Neil Williams wrote:
Phil Richards wrote:

The first point of contact for TfL really ought to be the website.

Really? I think you're again thinking like a user of this NG (and a
travel professional, as I recall you being - sorry if I recall
wrongly).

I was thinking about the number of visitors coming to London to do some
research on-line before arriving. Whilst the numbers using this (& other
NG's) are small, the www is by far the most accessible tool for
gathering together the facts needed for a holiday or visit.

And certainly working in the travel profession, it's nice to be able to
advise potential travellers to mainland Europe websites for say local
transport in capital cities that have the info in English. Sad to say
someone in France with little knowledge of English may be completely put
off coming to London through the lack of info in French on *official*
websites.

The first point of contact for many will be the bus stop/driver or the
Tube station. What Oyster is, where to get one from (at all times of
day) and costs should be easily available to someone at one of those
points. At present, it isn't; there is information there, but it's
bitty and doesn't fit together for someone without background
knowledge.

The information is there in printed format at tube stations and the
(few) travel information desks scattered across the capital. I think
you'll find plenty of information on how much it costs with Oyster vs
cash albeit not spelled out in different languages. Of course one still
needs to get their head around the maze of zones etc, which of course
have been around much longer than Oyster and of course are the backbone
of most other public transport systems in large cities.


--
Phil Richards
London, UK
Home Page: http://www.philrichards1.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk