"Graeme Wall" wrote:

On 15/09/2011 11:52, Roland Perry wrote:
[snip]
The problem with that is the stairs at Victoria from the Underground -
which was precisely the thing I was originally trying to give advice on
how to avoid.

Aren't there lifts at Victoria now?


No - though there will be eventually as part of the currently ongoing Vic
Tube station redevelopment project:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/metro/15766.aspx
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2359.aspx

On Sep 15, 3:52*am, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
03:19:54 on Thu, 15 Sep 2011, 77002 remarked:

Also balancing the amount of luggage. I take journeys with a
briefcase I would never consider with two suitcases and a carry-on.
Deep level tubes are exactly a case in point.

Exactly. Although the Piccadilly line trains (as I recommended earlier)
are more luggage-friendly than average, having been designed for the
Heathrow service. It's why I'd probably recommend that way of getting to
St Pancras rather than Heathrow Express plus sub-surface train (where
the stepless route has two additional changes of train now).

mmmm, Heathrow, Hammersmith (Cross Platform), Victoria, Bognor Regis,
might be worth a try.

The problem with that is the stairs at Victoria from the Underground -
which was precisely the thing I was originally trying to give advice on
how to avoid.
--
Now I understand Picadilly to KX and Thameslink to the South. OK, Got
It. Thanks.

On Sep 15, 1:18*pm, Graham Murray wrote:

My local bus company offers a (presumably ITSO) contactless smartcard
which can have either a season ticket or cash loaded onto it. These are
used in the same way as the OAP passes, the user places the wallet flat
on a plate next to the ticket printer and the machine beeps and the
driver's touchscreen flashes green to indicate acceptance.

So does Oyster. But it'd be rather nice to be able to have one card
that works throughout the country. I suspect that card may be a
contactless credit or debit card once everyone has them.

Neil

In message , at 12:32:39 on Thu, 15 Sep
2011, Mizter T remarked:
Aren't there lifts at Victoria now?

No - though there will be eventually as part of the currently ongoing
Vic Tube station redevelopment project:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/metro/15766.aspx
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2359.aspx

"By 2018", I'll have to stick a cross in my diary.
--
Roland Perry

In message
, at
04:46:51 on Thu, 15 Sep 2011, Neil Williams
remarked:
But it'd be rather nice to be able to have one card
that works throughout the country. I suspect that card may be a
contactless credit or debit card once everyone has them.

Half the population isn't credit-worthy enough to have a credit card.
Then there's all the people with Electron/Solo.

Is there even a concept of "contactless debit card"?
--
Roland Perry

On Sep 15, 2:45*pm, Roland Perry wrote:

Half the population isn't credit-worthy enough to have a credit card.
Then there's all the people with Electron/Solo.

The banks are phasing those out in favour of zero-floor-limit Visa
Debit cards. But a zero floor limit card wouldn't work without
authorisation, which isn't practical for bus fares.

But I'm certain pre-paid ones will appear soon enough.

Is there even a concept of "contactless debit card"?

I don't think there is yet, but I suspect there will be. Though
there's a high impact of fraud, so they might actually more likely be
of the "electronic wallet" type when they do.

Because it costs next to nothing to add acceptance on to PIN pads,
acceptance of the credit card variety is spreading very quickly even
though not all the banks are issuing them yet.

Neil

In article
,
(1506) wrote:

IIRC Paddington to Victoria is just under GBP15.00. However, Bakerloo
Line, change at Oxford Circus for the Victoria, is not realistic with
two suitcases and a carry-on.

Unless your problems are at Paddington or Victoria, that should be easy
enough as Oxford Circus is cross-platform (FSVO) for that change.

I did the same change the other way between King's Cross and Waterloo and
back on the way to and from the Isle of Wight on holiday at the end of
August complete with luggage and four year old.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
23:25:51 on Tue, 13 Sep 2011, Martin Rich
remarked:
Indeed, currently, I am still adjusting to the changes in the UK
during my absence. The first time I tried to use a chip and pin debit
card was embarrassing. It was at Victoria Station and I kept removing
the card too soon.

There have been differences in credit card handling between the US and
Europe for many years, but the nature of the differences has changed.
When I first visited the US I had a struggle to convince some retailers
that my Access card, as it was then still branded, could be accepted as
a Mastercard.

And then there's the "Maestro"/Servicecard issue, I don't think they
were ever properly interoperable. They've changed to Visa Debit, now
that the Cheque Guarantee aspect is obsolete.

I remember having to seek out Amex branded ATMs (in the USA) to draw
cash on an Amex card. There's one at Schiphol Airport today. Maybe
there's more interoperability here - I did use an Amex card in a
Natwest ATM last year.

On recent visits it's been a surprise to find that PINs still aren't
used when paying by credit card.

I can confirm that most transactions are a swipe and nothing else (no
signature, no PIN). Last place I saw that in the UK was a ticket
machine at an airport car park.

Relevant to urban transit - if way off-topic for the thread - I was
also intrigued by ticket machines on the New York subway, which would
accept my credit card to buy two one-day passes, but no more. They
were clearly programmed to accept a maximum of two transactions in
quick succession using the same card, and I couldn't find a way to buy
four cards in a single transaction

I think UK railway ticket machines went through a phase of only
allowing two transactions per card per day. Not sure if going C&P has
fixed that.

As many as two? ISTR the Shere machines at Cambridge refusing a second
transaction even. Made it tricky buying tickets on different railcards. No I
just go to the ticket Window.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Sep 15, 6:54*am, wrote:
In article
,

(1506) wrote:
IIRC Paddington to Victoria is just under GBP15.00. *However, Bakerloo
Line, change at Oxford Circus for the Victoria, is not realistic with
two suitcases and a carry-on.

Unless your problems are at Paddington or Victoria, that should be easy
enough as Oxford Circus is cross-platform (FSVO) for that change.

I did the same change the other way between King's Cross and Waterloo and
back on the way to and from the Isle of Wight on holiday at the end of
August complete with luggage and four year old.

After an eleven hour flight, immigration, baggage pickup, cusoms, et
al, I just want an easy way to reach Victoria. Once on a train to the
south coast, I can sleap for a while.

On Sep 15, 6:54*am, wrote:
In article
,

(1506) wrote:
IIRC Paddington to Victoria is just under GBP15.00. *However, Bakerloo
Line, change at Oxford Circus for the Victoria, is not realistic with
two suitcases and a carry-on.

Unless your problems are at Paddington or Victoria, that should be easy
enough as Oxford Circus is cross-platform (FSVO) for that change.

I did the same change the other way between King's Cross and Waterloo and
back on the way to and from the Isle of Wight on holiday at the end of
August complete with luggage and four year old.

After an eleven hour flight, immigration, baggage pickup, cusoms, et
al, I just want an easy way to reach Victoria. Once on a train to
the
south coast, I can sleep for a while.