Request ID: FOI-2933-2324 Date published: 07 December 2023
You asked
At Platform 4 (Northbound) Thameslink platform is an Oystercard Yellow validator with a poster above it worded “Changing between National Rail and Elizabeth Line? Don t forget to touch the yellow card reader to pay the correct fare”…
It is the only such yellow reader / poster combination on the station, on P4 close to the Elizabeth Line entrance.
How many excess, penalty or maximum fares has this machine been involved with since installation ?
How much revenue has this incorrect yellow validator, with misleading signage generated ?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2933-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 13th November 2023 asking for information about the yellow Oyster validators at Farringdon Platform 4.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Farringdon Plat4 Yellow Oyster Validator: At Platform 4 (Northbound) Thameslink platform is an Oyster card Yellow validator with a poster above it worded “Changing between National Rail and Elizabeth Line? Don t forget to touch the yellow card reader to pay the correct fare”…
It is the only such yellow reader / poster combination on the station, on P4 close to the Elizabeth Line entrance.
How many excess, penalty or maximum fares has this machine been involved with since installation ?
How much revenue has this incorrect yellow validator, with misleading signage generated?”.
I am afraid that TfL does not hold the requested information. There are two validators at this location (‘PVAL’ 88 and 89), both of which came into service at the end of October 2022. The use of these validators is largely at an intermediate point in a journey. The data we hold cannot associate that use with either the first or last tap of any incomplete journey, which are the only straightforward reference points we have for incomplete journeys.
Notwithstanding the above, colleagues in our fares and ticketing team have been able to determine how many incomplete journeys in our system either started or finished at one of those validators, which is the only related data we hold in relation to your request. For both Oyster and Contactless cards there are no recorded unstarted journeys that terminate at either of those validators. There are, however, unfinished journeys that began with a tap at one of them. The data we have shows that between 31st October 2022 and 1st December 2023 there were 8,397 Contactless unfinished journeys starting at either reader 88 or 89. The value charged amounts to £54,702.80. This is roughly an average of 21 per day with an average charge of £6.51. Between 27th October 2022 and 1st December 2023 there were 803 Oyster pay as you go unfinished journeys starting at either reader 88 or 89. The value charged amounts to £5062. This is roughly an average of 2 per day with an average charge of £6.30. The date ranges reflect the full extent of tap data that we currently have stored. As referenced above, these figures do not capture incomplete journeys made where the tap on one of those validators happened in the middle of the journey.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
