Junction is not in London, nor Bushey, nor Hatch End (etc etc) but they all have Oyster.

I thought the plan was that all trains that "serve" London will eventually get them, but I guess when SWT won't play ball its a long boring political / legal process.

 

Shame, be great if we could just tap in and hop on, on any train.

But then, I've been waiting for "micro payments" to rid my pockets of jangley change for years, and I'm still waiting despite the advert on TV with the man going down a water chute and tapping in on the super market checkout

And that is where I came in. You can get a Barclaycard with Oyster and Mircopayments, I absolutely love the idea! But useless if my local station won't take oyster and no where has the micro payment system.

[SRPO]

Just get a tube map & it will show you where oyster is available. In theory oyster is great, in practice it is hugely misused (even by honest people).

To make it work they need to enclose the entire network, that is both expensive & impractical.

[Stigy]

You're right, that would defeat the ease of use

 

Watford Junction is not in London, nor Bushey, nor Hatch End (etc etc) but they all have Oyster.

I thought the plan was that all trains that "serve" London will eventually get them, but I guess when SWT won't play ball its a long boring political / legal process.

 

Shame, be great if we could just tap in and hop on, on any train.

But then, I've been waiting for "micro payments" to rid my pockets of jangley change for years, and I'm still waiting despite the advert on TV with the man going down a water chute and tapping in on the super market checkout

And that is where I came in. You can get a Barclaycard with Oyster and Mircopayments, I absolutely love the idea! But useless if my local station won't take oyster and no where has the micro payment system.

Certain SWT stations have places that look like they're there to touck an Oyster Card on, but it's for their own 'Smartcard' that's been trialled on the network and was a franchise commitment. Not heard anything else about it recently though.

 

I'm not familiar with the stations you mention, but if they're outside Zone 6 of London yet still acceot Oyster Cards, it may have something to do with London Overground serving these stations, as they're run by TfL.

[Wriggler7]

There are some stations that are neither run by Tfl or within the 'travelcard Zones' where Oyster may be used. The agreements between the TOC and Tfl are complex, and the installation of the Oyster equipment is costly. However, if you want to go to Grays in Essex, you can use Oyster, but I must confess to not knowing exactly what the passenger has to do, maybe one of the other folk will explain 'OEP's which are a complete confusion to me.

 

I am surprised that people want to use Oyster. In my rather addled mind, the are an infringement of liberty. They allow the user to be tracked almost more effectively than an ankle tag. Freedom for many ordinary people was vastly improved when laws enabled the ordinary folk of the nation to be paid in cash, and to buy from whomsoever they wanted. Credit cards, electronic purchasing and so on, are in my view a retrograde step in preserving freedom. However, that may be a debate for another forum.

[Wriggler7]

Of course, less people will want to go to Grays with the impending closure of Grays Magistrates Court, which in my mind is a retrograde step in keeping justice accessible to all.

[SRPO]

Just looked up Grays on National Rail, says no oyster validators...?

 

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/gry/details.html

 

OEP is for when you want to travel to a zone outside the zones of the ticket held, I've never used it, but I think you just request it from a ticket office or self service machine & TFLdo the rest from your prepay balance.

[andydd]

The 'permit extension' is an electronic ticket that is added to your oyster card in the same way that season tickets are added. But unlike the usual zone 1-6 touch in and tocuh out it must be added to your oyster before you use it, i.e you cant just decide to travel from Fenchurch street to Gray as used in the above examples without adding the extension first, you can only travel as far as barking or upmninster (and then touch out).

 

http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/travel_information/general_ticket_information/transport_for_london/using_oyster_payg_on_c2c

 

Using the 'Grays' exam,ple, here is a map from the C2C site, #Extensions' are needed for use from beyond Barking to Grays. But yes i don't blieve that there are Oyster terminals to swipe out at Grays, Im not sure what happens if you touch in at Fenchurch Street but don't touch out at Grays, I dont know if you will be charged the normal default fare.

 

The various permuatations when travbelling to London can be a nightmare, for example, when travelling from Southend to Essex, I sometimes used to buy a train ticket to Upminster or Barking, then get off and wait till 9.30 and touch my Oyster (Oyster prices drop at 9.30 am) and continue my journey.

 

There is further info. here http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14869.aspx

 

This implies thatyou still must touch out even when using an extension, but I'm not 100% sure that there are Oyster readers at every Extension stop (as the original poster says).

 

Ive had a good look at the SWT site and googling in general and couldnt find out which stations you can actually use Oyster on though !!

 

I don't understand why a simple Zone 7 couldnt be used instead of the complicated extension system ?

 

Andy

Edited January 2, 2011 by andydd