Bus tickets - single?
 

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 09:48:32 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:21:55 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:
now the blonde buffoon has closed all the ticket offices it'll make it
harder for people to buy Oyster cards.

It's actually vastly easier now, because they can be bought from the
ticket machines.

How is using the convoluted menus on a ticket machine "vastly easier" than
going to a window and saying "Can I have an Oyster please?" ? Or if you're
a tourist and don't have a clue , well, good luck.

To get one from a window you had to queue, and when I got mine there was

And of course there are never queues at ticket machines with confused people
trying to use them are there.

a form to fill in. On the machines it's a very simple couple of button

Why did you have to fill a form in for an Oyster? Hand over 5 quid, get oyster
card. Sorted.

presses, and at the places tourists might be arriving (like St Pancras)
the queues for the ticket machines are much shorter now than for the
windows in the past.

Probably because they've given up bothering.

Do you have aspergers? Is that why you prefer machines over people?

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 11:00:37 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:

How is using the convoluted menus on a ticket machine "vastly easier" than
going to a window and saying "Can I have an Oyster please?" ? Or if you're
a tourist and don't have a clue , well, good luck.

To get one from a window you had to queue, and when I got mine there was

And of course there are never queues at ticket machines with confused people
trying to use them are there.

There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

a form to fill in. On the machines it's a very simple couple of button

Why did you have to fill a form in for an Oyster?

Originally they all had to be registered.

Hand over 5 quid, get oyster card. Sorted.

--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 2015-12-08 11:00:37 +0000, d said:

Do you have aspergers? Is that why you prefer machines over people?

Or simply that you can get 3 machines in the space of one ticket window.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 12:28:33 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Neil Williams remarked:

Do you have aspergers? Is that why you prefer machines over people?

Or simply that you can get 3 machines in the space of one ticket
window.

To be fair, there wasn't usually a shortage of windows at the most
congested stations, just a shortage of *staffed* windows.

A bit like our old Post Office here which eight windows, usually with
just two manned even at the busiest times. Sometimes three for the short
duration of a shift change.

The new Post Office has just two windows, plus a "parcels reception
desk". Normally they again have just two staff on duty. For whatever
reason the queues are now much shorter, although this may be a result of
them having institutionally dumped almost all the types of business
other than weighing and stamping letters and parcels.
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 08/12/2015 11:59, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 11:00:37 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:

Why did you have to fill a form in for an Oyster?

Originally they all had to be registered.

No they didn't, though perhaps the ticket office in question didn't give
you the choice to walk away with an unregistered one.

Bus tickets - single?
 

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 11:59:48 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:00:37 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:

How is using the convoluted menus on a ticket machine "vastly easier" than
going to a window and saying "Can I have an Oyster please?" ? Or if you're
a tourist and don't have a clue , well, good luck.

To get one from a window you had to queue, and when I got mine there was

And of course there are never queues at ticket machines with confused people
trying to use them are there.

There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

Simpler than asking someone for an Oyster? Short of the machine being psychic
and knowing what you want as soon as you get there I doubt it.

a form to fill in. On the machines it's a very simple couple of button

Why did you have to fill a form in for an Oyster?

Originally they all had to be registered.

I never registered any of mine.

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 12:28:33 +0000
Neil Williams wrote:
On 2015-12-08 11:00:37 +0000, d said:

Do you have aspergers? Is that why you prefer machines over people?

Or simply that you can get 3 machines in the space of one ticket window.

2 maybe, 3 might be pushing it. But people tend to take twice as long to do
the same thing as at a window.

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 15:04:40 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:
There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

Simpler than asking someone for an Oyster? Short of the machine being psychic
and knowing what you want as soon as you get there I doubt it.

There was talk, earlier, of tourists. Non-English speakers will find a
machine less daunting than a grumpy Tfl employee.
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 15:17:38 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:04:40 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:
There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

Simpler than asking someone for an Oyster? Short of the machine being psychic
and knowing what you want as soon as you get there I doubt it.

There was talk, earlier, of tourists. Non-English speakers will find a
machine less daunting than a grumpy Tfl employee.

Possibly. But they'll still take far longer to figure out how to use it than
just asking the grumpy sod behind the counter for a ticket in broken english.

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 2015-12-08 12:35:42 +0000, Roland Perry said:

The new Post Office has just two windows, plus a "parcels reception
desk". Normally they again have just two staff on duty. For whatever
reason the queues are now much shorter, although this may be a result
of them having institutionally dumped almost all the types of business
other than weighing and stamping letters and parcels.

Or because it is much more convenient for the majority of the
population to access Government services online rather than via the
post office. The future of the post office is in my view local shops
able to offer postal[1] services.

[1] That assumes a postal service even has a future. It doesn't seem
to do anything a courier can't, other than universal service, which
could be offered in a different way.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 15:38:12 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:

There was talk, earlier, of tourists. Non-English speakers will find a
machine less daunting than a grumpy Tfl employee.

Possibly. But they'll still take far longer to figure out how to use it than
just asking the grumpy sod behind the counter for a ticket in broken english.

