Buy your travelcard at the ticket office not the newsagent

[Moos]

...if you're absent-minded, that is.

I forgot to bring my travelcard with me this am and got fined at London Bridge - a fair cop, but the guy told me that if I'd bought my travelcard at the station they'd have been able to check that it is valid and hence avoid the fine.

I usually buy from the nice guy that runs the newsagent on the corner of Derwent Grove, as the queues are always quite big at ED, but I guess I can always buy the evening before. Or of course just check whether I have my travelcard with me before I leave the house.. duh.

[Smiler]

Moos, if you had a valid ticket for the date but just forgot it and still have the travelcard, wherever it was purchased, you can often get the fine money back by writing off to the address on the ticket. Worth a try!

[Moos]

Yes, I am going to do that and I hope get my daily travelcard reimbursed as well - do you happen to know if they make an admin charge?

[Ladymuck]

Also...

I recently got fined too (plus had to pay again for a travel card, plus an additional 40p)...

Paid the newsagents for a travel card (on Oyster)...cost ?5.80 off peak. Approached ED station, heard train - legged it up platform (without touching in) - remember, there are no barriers to remind you. Got to London Bridge...on the spot fine PLUS, because I hadn't touched in at ED, the whole of my ?5.80 had got wiped out AND card showed a minus of 40p. I was well pissed off!

Moral of the story - bike it! (And I would normally have done so had I not been meeting friends for drinks).

So, total cost of travel card that day: ?5.80 + ?20 + 5.80 + 40p = ?32. Would have been cheaper via Ryanair.(6)

[KidKruger]

Sounds a real pain in the @ss.

One question - I see peopke 'touching-in' each day at ED as they enter/leave the station, is this something just for paye as you go users or should everyone do it ?

I use a weekly whcih I renew most weeks on the same day and, having not checked what's what, I just believed that a weekly is a weekly and if I have paid for it and have my receipt on me I cannot be 'done'.

AM I setting myself up for a hefty fine or summink ?

[Ladymuck]

My advice would be to touch in every time...I had a travel card...(see above)...this should have covered me for an infinite number of journeys (which in theory means that it isn't quite so necessary to touch in as after a certain point the cost is capped...how wrong was I)...the rest is history...

[Moos]

You don't need to touch in unless you're using PAYG, so you should be fine, KK. Although to my amusement I've seen people glaring at me as I get on the bendy buses and don't touch in, I think not everyone is clear on that.

I'd guess that if you have your receipt with you if you have forgotten your card then that's good evidence that you do have a card, and they might let you off the fine. Of course you would still have to buy the daily travelcard to get around and get home, which you can also claim back.

[Ladymuck]

Moos, I had a travelcard and I had my receipt on me...I still got fined etc...

I really wouldn't risk not touching in again.

[cate]

I used an Oyster on a bus and it wouldn't register. Tried a few times. The driver told me it was OK to board. When I got off in ED I checked at a newsagent and it had deducted the money. Wonder how often that happens? So the driver knew his machine wasn't working.

[SeanMacGabhann]

After similar troubles I gave in and registered my oyster online and with auto top up. I subsequently lost my card but because all details were online I lost no cash and any station can check your details. Which might worry those allergic to big-brother but is very very handy

[Ladymuck]

cate Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I used an Oyster on a bus and it wouldn't

> register. Tried a few times. The driver told

> me it was OK to board. When I got off in ED I

> checked at a newsagent and it had deducted the

> money. Wonder how often that happens? So the

> driver knew his machine wasn't working.

Cate,

Was the fare deduction made once only? Or, "a few times"?