On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:14:43 -0700, Boltar
wrote:

On Jun 21, 5:59 pm, asdf wrote:
It's nothing to do with that. It's because the TOCs don't want to
allow PAYG, except where forced to by ticket interavailability
agreements. Equipment could easily be installed if 'one' allowed it
(see City Thameslink, Drayton Park, Essex Road). IIRC Ken offered to
pay for Oyster equipment at every station in Z1-6, but the TOCs still
refused.

Seems pretty daft. Its not as if they're going to lose money from it,
probably the opposite. Bloody minded sods. Bring back BR.

Actually the TOCs crumpled into line at the last minute although I
suspect there are rumblings still going in the background about the
detail of how it work and who pays what.

I am not at all convinced that BR would have been any more accommodating
about increasing the extent of interavailability and the associated
acceptance of PAYG. BR had even worse financial pressures than most
TOCs and were not at all happy with nasty inventions like Travelcards
and Capitalcards. The thought of smartcards and ticket gates and fancy
electronic fares was always for "someone else" and not them. At least a
proportion of the TOCs (Southern, SWT, FCC, C2C, One) can readily see
the advantages the technology will bring.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!