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Croydon Tramlink

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JohnElliott

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TfL have confirmed today that the Tramlink network will go cashless from 16 July 2018.

I happened to buy a paper ticket at the Lebanon Road stop last month and the machine's screen was pretty much unreadable in the sunlight. I wondered then if maintenance was being run down to push everyone onto contactless.
 
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rebmcr

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This simply means that, now, Croydon trams function identically to buses, I think?
 

mmh

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The Grenoble tram system has, or did ten years ago, the same ticket machines as Croydon and if you chose English language on them thanked you for using Croydon Tramlink...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmhmm/2206881400/ (A picture of the display on a Grenoble tram ticket machine)
 

plcd1

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This simply means that, now, Croydon trams function identically to buses, I think?

Not quite and not yet. From 16 July the tram network will be cashless and the ticket machines will be switched off / removed. On buses the ticket machines are still present and still work and allow you to check your balance if you ask the driver. Another difference is that buses offer a "one last ride" facility which permits people to go into a negative balance if their card balance is less than £1.50. The bus ETM prints a receipt when balances go negative. TfL have refused to offer the same facility on Tramlink so it will be perfectly possible for people to get stuck even if they have a positive card balance. Their position is that passengers must be provided with a receipt and there will be no facility to do this at Tramlink stops. I'm not really convinced by this - you just need a warning beep and different display to help passengers.

Worse I happened to check how many Oyster Ticket Stops there were in reasonable proximity to the New Addington line. The answer is virtually none from Lebanon Road all the way to New Addington. There is one within some walking distance of Fieldway. It looks to me to be far too easy for people to be unable to top up Oyster cards. Presumably people cope somehow today but if they're regular users they may have some form of pass or auto top-up. The lack of any fall back isn't great to be honest. It will be irregular or occasional users who'll be caught out.
 

transmanche

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It looks to me to be far too easy for people to be unable to top up Oyster cards. Presumably people cope somehow today but if they're regular users they may have some form of pass or auto top-up. The lack of any fall back isn't great to be honest. It will be irregular or occasional users who'll be caught out.
There's also the ability to top-up your card by using the Oyster app - albeit with a delay of up to 30 mins. Or using a contactless card.
 

rebmcr

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There's also the ability to top-up your card by using the Oyster app - albeit with a delay of up to 30 mins. Or using a contactless card.

Can you activate an online top-up away from a gateline? (I.e. aboard a bus, or on a tram platform).
 

kev1974

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Topup activation and refund collection definitely works on buses these days, so I imagine it works on tram platforms too
 

spinba11

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There's also the ability to top-up your card by using the Oyster app - albeit with a delay of up to 30 mins. Or using a contactless card.
a few months ago I was traveling between city Thameslink and Farringdon when I changed the auto top up amount on my Oyster card, the order was ready by the time I got to St Pancras (5 mins later).
 

paddington

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I saw something yesterday that made me very confused about so-called "cashless trams".

There was a revenue inspection on my tram and as is usually the case, someone was caught.

The supposed fare evader started to argue with the RPI. I usually don't pay attention to these but I overheard her saying "top up" and possibly "app" and she was trying to show the RPI something on her phone, when the RPI said something completely unexpected: "Do you have £2.60 on you?"

She got her wallet out and started counting some coins, while he continued checking people's cards. Just as the doors opened at the next stop, the RPI found another fare evader, so motioned him off the tram. The first woman with the coins now in her hand followed them to the door but didn't get off. The RPI didn't pay her any attention from the platform, just staring at the driver's mirror, then the doors closed, so she shrugged and sat back down again.

This was the information on the platform - can anyone shed some light on what happened?

x.jpg
 

sprunt

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But the main reason I don't think we'll see PAYG Oyster cards scrapped anytime soon is that (as of 31 March 2018) the total amount of PAYG balances is £159million, plus £163million in deposits. That's £322million that TfL has use of - and £322million that they'd need to refund if they got rid of PAYG cards!

Source: TfL

Is that money really available for them to use? I don't know what the regulations are, but I'd be surprised (and apalled) if that money didn't have to be kept in segregated client money accounts - it isn't theirs!
 

Journeyman

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Is that money really available for them to use? I don't know what the regulations are, but I'd be surprised (and apalled) if that money didn't have to be kept in segregated client money accounts - it isn't theirs!

The interest is available, though!
 

Kite159

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One problem I can see with the PAYG Oyster Credit Mountain is the inability to track down the owners of some of those oyster cards as they are unregistered. Some of those cards will be in some overseas tourists souvenirs area, some might have been damaged, lost or binned by mistake.

At one point in the future I can see money from long dormant oyster cards (5 years) being allowed to be released into general funds, otherwise it will keep sitting in a separate account for ever-more, with the small risk of one of those cards suddenly coming back to London.
 

K.o.R

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Until contactless can make use of Railcard discounts I will most certainly be keeping my PAYG Oyster.
 

WatcherZero

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One problem I can see with the PAYG Oyster Credit Mountain is the inability to track down the owners of some of those oyster cards as they are unregistered. Some of those cards will be in some overseas tourists souvenirs area, some might have been damaged, lost or binned by mistake.

At one point in the future I can see money from long dormant oyster cards (5 years) being allowed to be released into general funds, otherwise it will keep sitting in a separate account for ever-more, with the small risk of one of those cards suddenly coming back to London.

For some reason it seems to be exploding, after 10 years since introduction there was £30m unspent after a year, after 14 years £235m, On the 15 anniversary £321m.

Its possible they've increased the minimum starting balance or long term users are generally stopping using them. But I find it hard to explain why its suddenly increased to such a rate.
 

Kite159

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For some reason it seems to be exploding, after 10 years since introduction there was £30m unspent after a year, after 14 years £235m, On the 15 anniversary £321m.

Its possible they've increased the minimum starting balance or long term users are generally stopping using them. But I find it hard to explain why its suddenly increased to such a rate.

How many long term light users have ditched their oyster in exchange for contactless for the odd time they are in London?
 

K.o.R

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For some reason it seems to be exploding, after 10 years since introduction there was £30m unspent after a year, after 14 years £235m, On the 15 anniversary £321m.

Its possible they've increased the minimum starting balance or long term users are generally stopping using them. But I find it hard to explain why its suddenly increased to such a rate.

The minimum auto top-up is now £20; I think this is the minimum you can put on a card when buying from the machine too (plus the £5 deposit).
 
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