KeyGo at Farringdon

[Haywain]

Is it possible to touch out with KeyGo at Farringdon without going up to the gatelines (before touching in for a journey on Oyster)?

 

[Dima]

Yes, there’re yellow validators on the platforms, I use them from time to time for the same purpose.

 

[Haywain]

Yes, there’re yellow validators on the platforms, I use them from time to time for the same purpose.

Is that on the Thameslink platforms, separate from the Oyster validators or the same ones?

 

[Hadders]

I'm not convinced it will work correctly.

I've tried this at Finsbury Park recently using the validators at the top of the spiral staircases to switch between KeyGo and Oyster PAYG.

Touched in at Stevenage using KeyGo (correctly as the barriers opened). Touched out at Finsbury Park but KeyGo ingored the Stevenage touch in completely and said I'd touched in at Finsbury Park with no touch out (it auto completed by assuming I'd travelled from Finsbury Park to St Pancras).

A similar thing happened in the opposite direction last week with a touch in with KeyGo at Finsbury Park being recorded as a touch out (with my subsequrnt Stevenage touch out being completely ignored)

The reply I've had from GTR is laughable but if this is what it does I'll be giving up on KeyGo.

 

[island]

There are yellow validators within the station (flagged rather misleadingly as "you must touch here when transferring from National Rail to Elizabeth line") though I haven't used them.

 

[Richardr]

I've had no problems at Farringdon, either changing to the tube, or now they have the validators on the way to the Elizabeth line.

I did once (a few years ago now) get a strange response from an underground ticket inspector between the railway and the tube (on the bridge) who I don't think fully understood the position of passengers touching out on a Keygo card and then touching in on an oyster card, and the existence / purpose of the validators behind him to do that, but he let me carry on anyway.

 

[Ediswan]

I'm not convinced it will work correctly.

I've tried this at Finsbury Park recently using the validators at the top of the spiral staircases to switch between KeyGo and Oyster PAYG.

Touched in at Stevenage using KeyGo (correctly as the barriers opened). Touched out at Finsbury Park but KeyGo ingored the Stevenage touch in completely and said I'd touched in at Finsbury Park with no touch out (it auto completed by assuming I'd travelled from Finsbury Park to St Pancras).

A similar thing happened in the opposite direction last week with a touch in with KeyGo at Finsbury Park being recorded as a touch out (with my subsequrnt Stevenage touch out\ being completely ignored)

The reply I've had from GTR is laughable but if this is what it does I'll be giving up on KeyGo.

I was considering registering for KeyGo as an alternative to paper where e-tickets are not available. If it is that unreliable, I suspect I will stick with paper.

See: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/stevenage-hitchin-no-e-tickets-paper-tod-only.243208/

 

[Sleepy]

How is it that KeyGo seems to have had so many issues over the years and GTR still can't seem to fix it ??? Long live paper tickets !

 

[SAPhil]

Yes, there’re yellow validators on the platforms, I use them from time to time for the same purpose.

I have also done this at Farringdon on several occasions with no issues.

 

[Haywain]

Just to report back, arriving on a southbound Thameslink service the validators on the platform didn't like my KeyGo card, so I went up to the barrier line to touch out and back in with Oyster there. On the return journey the validator in the passageway just before going on to the northbound Thameslink platform was ideally placed and worked for both cards. I'll be checking tomorrow that my charge on KeyGo is correct, but have no reason to doubt that it will be.

How is it that KeyGo seems to have had so many issues over the years and GTR still can't seem to fix it

What are all these issues?

 

[MrJeeves]

The reply I've had from GTR is laughable but if this is what it does I'll be giving up on KeyGo.

Can you share this reply, out of interest?

How is it that KeyGo seems to have had so many issues over the years and GTR still can't seem to fix it

Any issues I've had have been promptly fixed by GTR. With regard to missing taps, calling them has it sorted in about 5 minutes normally, and for other issues the Twitter team has been able to flag it internally and get it sorted.

 

[Hadders]

Can you share this reply, out of interest?

Dear Hadders,

Thank you for getting in touch about your recent journeys with taps not recorded at Stevenage and Kings Cross.

If the issue at the stations is intermittent and your taps are opening the gates, it's likely the barriers are being set incorrectly. Unfortunately there isn't much we can do about that beyond reminding the staff of the settings they should be using on the barriers.

Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience this caused.

Kind regards
GTR

 

[Dima]

Is that on the Thameslink platforms, separate from the Oyster validators or the same ones?

I usually use the ones on the northbound Thameslink platform or in the passage towards the Elizabeth line nearby, both of them worked for both KeyGo and Oyster.

 

[Haywain]

I usually use the ones on the northbound Thameslink platform or in the passage towards the Elizabeth line nearby, both of them worked for both KeyGo and Oyster.

Yes, that was the one I used on the way back and it's the one I will use in future now I know the layout. Next one to figure out at Farringdon is switching from KeyGo on southbound Thameslink to Oyster on westbound Circle/Met/H&C.

I'll be checking tomorrow that my charge on KeyGo is correct, but have no reason to doubt that it will be.

Everything charged correctly.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Next one to figure out at Farringdon is switching from KeyGo on southbound Thameslink to Oyster on westbound Circle/Met/H&C.

Last I remember, there’s a validator present between the two platforms.

 

[Haywain]

Last I remember, there’s a validator present between the two platforms.

There are several on both platforms but I'm not sure if they can be used for KeyGo.

