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Post by bicbasher on Jul 2, 2013 15:20:52 GMT
Noticed today that when I touched in and out with £1.50 on my card that it no longer gives the total and instead displays "Low Balance" on those gatelines with LCD displays.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2013 17:06:10 GMT
I also noticed this, probably a new scheme to make more money, targeting people not so familiar with the system, especially foreign tourists.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 2, 2013 17:07:51 GMT
Noticed today that when I touched in and out with £1.50 on my card that it no longer gives the total and instead displays "Low Balance" on those gatelines with LCD displays. Maybe it means you are supposed to limbo-dance under the gates....."Low Balance"....geddit?...."Low Balance"..... I'll get my coat.... |
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Post by wattman on Jul 2, 2013 18:47:10 GMT
Seems to me a clear warning to top up.
Cannot see how this message can "target" tourists.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2013 19:11:04 GMT
Seems to me a clear warning to top up. Cannot see how this message can "target" tourists. Considering I topped up to £5 this morning in the peak and it still said 'BALANCE LOW' on the display. A single fare from Zone 6 - 1 is £4.60 in the peak. I can understand if it shows if you touch in at £1 - £1.50 but not £5. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2013 19:24:19 GMT
TfL seem to think that any PAYG balance below £10 is a 'low balance'. The auto top-up threshold used to be £5, but it's been £10 for a while now.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2013 19:32:48 GMT
TfL seem to think that any PAYG balance below £10 is a 'low balance'. The auto top-up threshold used to be £5, but it's been £10 for a while now. Crazy |
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Post by snoggle on Jul 2, 2013 20:46:12 GMT
TfL seem to think that any PAYG balance below £10 is a 'low balance'. The auto top-up threshold used to be £5, but it's been £10 for a while now. Crazy It is not crazy - you need to set the warning in the context of the maximum peak single fare that can be charged. - currently £9.40. The system has to cater for the worst scenario which is to give some small headroom above the maximum chargeable fare. Every time fares increase and / or the number of stations increases then these limits become higher and higher. A lot of people wish to see Oyster expanded here, there and everywhere but there are limitations in every system. The more TfL reaches beyond its area then the higher fares get. Imagine how much Shenfield to Maidenhead is going to cost in 2019! I know a fair proportion of Oyster users work on low balances and regular uploading of money and I can see your point that for them repeatedly seeing "low balance" will get irritating. However a gate or a validator can't distinguish between card holders! The move to contactless bank cards potentially changes things because the only limit is the card holder's bank account balance. However I believe there will be a strong resistance from some people to the idea of allowing TfL "free access" to their bank balance by divorcing journey charges from what they can see as they travel. AIUI bank cards are not written to so an exit gate will not show the fare charged for your journey. This all disappears into your on line account and the total charge, including caps or "standard fares", won't become visible until the data is processed remotely and someone logs into their Oyster account (I'm assuming TfL will provide this info) or sees their bank account statement (or online). |
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Post by Chris M on Jul 2, 2013 21:09:58 GMT
AIUI bank cards are not written to so an exit gate will not show the fare charged for your journey. That is another reason not to use contactless bank cards - seeing what a journey cost me is the easiest way to determine whether it and I agree on what I should be paying. I highly doubt that my bank will itemise journeys, so I'll just see a single payment to TfL rather than the details of what journeys the system thinks I made. This means that I'll have no way of easily telling that the incomplete journey it thinks I made was me entering the barriers at Paddington mainline using a paper ticket to travel outside the Oyster area. |
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Post by bicbasher on Jul 2, 2013 21:21:49 GMT
It makes me wonder if TfL are subtly are trying to get Oyster users to have more than £10 on their card? Having "Low Balance" instead of the total will panic many into unnecessary top-ups when most of my top-ups are under a tenner, either to reach the Z1-3 Oyster cap off-peak or for local z2-3 journeys.
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Post by snoggle on Jul 2, 2013 21:42:47 GMT
AIUI bank cards are not written to so an exit gate will not show the fare charged for your journey. That is another reason not to use contactless bank cards - seeing what a journey cost me is the easiest way to determine whether it and I agree on what I should be paying. I highly doubt that my bank will itemise journeys, so I'll just see a single payment to TfL rather than the details of what journeys the system thinks I made. This means that I'll have no way of easily telling that the incomplete journey it thinks I made was me entering the barriers at Paddington mainline using a paper ticket to travel outside the Oyster area. It is obviously supposition at this stage as there are scant published details as to how capping and bank / credit card use on rail modes will work. I would guess that it will be possible for people to establish a TfL account but linked to a bank and / or credit card(s). This would allow TfL to link travel transaction data from using the card to an account whereby people can check their cost of travel on line. I can see that some people would find such a facility useful. I do completely understand the point you make and it is one of the biggest challenges that I think TfL will face in "persuading" people to drop Oyster and move to bank card use. |
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