[Gllug] Oyster cards vulnerable?

[Ryan Cartwright]

Martin A. Brooks wrote:
> Bruce Richardson wrote:
>> But there isn't any cash being put on the *card*, is there? 
> 
> I was wondering about this myself.  If there's no "cash" on the card,  
> how does Oyster on buses work?   It would require then to be continually 
> connected to the central database in order to process transactions.

That was why I thought it didn't quite work as centralised as Bruce
suggests. I always assumed (dangerous I know) that the card contained
some kind of total itself and this updated the centralised system when
you next touched it to a connected swipe device (tube station.
newsagents etc.).

Certainly if you purchase crdit online the options for updating your
card on next swipe are generally stations not buses - which implies
thebuses are not connected. _That_ implies the card has some kind of
"cash" value stored on it - doesn't it?
-- 
Ryan Cartwright
http://www.cafamily.org.uk/oss
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