Auckland Transport Hop card - look out for errors

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#1047031 17-May-2014 15:32

sonyxperiageek:

I wonder why they couldn't just make the readers "both ways" on all machines?

They can, but refuse to. For some reason they believe it would open the system to abuse if the driver can't see every person tag on to make sure they don't fake it. As usual, Auckland Transport does not trust Auckland.

Speaking of AT HOP errors, another bus yesterday charged me $5.04 from Greenlane to Pt Chev (an impossible fare!) when I've got a monthly A-B pass. This system sucks.

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#1047130 17-May-2014 18:15

$5.04 is the fine for not tagging on/off. So not a fare issue as such.

Im taking a bit more notice of what the screen is showing now when I tag on/off....

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robjg63

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#1047153 17-May-2014 19:07

I have found the system seems to have settled down again after being wonky for about a week and a half of crazy.
Maybe another software update or something was applied.

The 'issue' of trying to tag on via the reader at the rear door is not new.
I think the old snapper system actually spoke a message to you to tell you you couldnt do that - I tried it once when the snapper system first came in.
Pity the new system didnt have as much smarts as the old one!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Kyanar

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#1047187 17-May-2014 20:27

xpd: $5.04 is the fine for not tagging on/off. So not a fare issue as such.

Im taking a bit more notice of what the screen is showing now when I tag on/off....

Nope, not that. It's actually showing "Tag Off OK $5.04" which indicates that it thinks that is the fare for the distance travelled.

Well, it better not be a "Missing Tag Off" penalty, because more than 3 of those in a 30 day span is an instant card ban - pass or no pass (and bans can't be undone either - you have to buy a new card, even if it's their fault!)

One tip: always tag off the bus at the back door. Since their readers will refuse to tag you off if you aren't tagged on, and the rear readers are configured not to allow tagging on, it prevents things like double tag-on and so forth (which should be impossible, in a sane system).

old3eyes

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#1047339 18-May-2014 09:05

Kyanar:
xpd: $5.04 is the fine for not tagging on/off. So not a fare issue as such.

Im taking a bit more notice of what the screen is showing now when I tag on/off....

Nope, not that. It's actually showing "Tag Off OK $5.04" which indicates that it thinks that is the fare for the distance travelled.

Well, it better not be a "Missing Tag Off" penalty, because more than 3 of those in a 30 day span is an instant card ban - pass or no pass (and bans can't be undone either - you have to buy a new card, even if it's their fault!)

One tip: always tag off the bus at the back door. Since their readers will refuse to tag you off if you aren't tagged on, and the rear readers are configured not to allow tagging on, it prevents things like double tag-on and so forth (which should be impossible, in a sane system).

I haven't had any issues with the new AT HOP card tagging on and off but the old Snapper one I had problems all the time . It would somehow get out of step or you would think you had tagged off and you hadn't..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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#1047377 18-May-2014 10:14

Confirmed: it's not a missing tag off

16/05/2014 3:58:46 p.m. Tag off : Opp 50 Carrington Rd $5.04 $7.51
16/05/2014 3:22:51 p.m. Tag on : Greenlane Clinical Centre Building 17 : Pass Pass $12.55

Since I also have an A-B zone pass, this should be impossible. Note that the tag on is within the pass boundary, but the tag off apparently isn't- on top of that normally being a $3.04 fare anyway. This has happened at least 4 times to me on this bus route. Quite frustrating, because it takes them two-four weeks to resolve, and three of these puts my balance below zero and disables my card.

sonyxperiageek

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#1051026 22-May-2014 12:55

Learnt last few weeks ago that you can actually tag two people on at the same time but driver has to do it from their console. So if you tag off, does that tag both of you off at the same time I wonder..

