On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 09:26:48 +0200, "tim....."
wrote:
In what way?

The ability to have permanently online barriers, ticket machines etc
within a few years will mean there will be no need for smart cards to
store data locally. NFC, barcodes etc with an online back end are
far more practical (and media agnostic), while contactless
credit/debit cards will win out for local travel.

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 09:14:35 +0100, David Walters
wrote:
http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/customer...c2c-smart-faqs
"PLEASE
NOTE: Tickets can only be used in the order in which they were
purchased".

That's useless, then.

It is an expensive chocolate teapot.

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

In message , at 20:13:14 on Sun, 29 Jun
2014, Mizter T remarked:
13th October is the date for Travelcards to be available.

http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/tickets-...art-card/index

Does it still count as vapourware, Roland?

Currently yes, because what it actually says is:

"we're also working with TfL to introduce London Travelcards as part
of Phase 2"

....so while they can promise that they'll sell tickets to Fenchurch St
on their own network by then, they aren't sure about the Travelcard
part.

Not all vapourware fails to eventually appear - the vital element is
"advertised but is not yet available to buy, either because it is only a
concept or because it is still being written or designed", which I think
summarises this Travelcard aspect perfectly.

This is what I posted back in May:

" EMT FAQ:
From late 2012/early 2013, East Midlands Trains Smartcards can
be used on the London Underground. Until then, underground
tickets need to be purchased separately.

This is what Cubic (the supplier) said about ITSO-on-Prestige in
November 2013 (so it sounded quite imminent...)

The next stage of the project will see Cubic deploy the
technology to provide ITSO capability on the remaining Oyster
overground gate estate, with the final stage enabling London
Underground and buses to accept ITSO cards in early 2014.

Although TfL were claiming the gates had been done by the end of 2013,
and were just waiting for TOCs to be capable of issuing ITSO tickets
(which of course at least Southern and EMT had been doing for two
years, but whatever...)"

If TfL have gates already installed and are just waiting for a TOC to be
able to issue Travelcards on ITSO, what exactly are C2C "working on"
with them until [at least] October?
--
Roland Perry

In message , at
20:24:20 on Sun, 29 Jun 2014, Neil Williams
remarked:
http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/customer...c2c-smart-faqs "PLEASE
NOTE: Tickets can only be used in the order in which they were
purchased".

That's useless, then.

It is an expensive chocolate teapot.

Although C2C is a toy network (it could hardly be simpler or easier to
run) the principles they are testing could well be applied to the rest
of the country.

However, when I buy tickets ahead of time, it's always for a specific
day. How would this "buying order" rule work if I bought a ticket for
the end of August today, and a ticket for early August tomorrow?

In other news, I see they say you can only buy one ticket per day
[online]. So bad luck if you want to buy one for late August, and
another for early August, the same day.

--
Roland Perry

In message , at
20:23:40 on Sun, 29 Jun 2014, Neil Williams
remarked:
The ability to have permanently online barriers, ticket machines etc
within a few years will mean there will be no need for smart cards to
store data locally. NFC, barcodes etc with an online back end are far
more practical (and media agnostic), while contactless credit/debit
cards will win out for local travel.

Are you also anticipating permanently online RPIs? And all of this
(barriers and RPIs) over the entire country.
--
Roland Perry

"Neil Williams" wrote in message
.net...
On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 09:26:48 +0200, "tim....."
wrote:
In what way?

The ability to have permanently online barriers, ticket machines etc

Define permanently on?

Networks do go done once in a while. What are all those commuters with
"online" season tickets going to do when it does?

within a few years will mean there will be no need for smart cards to
store data locally. NFC, barcodes etc with an online back end are far
more practical

I can't agree

storing someone's season ticket on a network server is a dumb thing to do.

Smart cards seem eminently more sensible, especially if we enhance the
offering to "part time" seasons and carnets.

(and media agnostic), while contactless credit/debit cards will win out for
local travel.

And what about the percentage of the population that doesn't have a
credit/debit card (such as children, TfL solve this problem by letting kids
travel free, are all ToCs expected to solve the problem this way?), or have
a card that isn't contactless enabled (such as foreigners, as I have said
many times German banks don't seem the slightest but inclined to offer this
feature to their customers. i suspect some, even more bankingly backwards
countries, will be similar).

And what about non local journeys?

tim

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:46:09 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:
However, when I buy tickets ahead of time, it's always for a
specific
day. How would this "buying order" rule work if I bought a ticket
for
the end of August today, and a ticket for early August tomorrow?

Exactly.

In other news, I see they say you can only buy one ticket per day
[online]. So bad luck if you want to buy one for late August, and
another for early August, the same day.

Again useless

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:50:15 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:
Are you also anticipating permanently online RPIs? And all of this
(barriers and RPIs) over the entire country.

Yes. Give it a couple of years.

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 22:00:31 +0200, "tim....."
wrote:
Networks do go done once in a while. What are all those commuters
with
"online" season tickets going to do when it does?

Presumably be allowed to travel free. The incentive of course is for
it not to go down.

storing someone's season ticket on a network server is a dumb thing
to do.

Why?

And what about the percentage of the population that doesn't have a
credit/debit card

Buy single use barcoded tickets? Pay by phone? (Very few people now
don't have even a basic mobile).

And what about non local journeys?

I expect predominantly online tickets of various types.

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

In message , at
21:54:28 on Sun, 29 Jun 2014, Neil Williams
remarked:
Are you also anticipating permanently online RPIs? And all of this
(barriers and RPIs) over the entire country.

Yes. Give it a couple of years.

In the mean time perhaps the train companies can practice by making
their on-board wifi work rather better.
--
Roland Perry