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#1
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Anger at Oyster cards 'rip-off' as millions hit for not 'touching out'
Pippa Crerar and Andy McCorkell 7 Jan 2011 http://tinyurl.com/oyster-touch Commuters are facing a multi-million-pound Oyster card “rip-off” as record numbers are overcharged for journeys. Passengers will pay charges of at least £67 million this year partly because rail bosses have either failed to install barriers or leave the gates open. Millions who do not touch in or out must pay a new penalty fare of £6.50 — up more than eight per cent on last year. Campaigners accused train companies of deliberately leaving ticket barriers open or not installing them simply to boost profits. The claim comes days after most London commuters were hit by fare rises of up to 12.8 per cent on trains and an average seven per cent on the Tube. Val Shawcross, chairwoman of the Assembly's transport committee, said: “It is absolutely shocking that passengers are being fleeced in this way.” Figures obtained by the Standard show that rail and Tube passengers are already paying about £5 million a month in maximum fares for journeys where their cards are not properly swiped. The maximum penalty charged to each person has gone up from £6 to £6.50 — meaning the total cost including fines could top £67.1 million this year. This is up from £56.9 million last year. The penalty fare is the equivalent of riding from central London to a zone six station such as Heathrow, even if a traveller only goes a couple of stops within zone one. Transport for London, which revealed the figures in response to a Freedom of Information request, pointed the finger of blame at train companies. It said: “The number of maximum fares incurred on National Rail is significantly higher than TfL services because a large number of stations do not have ticket barriers to act as a physical reminder to touch in and out. “We continue to urge train operating companies to increase the number of barriers on their stations.” The train companies keep cash from the penalty fares incurred on their network — in part to cover the cost of the ticket. The firms said they would only install more gates at smaller London stations if these “represented value for money”. The main stations already have them. A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: “Every overground station that is not gated has Oyster validators located near entrances and exits. “Also, prominent advertising and regular announcements in stations stress the importance of touching in and out to avoid the maximum fare.” The train companies and TfL have set up a task force to investigate the issue. But Lib-Dem Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon said: “TfL and the train companies are simply profiting from passengers, in addition to hiking fares. “Finger-pointing helps no one. They need to be looking at what changes are needed to minimise the chances of these penalties, for example by installing more barriers at stations.” In addition, the rail firms are under pressure to give passengers better information on touching in and out — and what will happen if they don't. They have also faced criticism that barriers are often left open or that swipe machines are not working. Jo deBank, of the passenger group London TravelWatch, said: “TfL needs to look into this properly and work with National Rail to solve this. “Ultimately we would like to see all stations gated and staffed wherever possible.” She urged Oyster users to reclaim overcharged amounts. “A tiny percentage of people bother to claim, which gives the companies little incentive to sort it out,” she said. A spokeswoman for TfL said: “Oyster customers who fail to touch in and out correctly on National Rail or the London Underground are charged a maximum fare. “Any customer who believes that they have been incorrectly charged should contact the Oyster helpline. “Automatic refunds will be arranged by TfL for passengers who are unable to touch in and out correctly due to service disruptions.” Exclusive figures show that in the 11 months to November, passengers failed to touch in or out at the start or end of a journey 13.2 million times. The penalty charges for the period came to a total of £56.9 million. ==== |
#2
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"CJB" wrote in message
... Passengers will pay charges of at least £67 million this year partly because rail bosses have either failed to install barriers or leave the gates open. Or because passengers thought they'd just not touch out, hoping they'd save some cash - and got caught out. But why post this this story again - it was discussed first time round. Or have you just been hit by a max cash fare yourself? Paul S |
#3
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Owain wrote
On Jun 20, 6:32*pm, CJB wrote: .... But Lib-Dem Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon said: ... They need to be looking at what changes are needed to minimise the chances of these penalties, for example by installing more barriers at stations. .. But the extra money raised would pay: "for more than 260 new buses on Londons streets, or fund the significant expansion of the cycle hire scheme, or alternatively reduce fare rises. .. That would be a good thing wouldn't it? .. She seemed quite keen when it came to embassies paying the congestion charge. http://www.libdemvoice.org/unpaid-co...nd-fines-by-em bassies-set-to-break-50m-barrier-22939.html Which is a fine example of "I don't have any principle, they are foreigners and we want their money". A reasoned argument that the congestion charge isn't a tax would be interesting (Embassies don't have to pay taxes). I recall a Tory who argued that the Community charge aka "Poll Tax" should be removed from the RPI "because, like income tax and unlike VAT and rates, it was a direct tax,". Which was a reasoned argument, if weird. -- Mike D |