 

[SAPhil]

There are several on both platforms but I'm not sure if they can be used for KeyGo.

I have used the one on the westbound Circle by the entrance to the thameslink southbound to end an oyster journey and start a keygo one.

 

[Haywain]

I have used the one on the westbound Circle by the entrance to the thameslink southbound to end an oyster journey and start a keygo one.

That's good to know, thanks.

 

[KatieLouLou]

That's good to know, thanks.

And the one in sort of the same place on the southbound TL platform worked fine leaving KeyGo and entering Oyster on Thursday too.

 

[Haywain]

And the one in sort of the same place on the southbound TL platform worked fine leaving KeyGo and entering Oyster on Thursday too.

I tried one on that platform when I arrived but it wouldn't deal with either of the cards.

 

[Ralph Ayres]

I tried one on that platform when I arrived but it wouldn't deal with either of the cards.

That's odd; assuming it was a normal yellow validator rather than a pink one I can't think of any reason why a specific validator would behave any differently from any other. I wonder if it was just faulty?

 

[Hadders]

I gave KeyGo another go for a simple journey between Stevenage and London.

Outward journey - Stevenage to Finsbury Park, plan was to touch out with KeyGo on the validator in the passageway and touch in with Oyster PAYG for onward travel via Underground.
Return journey - St Pancras to Stevenage

None of the validatord in the passageway at Finsbury Park would recognise KeyGo. The screen said'card not valid at this location'. There are several validators in the passageway and I got this meaasge on all three that I tried.
I exited via the gateline where KeyGo worked fine, and immediately re-entered using Oyster.

The return journey was fine. The ticket barriers at Stevenage were open but I touched out as I left the station.

I was charged the correct fare from Stevenage to London Terminals.

Has anyone else had issues with the validators at Finsbury Park? Has anything changed witht the validators at Farringdon?

 

[KatieLouLou]

I gave KeyGo another go for a simple journey between Stevenage and London.

Outward journey - Stevenage to Finsbury Park, plan was to touch out with KeyGo on the validator in the passageway and touch in with Oyster PAYG for onward travel via Underground.
Return journey - St Pancras to Stevenage

None of the validatord in the passageway at Finsbury Park would recognise KeyGo. The screen said'card not valid at this location'. There are several validators in the passageway and I got this meaasge on all three that I tried.
I exited via the gateline where KeyGo worked fine, and immediately re-entered using Oyster.

The return journey was fine. The ticket barriers at Stevenage were open but I touched out as I left the station.

I was charged the correct fare from Stevenage to London Terminals.

Has anyone else had issues with the validators at Finsbury Park? Has anything changed witht the validators at Farringdon?

Yes. Finsbury Park has gone rogue again. Reader 82 in the subway (by the northbound Victoria Line/Piccadilly Line stairs) recognises KeyGo - the others appear not to!

Kings Cross LNER gatelines have also gone rogue again in that the gateline will let you in or out, but the taps aren't getting transmitted to the back office. Which is a pain when you tap out on a standalone reader at the other end as it treats it as a tap in...

Farringdon works fine for me on all the gatelines and on the standalone reader at the top of the Elizabeth Line stairs/escalator. Rarely have a need to use the ones between Thameslink and the Circle line.

 

[Haywain]

Kings Cross LNER gatelines have also gone rogue again

Although the gateline is manned by LNER the back office and logic is managed by GTR.

 

[KatieLouLou]

Although the gateline is manned by LNER the back office and logic is managed by GTR.

Yes, the tap data from the LNER gateline is, once again, not making it's way to the GTR back office for whatever reason.

 

[kkong]

Considering the railway's increasingly litigious approach to passengers (as routinely demonstrated in the Disputes and Prosecutions forum), this reinforces (in my mind) the need to retain traditional ticketing methods until the railway's chosen "smart ticketing" can be shown to work reliably and consistently without detriment to passengers.

 

[Haywain]

Considering the railway's increasingly litigious approach to passengers (as routinely demonstrated in the Disputes and Prosecutions forum), this reinforces (in my mind) the need to retain traditional ticketing methods until the railway's chosen "smart ticketing" can be shown to work reliably and consistently without detriment to passengers.

That's fine, you go on paying a bit more for paper tickets and I'll carry on enjoying the benefits of KeyGo.

 

[Hadders]

Although the gateline is manned by LNER the back office and logic is managed by GTR.

The whole situation is unsatisfactory. I can’t be doing with exiting and re-entering stations, or checking my journey history to check touches have recorded correctly.

It’s a shame because KeyGo could be fantastic. In more than 20 years of using Oyster I’ve never experienced this sort of issue with Oyster. It it seems to be a regular occurrence with KeyGo.

 

[OscarH]

Which is a pain when you tap out on a standalone reader at the other end as it treats it as a tap in...

That's very poor, because even when the backoffice is failing to get the taps, it should be able to infer the direction based on the transient ticket on the card when you tap the standalone reader

In more than 20 years of using Oyster I’ve never experienced this sort of issue with Oyster. It it seems to be a regular occurrence with KeyGo

I guess Oyster is much much simpler, and while it does do backoffice stuff now, as I understand it it can still do pretty much everything except certain caps offline

 

[Haywain]

That's very poor, because even when the backoffice is failing to get the taps, it should be able to infer the direction based on the transient ticket on the card when you tap the standalone reader

If there is one tap on a reader at a station without barriers how would the system know the direction of travel?