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21brandon21

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#1057591 1-Jun-2014 16:04

Just logged into ATHOP and it says I'm missing Tag offs. I've been charged $5 numerous times where I should have only been charged $1.62. I've clearly been tagging off. What's up with that?

sonyxperiageek

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#1057595 1-Jun-2014 16:16

21brandon21: Just logged into ATHOP and it says I'm missing Tag offs. I've been charged $5 numerous times where I should have only been charged $1.62. I've clearly been tagging off. What's up with that?

I've had that a few times as well.. Just call them up and tell them. They will then put forward your request which will usually take around a week or over to process...... I know right?!

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neb

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#1649543 12-Oct-2016 00:45

Resurrecting an old thread, just a warning to AT Hop users that this problem is still recurring with monotonous regularity two years down the track. I happened to be looking through my transaction logs and noticed several of them for the period the logs covered, a tag on followed by what should have been a tag off recorded as a second tag on, so I got charged 2 x the maximum penalty fare each time. I've requested refunds for all of them, not helped by the fact that you can't enter more than 78 characters in the "Explanation" textbox even though it's a general-purpose edit box. Once you go past 78 chars it turns red and you can't submit the form.

As the blind man said when handed a piece of matzo, "who wrote this crap?".

dickytim

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#1649575 12-Oct-2016 08:31

nakedmolerat: I think you're tagging it wrong ;-)

Yep I think you held it wrong!

robjg63

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#1649614 12-Oct-2016 09:39

Checked my card back as far as they show history and its all good.

I wonder - do you always exit the front of the bus?

Perhaps you should always exit via the back door of the bus.

Those readers do not let you tag on as far as I recall - so its couldnt/shouldnt let you accidentally tag off/on so quickly. Just a thought.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

xpd

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#1649650 12-Oct-2016 10:58

I got told that tagging ON at the back door does NOT work, it classes it as a tag off, and therefore you get pinged for a missed tag somewhere. Front door should work for on and off.

As for the new passes etc, I'm not buying one. AT's information says that if you need a 3 zone trip (like I do), 5 days a week or more, then the $200 pass is the way to go. For someone working 5 days a week and only takes the bus those 5 days, the $200 pass is NOT a cheap option.

Sit down and work it out using "Hop money", and you actually find you should only be paying around $190 for 20 days of travel. Also take into consideration public holidays, sick days etc, and the pass ends up being a lot more expensive.

Obviously if youre someone who does use the bus a lot, then the pass is great, but those 5 day a week ppl like myself, no thanks, Ill just throw some credit onto my card occasionally.

Also I LOVE the way that it can take up to 72hrs for credit to appear on your card, YET when it comes to them charging you for missed tags etc, its instant.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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robjg63

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#1649653 12-Oct-2016 11:05

Yes - I dont know what that 72 hours thing is about. I can buy something online and have it approved, shipped and sitting in my hands in that time. Even given that it might be an overnight batch job and not instant you would hope they could turn around payment a bit quicker. I always go into a shop and top it up.

What I meant with the tag on off thing was - you have to get on the front of the bus anyway as the back door doesnt allow tag on.

The front of the bus also allows tag off.

So I was suggesting @neb enter through the front door (because you have to) and always tag off at the back door. Should eliminate any possibility of somehow accidentally tagging on again.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

neb

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#1650602 13-Oct-2016 18:30

robjg63:
I wonder - do you always exit the front of the bus?

Perhaps you should always exit via the back door of the bus.

Those readers do not let you tag on as far as I recall - so its couldnt/shouldnt let you accidentally tag off/on so quickly. Just a thought.

So that leads to an interesting problem that's unique to the British way of interacting with bus drivers (you wouldn't have this in Europe or the US). I'm at the end of a longish bus run and often catch evening buses, so I'm typically the last/only person in the bus. When I get off, the driver and I usually exchange some sort of pleasantry, "Have a nice evening" or something, or otherwise just the traditional "Thanks". If I were to get off at the back door, it'd seem like I'm deliberately avoiding/snubbing the driver. On the run into the city I can use the back door, but on the way home it'd look pretty odd if I got off at the back.

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