#4
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On Jun 21, 4:12*pm, "Michael R N Dolbear" wrote:
A reasoned argument that the congestion charge isn't a tax would be interesting (Embassies don't have to pay taxes). The one being used, which is debatable, is that it is a road toll, which is a fee for using a road or roads, and not a tax. Neil |
#5
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On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:25:59 -0700 (PDT), Neil Williams
wrote: On Jun 21, 4:12*pm, "Michael R N Dolbear" wrote: A reasoned argument that the congestion charge isn't a tax would be interesting (Embassies don't have to pay taxes). The one being used, which is debatable, is that it is a road toll, which is a fee for using a road or roads, and not a tax. Neil The US embassy is relying on the statement made by Ken Livingston that the congestion charge was a tax - he was so excited that he let his mouth run away when the tax was first introduced -- Cheers Peter (Reply to address is a spam trap - pse reply to the group) |
#6
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Peter wrote
On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:25:59 -0700 (PDT), Neil Williams wrote: On Jun 21, 4:12*pm, "Michael R N Dolbear" wrote: A reasoned argument that the congestion charge isn't a tax would be interesting (Embassies don't have to pay taxes). The one being used, which is debatable, is that it is a road toll, which is a fee for using a road or roads, and not a tax. The US embassy is relying on the statement made by Ken Livingston that the congestion charge was a tax - he was so excited that he let his mouth run away when the tax was first introduced Interesting. Has anyone produced a reasoned argument about the difference between a tax and a toll ? -- Mike D |
#7
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In message 01cc34f6$316c92e0$LocalHost@default, at 18:30:08 on Mon, 27
Jun 2011, Michael R N Dolbear remarked: The US embassy is relying on the statement made by Ken Livingston that the congestion charge was a tax - he was so excited that he let mouth run away when the tax was first introduced Interesting. Has anyone produced a reasoned argument about the difference between a tax and a toll ? Tolls are rarely charged on routes you *have* to use, there's normally a "long way round". Which doesn't exist for the US Embassy, being inside the zone. So it's a lot more like car tax, than say the Dartford Toll. Wouldn't they get a 90% residents' discount anyway? -- Roland Perry |
#8
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On Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 08:12:49PM +0100, Roland Perry wrote:
In message 01cc34f6$316c92e0$LocalHost@default, at 18:30:08 on Mon, 27 Jun 2011, Michael R N Dolbear remarked: Has anyone produced a reasoned argument about the difference between a tax and a toll ? Tolls are rarely charged on routes you *have* to use, there's normally a "long way round". Which doesn't exist for the US Embassy, being inside the zone. So it's a lot more like car tax, than say the Dartford Toll. That's OK, there are exceptions to the "there's another way round" argument, such as the Skye bridge, before it was nationalised. -- David Cantrell | top google result for "internet beard fetish club" Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it -- Agatha Christie |
#9
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In message , at 15:06:26
on Wed, 29 Jun 2011, David Cantrell remarked: Tolls are rarely charged on routes you *have* to use, there's normally a "long way round". Which doesn't exist for the US Embassy, being inside the zone. So it's a lot more like car tax, than say the Dartford Toll. That's OK, there are exceptions to the "there's another way round" argument, such as the Skye bridge, before it was nationalised. That's one of the exceptions I had in mind when I typed 'normally'. Although there was a "long way round" using ferries (eg from Mallaig). I'm not sure ferries count as toll roads. -- Roland Perry |
#10
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On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 03:30:02PM +0100, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:06:26 on Wed, 29 Jun 2011, David Cantrell remarked: Tolls are rarely charged on routes you *have* to use, there's normally a "long way round". Which doesn't exist for the US Embassy, being inside the zone. So it's a lot more like car tax, than say the Dartford Toll. That's OK, there are exceptions to the "there's another way round" argument, such as the Skye bridge, before it was nationalised. That's one of the exceptions I had in mind when I typed 'normally'. Although there was a "long way round" using ferries (eg from Mallaig). I'm not sure ferries count as toll roads. Well, you certainly have to pay for it, so it's still a charge to get from A to B. And it's bloody expensive too - current fares are GBP21.20 for a car one way, *plus* GBP4.05 per person. -- David Cantrell | Official London Perl Mongers Bad Influence Seven o'clock in the morning is something that happens to those less fortunate than me |
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