On 07/02/2012 08:02, Neil Williams wrote:
On Feb 7, 8:50 am, Arthur wrote:

I'm not sure that having a third TOC which runs trains into both
Liverpool Street and Marylebone (or whatever) would be necessary for
getting through bus tickets.

True.

Getting NS to accept passengers kicked off DB buses which stop short
would be a good start.

Assuming you mean in London, that is already possible *if* the bus
changes its destination after you've boarded. If a driver fails to do
it they should be reported for being lazy and neglect of duty.

I think, however, that whether the bus has terminated short should be
irrelevant.

Drivers on the second bus can be a bit awkward if it is a different
route number, but going to the same place. The 410 is suffering from an
outbreak of short workings, and last time I was kicked off some
passengers were moaning that 407 drivers regularly don't let them on.
Though in my experience, suggesting the driver might "tell the companies
to sort it out with TfL" seems to work...

There should be a through single fare from any part of
London to any other part of London by any mode, its cost being
determined by the zones crossed, and *only* the zones crossed, nothing
else. It should probably be around the level of the current Tube fare
set. For bus only (as there is an advantage with an overcrowded Tube
of keeping people on buses; this does not exist in most other cities)
there should be again one single fare for a bus journey of any length
in London regardless of whether that involves one, two or ten buses.

The need to relieve rail and the inter-related bus question would break
any true multi-modal fully interchangeable system. Trying to work out
what zones the X26 (Croydon - Heathrow orbital bus) involves would be a
mess.

I think the simplicity of flat bus and tram fares is better than
charging the same as trains. And for true "single system-ness", we might
be looking at filling up the peak trains with well-off leisure
travellers demanding their free trip gets priority over hard-pressed
British (well, some of them are) workers... (cont'd bus route 94).

Would railcards become valid on non-NR services, or even abolished on
BorisRail trains....

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK