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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that if TFL is going to charge such exorbitant prices

36 replies

Clossaintjacques · 16/11/2011 09:59

for people without oyster cards then they should have the station ticket office open to allow people to actually buy an oyster card.

So, the situation is, if you travel with an oyster you pay £1.80 for a zone 1 one way ticket and without an oyster it's £4.00...yes that's £4.00 for what could be a one stop journey of a few hundred meters. That is more expensive than a black cab.

Now, I understand that the price reduces if you get an oyster but the new policy is to have unmanned stations for much of the day. AIBU to that if they are pushing everyone to travel with oysters there should be somewhere around to buy them from during all daytime hours?

OP posts:

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 16/11/2011 10:01

You can buy them in Oyster Ticket Stops in shops, garages etc not just from stations

www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14434.aspx

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 16/11/2011 10:02

If you're lazy enough to spend even £1.80 on a journey of a few hundred metres, you deserve to be charged £4.00 if the ticket off isn't open.

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 16/11/2011 10:02

That should of course read as 'office' not 'off'.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 16/11/2011 10:03

Sorry meant to say YABU as there are hundreds of places where you can buy Oyster Cards other than stations.

wannaBe · 16/11/2011 10:04

buy one online.

Original poster

Clossaintjacques · 16/11/2011 10:04

You can Chaz, but oyster ticket shops are not always near the stations. If you live and work in London fine but for tourists, day trippers etc it makes it a complete nightmare.

I don't know of another country that would send you on a hike out of the station to buy a ticket at a reasonable price or force you to buy one at over twice the price.

OP posts:

Original poster

Clossaintjacques · 16/11/2011 10:06

But wannabe that works if you know you are travelling in advance. What if you lose your oyster and get to the station, you have the option of walking out trying to find a oyster supplier or paying over double. I think it's wrong

OP posts:

edam · 16/11/2011 10:09

It's not just being unable to buy an Oyster card - unmanned stations have no-one to help you if your ticket is rejected by the gate (which happens frequently even with valid tickets) or if you have any problem. Stations with only one member of staff, ditto - that person is too busy dealing with the queue for tickets to open the damn gate. Ruddy dangerous too - if someone gets trapped in the gate/is mugged/taken ill/has an accident there is no-one there to help. TFL's latest wheeze is planning to take out all but 30 ticket offices and go to driverless trains. Extraordinarily dangerous - it's bad enough now when something goes wrong and you are stuck in a tunnel, wtf will it be like with no staff? What will happen if, God forbid, there's another terrorist attack? Or, which is sadly inevitable, people commit suicide by jumping in front of a train?

edam · 16/11/2011 10:10

Also, what if there's a fire, but no-one there to open the gates and let a crowd of people out as quickly as possible?

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 16/11/2011 10:11

I thought it was only a small number of stations that were going to be unmanned and it was those that only sell a very small number of tickets during the day. How many tourists and day trippers are really affected.

Have you had a bad experience?

PastGrace · 16/11/2011 10:15

Don't all stations have oyster card dispensers on the wall? I know most of them do - I assumed it was universal.

YANBU to think that TfL puts more focus on locals than tourists (and whilst that might seem unfair, I'm a local so I'm not complaining). I don't know enough about the unmanned stations to comment really...

Original poster

Clossaintjacques · 16/11/2011 10:17

desperately
So if you don't know where you are going by foot, have very heavy shopping or it's dark and you feel safer going one or two stops by tube rather than walking then you 'deserve to pay £4 for being lazy.

BTW, I wasn't saying anyone does use the tube for one stop but was making the point that if they need to for any reason it should be cheaper that getting a taxi surely.

OP posts:

Original poster

Clossaintjacques · 16/11/2011 10:22

Past Grace, no they don't all have oyster dispensers unfortunately.

There are over 2 million jobs sustained by the tourism industry in the uk so I would have thought tourist should be considered by TFL. In addition we all know how frustrating it is when tourists are stopping, lost and confused surely our system should be as user friendly as possible for ALL using it.

OP posts:

squeakytoy · 16/11/2011 10:24

I don't know of another country that would send you on a hike out of the station to buy a ticket at a reasonable price or force you to buy one at over twice the price.

Italy.

thefurryone · 16/11/2011 10:37

I bought my last oyster card out of a normal ticket machine so station should have at least that if unmanned, obviously YANBU if it doesn't.

The French have that funny system where you have to go to the shop to buy bus tickets or at least they used to.

EverythingInMjiniature · 17/11/2011 10:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NinkyNonker · 17/11/2011 10:29

Yanbu. If you are not a London regular this could be a pain in the arse.

lurkerspeaks · 17/11/2011 10:53

FGS.

If you are an organised tourist you can buy your oyster card in advance and have it posted to your home address, or buy it from one of the (many) ticket machines in the stations, or pop out to buy it from a ticket stop.

If you are prepared to do a short zone 1 journey and don't want to take any of the above options then you are opting not being forced to pay the non oyster premium.

PigletJohn · 17/11/2011 11:08

If you are not a Londoner, and are not familiar with the system, then I suppose you might not know that you could have bought one in any of the newsagents or corner shops you passed as you walked to the station.

Maybe there should be some sort of "guide" book or pamphlet that could be offered to visitors?

CardyMow · 17/11/2011 13:55

How do you get an Oyster card in advance? The bus fares are exorbitant if you are not a Londoner - but I occsionally have to take my DC to London for medical issues. Could someone link to the Website? I didn't realise that you COULD get an Oyster card if you don't live in London! (And I'm only in Essex)

CardyMow · 17/11/2011 13:58

And in many cases (like mine) It's not that I am ' prepared to do a short zone 1 journey', it's more that I don't know London, wouldn't know where I am going, don't have a 'smartphone' with t'internet, so no easy map available etc - I would GET LOST so it's easier to use the bus or Tube, as I can look up route numbers for buses before I go, or check which tube stations I need to use!

edam · 17/11/2011 14:01

Hunty, google Transport for London and follow the links to the Oyster page. And if you are going into London by train, check at your own ticket office whether it's cheaper to buy a combined ticket which covers you for rail, tube and bus from Essex into and around Central London - that can sometimes be cheaper than Oyster.

Chaz, TFL were in the Evening Standard saying they will get rid of all but 38 ticket offices. Cavalier attitude to safety on the part of the bosses.

eurochick · 17/11/2011 14:17

The DLR has always had unmanned stations (bar a few "hubs" with information booths) and driverless trains. Somehow the millions that use that every year manage to avoid disaster. I actually feel safer on the DLR at night as there is a conductor (or whatever they call them now) walking up and down the train carriages during the journey rather than a driver locked in a separate cab at the front. The conductor can do much more than a driver - operate the doors, give announcements, give directions, check tickets, help passengers who need it, etc. I can't wait for the day when the tube lines do the same.

Hunty if you google "oyster card" the shop where you an buy them is the first hit.

AngelofTheLordiscomingDown · 17/11/2011 14:37

Where do we buy 'oyster' tickets if we do not live in London? Why is it called an oyster ticket?

PigletJohn · 17/11/2011 15:02

HuntyCat "wouldn't know where I am going, don't have a 'smartphone' with t'internet, so no easy map available etc"

You can get a free map at any station with a ticket office, they are also stuck to the walls on every platform, and to on the wall of every carriage. You will also find one in the back of most pocket or desk diaries, and the A to Z.

Sorry if I've got it wrong but you seem to be making it out to be difficult.

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