How to use the online timer
Guiding a child towards the yellow reader, you can count two seconds aloud while they hold their Oyster card flat against it. You are watching their hand rather than your own, so the brief count gives them time to make steady contact without repeatedly tapping or pulling the card away before the reader responds.
While your pupil concentrates on the Oyster reader, the two-second countdown may sit in a browser tab behind another screen. A background tab can refresh less visibly, so returning to it may show that the count has already finished rather than displaying every moment. Keep the sound audible if you need to follow the ending while watching the child’s card.
When the child reaches towards the reader on a hot UK day, use the two-second count as a calm cue, not a reason to rush their hand. Heat can make a card slippery in warm fingers, while bright sunlight may make the reader’s signal harder to notice. Let them hold the card level and listen for confirmation before moving through.
Common questions
What if a child’s Oyster card takes longer than a two-second count to register?
Crowding, an awkward angle or moving the card too soon can delay the response. Let the child hold it still until the reader confirms the tap, even after the count ends.
What if the Oyster reader responds before the two-second count finishes?
The child can remove the card as soon as the reader confirms contact. There is no need to keep it against the yellow pad for the remainder of the count.
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