Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
|
My wife and I were in London yesterday/today so we decided to save some cash on travel by getting a couple of Oyster cards and putting some credit on each one.
Not only did they save us a lot of money on buses/tube/trains but it makes life so much easier just touching in/out instead of having a zillion tickets etc. I also observed that no-one actually buys a bus ticket in London they all just use their Oyster cards.
It's a shame that sort of system isn't in use round my way (Midlands).
BTW - does anyone know of a good app for the iPhone for tracking balance/journey history etc.? I installed some free ad supported one but I'm not entirely convinced it updates properly.
|
James
Member
Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
User status: Offline
|
Yep Oyster cards are really handy.
Don't know of any apps but I've got auto top-up on mine which adds £20 on every time it drops below £5.
|
Jamie Walby
Member
Registered: 15th Nov 04
User status: Offline
|
There's a proper oyster card app that does exactly what you want, Sam, though it might just be for the underground. Use it myself. You can calculate cost of journey too.
|
oceansoul
Member
Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Sunbury, Surrey
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by James
Yep Oyster cards are really handy.
Don't know of any apps but I've got auto top-up on mine which adds £20 on every time it drops below £5.
I also have the auto top up. Means i can never run out of money on there and dont need to worry about auto top ups.
|
ashleh
Member
Registered: 23rd Dec 08
Location: Nottingham
User status: Offline
|
We have mango cards which do the same thing in east mids.
|
Russ
Member
Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
User status: Offline
|
Don't even have buses in norwich and the trains are steam
|
Generation
Member
Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
Even cheaper when you have a staff oyster card 
|
Cole
Member
Registered: 11th Nov 02
Location: eastbourne Drives:zafira sold now a qashqai
User status: Offline
|
I found oyster cards expensive if you use them to just hop on and hop off the underground worked out cheaper to buy a day card
|
oceansoul
Member
Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Sunbury, Surrey
User status: Offline
|
You can get a travelcard on your oyster. Also i believe, if your using oyster and go over the price of a day travel card, it automatically "makes" your card a travel card for that day.
If that makes sense.
|
ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
|
You always pay the cheapest fare with Oyster so you don't end up paying over the price of a travel card on it.
|
Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by Jamie Walby
There's a proper oyster card app that does exactly what you want, Sam, though it might just be for the underground. Use it myself. You can calculate cost of journey too.
Do you know what it's called Jamie? There seem to be a few different ones in the app store and whilst I don't mind paying for an app, I want to make sure it's not shit lol
|
Jamie Walby
Member
Registered: 15th Nov 04
User status: Offline
|
The one i have is called Oyster Balance but there is also one called Oyster Mobile.
I have had a look on the App store and I can't really tell the difference between them.
|
mwg
Member
Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
User status: Offline
|
I didn't think there's any point getting an Oyster unless you are there for at least 7 days or go regularly. I've always just got day travel cards for the odd couple days I go for. Did get an Oyster card once only for there to be some kind of fuck up and I then had the pleasure of trying to deal with London Underground staff who seem to the most miserable unhelpful shits you've ever met.
[Edited on 23-07-2012 by mwg]
|
Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
|
We pretty much halved our travel costs on the underground/buses with the Oyster cards, we used them for 2 days so it would have made buying a travelcard more expensive.
|
mattk
Member
Registered: 27th Feb 06
Location: St. Helens
User status: Offline
|
I hope never to have to use an oyster card
|
James
Member
Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by mattk
I hope never to have to use an oyster card
Why?
|
Jamie Walby
Member
Registered: 15th Nov 04
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by Sam
We pretty much halved our travel costs on the underground/buses with the Oyster cards, we used them for 2 days so it would have made buying a travelcard more expensive.
Same. I quite often am in London for more than a day at a time visiting friends and it doesn't pay to buy a travel card each day I'm up there. if I go for a day I also don't have to mince about buying a travel card, just use the Oyster straight away + with auto top up its convenient.
|
Robbo
Member
Registered: 6th Aug 02
Location: London
User status: Offline
|
Oyster will always at least match the chespest you'd pay buying a travelcard but works out shitloads cheaper for singles and buses etc.
Also you can load a travelcard on there (ie a month one) which then makes travelling outside of your zones even cheaper. Amazing example of simple yet brilliant process
|
Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
|
I forgot you lived in London Robbo, I was going to say I could have popped in for a cup of tea but then I think you were in Oxfordshire when I was in London 
|
Robbo
Member
Registered: 6th Aug 02
Location: London
User status: Offline
|
yes i was at home for a few days as was working from newbury office and was in the midst of moving flats
|
