Oyster single fare finder

[treeno]

Hi,

I used the Oyster single fare finder to find a fare from Whitton to Plumstead (both National Rail) the other day and my National Railcard fare was shown as £3.20 during peak times. Upon completing the journey my actual fare was £4.70, more than I would have paid if I bought a paper ticket! Can anyone explain how that worked and why I was charged both more than the oyster fare finder and the paper ticket equivalent?

I went from Whitton to Waterloo, then touched out and touched in to Waterloo East, then went to Plumstead and touched out. There are no incomplete journeys on my card. This has happened a few times before which is why it is bugging me.

Cheers

 

[yorkie]

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tickets/f...lumstead+[National+Rail]&ft=National+Railcard

Whitton [National Rail] to Plumstead [National Rail]

Default fare: (usually with no touches on gatelines)
£3.20 Monday to Friday from 0630 to 0930 and from 1600 to 1900.
£1.45 At all other times including public holidays.

Alternative Oyster single fares:
Route 1: Using National Rail services via Waterloo/Waterloo East (or Clapham Junction and Victoria)
£4.70 Monday to Friday from 0630 to 0930 and from 1600 to 1900.
£1.90 At all other times including public holidays.

Route 2: Changing between London Underground and National Rail at Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, London Bridge, Victoria, Waterloo or Waterloo East
£6.20 Monday to Friday from 0630 to 0930 and from 1600 to 1900.
£2.85 At all other times including public holidays.

Map: London Rail and Tube services map (PDF 0.34MB)
If you wish to avoid Zone 1, I'd suggest changing at Clapham Jn & Peckham Rye & Lewisham (if, on arrival at Lewisham, there isn't a direct train for a while, you could change also at Greenwich)

 

[Eagle]

According to the fare finder, £4.70 is the correct fare for travelling via Waterloo. The £3.20 seems to be for a journey that avoids zone 1.

 

[treeno]

Thanks for clearing that up, I will have to use the alternative fare button in future!

 

[maniacmartin]

Why the alternative fares are hidden behind a button beats me. It'd be much clearer to show them all immediately.

 

[MikeWh]

Why the alternative fares are hidden behind a button beats me. It'd be much clearer to show them all immediately.

Agreed. It would also be clearer if they described the default route, because there are many flows, like this, where it is not the obvious way.

 

[Eagle]

I can't actually work out what way the default route means. Via Peckham Rye might be it, but that requires three changes so it's far from direct.

 

[yorkie]

I can't actually work out what way the default route means. Via Peckham Rye might be it, but that requires three changes so it's far from direct.

Any route that does not pass through a ticket barrier, but is within the maximum journey time (as appropriate for the number of zones the fare is charging you for), will be charged at the default fare, as the system does not know which way you have gone.

If you do pass through a gateline, that can enable the system to charge for the route taken, which in some cases may be different to the default fare.

In some cases the the default fare will allow you to take a more expensive route with no additional cost, while in other cases the default fare may include the cost of zones you've not travelled through because the route is deemed too convoluted. Most of the time, the passenger is given the 'benefit of the doubt'

 

[CNash]

I can't actually work out what way the default route means. Via Peckham Rye might be it, but that requires three changes so it's far from direct.

I think that Whitton-CLJ-Peckham Rye-Lewisham-Plumstead is the most direct route that avoids Zone 1. If you can find a more direct route, then I'd love to hear it, as I myself make a journey that's very similar.

On a side note, I really wish that the ELL extension had connected to Southeastern's services at some place other than the Victoria branch (and New Cross on a spur that requires doubling back at Canada Water). A new station somewhere between Queens Road Peckham and Surrey Quays, connecting just east of London Bridge, would have provide more direct connections to the three Dartford metro lines - though I don't know how feasible it would be as that area is very built up as it is.

 

[bicbasher]

As long as the OP doesn't touch out anywhere, he can also change at Peckham Rye or Queens Road Peckham for a Southern service to London Bridge, cross the footbridge and catch one of the 6tph services to Plumstead from Platform 1 and still be charged the non Zone 1 fare.

If going via Lewisham, it'd still require a change on one of the 2tph Gillingham services at Charlton or Woolwich Arsenal, unless you fancy a long ride on one of the 2tph Cannon Street loops (or the DLR to Greenwich).

 

[robbob700]

Hi,

Upon completing the journey my actual fare was £4.70, more than I would have paid if I bought a paper ticket!

Cheers

The single fare with a paper ticket is £5.70 (route LONDON NOT UND) so the Oyster fare is still cheaper.

 

[Eagle]

The single fare with a paper ticket is £5.70 (route LONDON NOT UND) so the Oyster fare is still cheaper.

OP has a railcard. The Anytime Single is £3.75 with one.

This is quite common with railcard discounts in the peak, where a paper ticket is cheaper than Oyster.

 

[John @ home]

my National Railcard fare was shown as £3.20 during peak times. Upon completing the journey my actual fare was £4.70, more than I would have paid if I bought a paper ticket!

The single fare with a paper ticket is £5.70 (route LONDON NOT UND) so the Oyster fare is still cheaper.

We have established that the £3.20 fare was for a route avoiding Zone 1, which the OP did not use.

For a Senior or 16-25 Railcard holder using a route including Zone 1 rail, the Oyster fare is cheaper during the morning peak. But the £5.70 route LONDON NOT UND paper ticket is discounted by the National Railcard during the evening peak to £3.75, which also counts towards the Oyster Z1-6 Railcard Off-Peak cap of £5.60. This can be one of the occasions where using a paper ticket is cheaper than using Oyster for an individual journey, but the best choice depends on one's travel plans for the rest of the day.