Hi all
I recently travelled off peak from Ruislip Gardens (Zone 5) to North Sheen (Zone 3) (via Zone 2 and avoiding Zone 1).
As an occasional/semi-regular user of the FGW Greenford branch I assumed that the last leg of my journey on SW Trains would be charged at the same rate as my tube trains.
To that end, I expected a PAYG Oyster fare of £1.50, and definitely not the eventual charge £4.60.
Someone in the money savings expert forum pointed me in the direction of the TFL single Fare Finder webpage.
It seems that the correct fare should be £2.10 (the extra £0.60 because of using SW Trains).
I then rang TFL who told me that because my route deviated from the one listed on the fare finder page (read:database?) I was charged correctly (ie £4.60 rather than £2.10). I was being charged £4.60 for travelling via Zone 1. He conceded that I had swiped in and out correctly at all interchanges and that I had not entered Zone 1, as such was willing to make a one off good-will refund (£2.50) but that in future I must not deviate from any route dictated by the fare finder page. If I make the same journey again I will definitely not be entitled to a refund
My route from Ruislip Gardens to North Sheen was as follows
1. Central Line- Ruislip Gardens (Zone 5) to White City (Zone 2)
2. Hammersmith And City line- Wood Lane (Zone 2) to Hammersmith (Zone 2)
3. District Line Hammersmith (Zone 2) to Richmond (Zone 4).
4. SW Trains- Richmond (Zone 4) to North Sheen (Zone 3)
(All stations used are interchange stations and I swiped correctly as required) Cost=£4.60
The route that I should have taken according to the single fare page
1. Central Line- Ruislip Gardens (Zone 5) to North Acton (Zone 2/3)
2. Central Line- North Acton (Zone 2/3) to Ealing Broadway (Zone 3).
3. District line- Ealing Broadway (Zone 3) to Turnham Green (Zone 2/3)
4. District line- Turnham Green (Zone 2/3) to Richmond (Zone 4).
5. SW Trains- Richmond (Zone 4) to North Sheen (Zone 3)
Cost £2.10
Now this is where TFL's esoteric pricing system gets even sillier.
A. Had I exited the tube system at Richmond, my fare would have been £1.50. Enter Richmond again and take the SW Train one stop to North Sheen, cost £1.90. Total cost £3.40 rather than £4.60 for exactly the same route.
B. Had I exited at Hammersmith and taken a bus, the total cost would have been £3.00. The same fare applies if I got a bus from Richmond (again via the same zone 2 interchanges
And to muddy the waters even more, the customer services agent said that i was being charged extra for travelling in to zone 1, but an off peak tube Zone 5 to 2 fare is £2.80 (according to their PDF fares sheet). Add the £1.90 and we end up with £4.70.
But I if travelled alllllll the way from Ruislip Gardens to Waterloo (Zone 1) and then took the SW train from Waterloo to North Sheen, we eventually reach the magical £4.60. Of course I am using a combination of the TFL fare sheet, which I have been advised by TFL to disregard in favour of the web only single fare finder, so I don't even know if that price is accurate.
If I applied a similar pricing structure in my own line of work, I would soon have no clients left.
I guess that the moral is- ignore the tube's own zone map and published zone prices and their route finder web page only accept prices and routes dictated by their single fares page (the very page that the vast majority of their users don't even know exist).
It's times like this that I think that I really should learn how to drive.
Apologies for the rant...
I recently travelled off peak from Ruislip Gardens (Zone 5) to North Sheen (Zone 3) (via Zone 2 and avoiding Zone 1).
As an occasional/semi-regular user of the FGW Greenford branch I assumed that the last leg of my journey on SW Trains would be charged at the same rate as my tube trains.
To that end, I expected a PAYG Oyster fare of £1.50, and definitely not the eventual charge £4.60.
Someone in the money savings expert forum pointed me in the direction of the TFL single Fare Finder webpage.
It seems that the correct fare should be £2.10 (the extra £0.60 because of using SW Trains).
I then rang TFL who told me that because my route deviated from the one listed on the fare finder page (read:database?) I was charged correctly (ie £4.60 rather than £2.10). I was being charged £4.60 for travelling via Zone 1. He conceded that I had swiped in and out correctly at all interchanges and that I had not entered Zone 1, as such was willing to make a one off good-will refund (£2.50) but that in future I must not deviate from any route dictated by the fare finder page. If I make the same journey again I will definitely not be entitled to a refund
My route from Ruislip Gardens to North Sheen was as follows
1. Central Line- Ruislip Gardens (Zone 5) to White City (Zone 2)
2. Hammersmith And City line- Wood Lane (Zone 2) to Hammersmith (Zone 2)
3. District Line Hammersmith (Zone 2) to Richmond (Zone 4).
4. SW Trains- Richmond (Zone 4) to North Sheen (Zone 3)
(All stations used are interchange stations and I swiped correctly as required) Cost=£4.60
The route that I should have taken according to the single fare page
1. Central Line- Ruislip Gardens (Zone 5) to North Acton (Zone 2/3)
2. Central Line- North Acton (Zone 2/3) to Ealing Broadway (Zone 3).
3. District line- Ealing Broadway (Zone 3) to Turnham Green (Zone 2/3)
4. District line- Turnham Green (Zone 2/3) to Richmond (Zone 4).
5. SW Trains- Richmond (Zone 4) to North Sheen (Zone 3)
Cost £2.10
Now this is where TFL's esoteric pricing system gets even sillier.
A. Had I exited the tube system at Richmond, my fare would have been £1.50. Enter Richmond again and take the SW Train one stop to North Sheen, cost £1.90. Total cost £3.40 rather than £4.60 for exactly the same route.
B. Had I exited at Hammersmith and taken a bus, the total cost would have been £3.00. The same fare applies if I got a bus from Richmond (again via the same zone 2 interchanges
And to muddy the waters even more, the customer services agent said that i was being charged extra for travelling in to zone 1, but an off peak tube Zone 5 to 2 fare is £2.80 (according to their PDF fares sheet). Add the £1.90 and we end up with £4.70.
But I if travelled alllllll the way from Ruislip Gardens to Waterloo (Zone 1) and then took the SW train from Waterloo to North Sheen, we eventually reach the magical £4.60. Of course I am using a combination of the TFL fare sheet, which I have been advised by TFL to disregard in favour of the web only single fare finder, so I don't even know if that price is accurate.
If I applied a similar pricing structure in my own line of work, I would soon have no clients left.
I guess that the moral is- ignore the tube's own zone map and published zone prices and their route finder web page only accept prices and routes dictated by their single fares page (the very page that the vast majority of their users don't even know exist).
It's times like this that I think that I really should learn how to drive.
Apologies for the rant...