Forum Topic

Mystery bus fare

I went out without my bus pass on Saturday morning then found I needed to catch a bus so paid with my contactless card. What puzzles me is that, checking my account online, I seem to have been charged only 10p rather than the £1.50 I was expecting.I wondered if anyone knew why.

Susan Kelly ● 2252d9 Comments

A website says...You'll get charged 10p when you tap in because at that point, TfL don't know the details of your journey. You'll get charged the proper amount the following day (or sometimes the day after) and that is of course dependent on where you tapped out, how many journeys you took that day etc.

Georgina Flint ● 2252d

Big Bro' is watching YOU!

Jennifer Selig ● 2252d

"and that is of course dependent on where you tapped out"... which is nowhere for a bus journey. I think the 10p charge is just a validity check on a card that TfL hasn't seen before or recently.  Journeys made using a contactless card are reviewed at the end of the day, or sometimes the next day, and a single charge is made to your card account for the day's fares.  Presumably that charge will be for £1.40 if you only made one journey, allowing for the 10p you've already been charged.

Richard Jennings ● 2252d

The 10p charge will change in due course to £1.50 - you won't get charged two amounts of 10p and £1.40.

Andrew Jones ● 2252d

It's been two days and it's still showing as 10p but maybe that's because they haven't been working days.I shall be sure not to leave my bus pass at home again.

Susan Kelly ● 2252d

You're probably right aboout the working days ... and it also varies between banks/credit card providers i.e. my partner and I took a bus earlier this week, and on one account when I looked it was showing 10p while on the other it already showed the correct amount of £1.50.

Andrew Jones ● 2252d

I thought perhaps the bus had looked at me, thought 'this poor old dear has obviously left her bus pass at home' and decided just to charge me a nominal amount.

Susan Kelly ● 2252d

No Susan - nobody would think you are (just a poor old thing) they are just to be there to charge you !!! A good thing is there are just some good people out there on our buses who would allow you to travel free ...not everyone ..

Helen Bamberger ● 2252d

Come through as £1.50 now. I still think it's an odd way of doing things. From the moment I got on the bus I was going to be paying a minimum of £1.50, so why not earmark that?Darned mutant algorithms.

Susan Kelly ● 2251d