In message , at 09:13:22 on
Sun, 2 Dec 2012, Paul Corfield remarked:
It also means that ITSO spec cards issued by train companies will be
able to be read and accepted in London provided the card holds a
product valid in London.

As discussed recently over in uk.railway regarding the Southern "The
Key" ITSO card.

http://www.southernrailway.com/smart...ing-the-key/4/

(In London from Winter 2013).
--
Roland Perry

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

On Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:50:03 +0000, John Ray wrote:

On Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:57:10 -0600,
wrote:


National old people's bus passes outside London are issued on ITSO smart
cards which can't be read on London buses.

My London Freedom Pass can be read on Arriva buses in Liverpool. How
does this work?

The most recent issue of Freedom Passes work with Oyster and ITSO
standard equipment. As bus operators outside London are strongly
incentivised by the DfT to adopt ITSO spec equipment many of them are
doing so. It also assists in the reimbursement process as they have
the data to submit to the relevant local authority / PTE.

The London system is being upgraded, by a DfT funded project, so that
all Oyster readers can read ITSO spec cards. Therefore concessionary
passes issued elsewhere in England will be read by London bus readers.
NOTE that this does NOT mean that bus concessionary passes will work
on the tube, rail or DLR - they won't as they are not valid.

It also means that ITSO spec cards issued by train companies will be
able to be read and accepted in London provided the card holds a
product valid in London.

Good news. Do you know when London buses will start registering trips by
ITSO bus passes?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

"Walter Briscoe" wrote in message
...
In message of Sun, 2 Dec
2012 09:13:22 in uk.transport.london, Paul Corfield
writes

[snip]

The London system is being upgraded, by a DfT funded project, so that
all Oyster readers can read ITSO spec cards. Therefore concessionary
passes issued elsewhere in England will be read by London bus readers.
NOTE that this does NOT mean that bus concessionary passes will work
on the tube, rail or DLR - they won't as they are not valid.

I think it does mean that such additional validity could be simple to
implement, given the political will.

But there isn't any

Giving non-local reside free transport in an area the size of London costs
tens of millions.

This London Council Tax payer and Freedom Pass holder would like to see
symmetrical validity.

And I would like my travel paid for by someone else too!

The fact is that this is in the gift of the transport operator not pass
holders.

Not gonna happen

tim

On Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:51:34 -0600,
wrote:

In article ,
(John Ray) wrote:

On Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:57:10 -0600, wrote:

National old people's bus passes outside London are issued on ITSO smart
cards which can't be read on London buses.

My London Freedom Pass can be read on Arriva buses in Liverpool. How
does this work?

Perhaps it has both Oyster and ITSO functionality. I thought that was the
London plan when the national bus pass scheme was rolled out.

That explains it - my Freedom Pass has an "ITSO" logo on it.

I have noticed that it seems to take a couple of seconds for my pass
to be recognised by the Arriva bus card reader, whereas on London
buses it is virtually instantaneous. Possibly there is a compatibility
issue?

--
John Ray

In article ,
John Ray wrote:
On Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:51:34 -0600,
wrote:

In article ,
(John Ray) wrote:

My London Freedom Pass can be read on Arriva buses in Liverpool. How
does this work?

Perhaps it has both Oyster and ITSO functionality. I thought that was the
London plan when the national bus pass scheme was rolled out.

That explains it - my Freedom Pass has an "ITSO" logo on it.

I have noticed that it seems to take a couple of seconds for my pass
to be recognised by the Arriva bus card reader, whereas on London
buses it is virtually instantaneous. Possibly there is a compatibility
issue?

In my own limited experience (an ITSO pass for Derby station ticket
gates), that's how long ITSO takes anyway.

Nick
--
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

On Sun, 02 Dec 2012 19:31:12 +0000, Paul Corfield
wrote:


I suspect pensioners, those who genuinely rely on buses, would much
prefer to keep their bus services and pay something towards their
fares or an annual charge for the pass. The alternative of a free pass
but no services is simply useless. The disparity between London and
the rest of the country is also scandalous although I recognise London
pensioners would man the barricades to keep what they have got. I
wonder if they realise how very well provided for they are?

I, for one, do recognise how well provided-for I am. But Londoners are
not quite alone in this. Pensioners living in the Liverpool area are
equally well-provided for; the Merseytravel pass for the over 60s may
be used on buses, trains and ferries in the Merseyside region. As far
as I am aware there are no plans to change this.

--
John Ray

In message , at 19:31:12 on
Sun, 2 Dec 2012, Paul Corfield remarked:
I suspect pensioners, those who genuinely rely on buses, would much
prefer to keep their bus services and pay something towards their
fares or an annual charge for the pass. The alternative of a free pass
but no services is simply useless. The disparity between London and
the rest of the country is also scandalous although I recognise London
pensioners would man the barricades to keep what they have got.

I wish I could find a barricade to man regarding the scandalous slippage
of the qualifying date (from 60 to around 63 at the moment).

I wonder if they realise how very well provided for they are?

I think few Londoners realise how well served they are.
--
Roland Perry

I wish I could find a barricade to man regarding the scandalous
slippage of the qualifying date (from 60 to around 63 at the moment).

I'd much rather the qualifying age continued to increased than that
entitlemenmt was means-tested.


I think few Londoners realise how well served they are.

IMLE quote a few of us do; and also see Boris's reversion to 60 as the
qualifying age as leaving an open goal for those who want means-testing.
A classic bit of short-term electioneering.

--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

On Sun, Dec 02, 2012 at 07:31:12PM +0000, Paul Corfield wrote:

There is decent enough information around as to where Oyster does or
does not work. IMLE many TOCs go to reasonable lengths to display
posters at stations and on trains and to use in train displays to say
clearly where Oyster stops being valid. I'm pretty sure Greater
Anglia, London Midland, C2C and Southern use these means. I rarely use
South Eastern but am well aware of the Dartford difference.

Southern *used to*, but then they started accepting PAYG and I've not
noticed any publicity at all about where it is and is not valid. I'd
not be at all surprised to find that people get caught out trying to use
it to get to places like Gatwick or Redhill or Woldingham.

--
David Cantrell | Nth greatest programmer in the world

Irregular English:
you have anecdotes; they have data; I have proof

In message , at 13:17:45 on Mon, 3 Dec 2012,
Robin remarked:
I wish I could find a barricade to man regarding the scandalous
slippage of the qualifying date (from 60 to around 63 at the moment).

I'd much rather the qualifying age continued to increased than that
entitlemenmt was means-tested.

I think a limited amount of means testing is OK, there's enough of it in
other fields that you could tack that one on as well. Use the well worn
"roughly what free school meals entitlement is" that crops up all over
the place.
--
Roland Perry