The waiting time in the queue will be dramatically reduced at the busy
main stations, and given that the machine's instructions are available
in 17 languages there's no need for any kind of "broken English".
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 15:47:39 +0000
Neil Williams wrote:
On 2015-12-08 12:35:42 +0000, Roland Perry said:

The new Post Office has just two windows, plus a "parcels reception
desk". Normally they again have just two staff on duty. For whatever
reason the queues are now much shorter, although this may be a result
of them having institutionally dumped almost all the types of business
other than weighing and stamping letters and parcels.

Or because it is much more convenient for the majority of the
population to access Government services online rather than via the
post office. The future of the post office is in my view local shops
able to offer postal[1] services.

[1] That assumes a postal service even has a future. It doesn't seem
to do anything a courier can't, other than universal service, which
could be offered in a different way.

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes with once
or twice daily collections in almost every urban street in the country with
letters delivered for a few tens of pence? No, didn't think so.

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 15:47:39 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Neil Williams remarked:

The new Post Office has just two windows, plus a "parcels reception
desk". Normally they again have just two staff on duty. For whatever
reason the queues are now much shorter, although this may be a result
of them having institutionally dumped almost all the types of business
other than weighing and stamping letters and parcels.

Or because it is much more convenient for the majority of the
population to access Government services online rather than via the
post office. The future of the post office is in my view local shops
able to offer postal[1] services.

Almost all the ones round here are exactly that. Some sort of
convenience store with a couple of PO counters shoehorned in at the
back. The new one here is a "Costcutter".

[1] That assumes a postal service even has a future. It doesn't seem
to do anything a courier can't, other than universal service, which
could be offered in a different way.

Oddly enough there's only one of the various franchises of courier
drop-off in the town, so I use the Post Office Parcelforce facility for
that (despite otherwise preferring other parcel deliverers on balance),
as well as typically mailing things costing £1-£3, which are cheaper
than a courier wishes to deal with. Post Office also tends to much
cheaper for overseas things.

The thing I've used Post Offices for, other than mail, is getting an
updated photo Driving Licence and having them check passport
applications. If they weren't available to do those, someone else would
have to pick up those functions.
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 16:00:37 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes with once
or twice daily collections in almost every urban street in the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every ten
minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection each day,
at about 8.30am!

with
letters delivered for a few tens of pence? No, didn't think so.

A first class stamp is 62p. I'm still working my way through a large
batch of books of stamps I bought when they were 46p. Partly that's
because I don't actually need the entry-level stamps very often. I use
the "large" and "signed-for" postage rates much more.
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 08/12/2015 16:21, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 16:00:37 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every ten
minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection each day,
at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door, I've
got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

Royal Mail changed the collection system very recently for most post
boxes - collections now occur as part of a postman or woman's delivery
round. Still evening collections for those boxes outside or part of Post
Offices themselves.

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 08/12/2015 15:47, Neil Williams wrote:

On 2015-12-08 12:35:42 +0000, Roland Perry said:
The new Post Office has just two windows, plus a "parcels reception
desk". Normally they again have just two staff on duty. For whatever
reason the queues are now much shorter, although this may be a result
of them having institutionally dumped almost all the types of business
other than weighing and stamping letters and parcels.

Or because it is much more convenient for the majority of the population
to access Government services online rather than via the post office.
The future of the post office is in my view local shops able to offer
postal[1] services.

The Post Offices I see are still pretty busy places.

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 19:27:10 on Tue, 8 Dec 2015,
Mizter T remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every ten
minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection each day,
at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door, I've
got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:04:40 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:
There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

Simpler than asking someone for an Oyster? Short of the machine being psychic
and knowing what you want as soon as you get there I doubt it.

There was talk, earlier, of tourists. Non-English speakers will find a
machine less daunting than a grumpy Tfl employee.

This is certainly true. And I also find it odd that certain people here
think the first time a tourist will ever have experienced anything so
new-fangled as a ticket machine is on arrival in London.

Most visitors to London are probably not from Outer Mongolia. And for the
rest, they probably have plenty of experience with ticket machines from
their own metro systems.

London is not a cradle of advanced wonders the rest of the world is yet to
fathom. It's a great city, but hardly presents unique challenges.

I'd worry more about a visitor from Burnley knowing how to operate the
space-age technology on the tube than someone from, say, Istanbul who'll be
used to more advanced systems.

Bus tickets - single?
 

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 22:40:28 +0200
Clank wrote:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:04:40 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:
There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

Simpler than asking someone for an Oyster? Short of the machine being
psychic
and knowing what you want as soon as you get there I doubt it.

There was talk, earlier, of tourists. Non-English speakers will find a
machine less daunting than a grumpy Tfl employee.

This is certainly true. And I also find it odd that certain people here
think the first time a tourist will ever have experienced anything so
new-fangled as a ticket machine is on arrival in London.

And I find it odd that so many people on here have so little understanding
of human nature that they Just Dont Get that when its your first time in a
new city, are perhaps tired from travelling and are a bit confused about how
things work a lot of people would prefer talking to a person who can explain
what tickets they need , prices, zones etc, rather than wrestle with some
- IMO - poorly designed ticket machine interface.

I know people who use usenet are generally more technical than others and
wouldn't have a problem with most machines, but FFS at least try and put
yourselves in others situations occasionally.

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 09/12/2015 09:22, d wrote:
On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 22:40:28 +0200
Clank wrote:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:04:40 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, d remarked:
There are some queues, but buying an Oyster from a machine is simplicity
itself. Even you could manage it.

Simpler than asking someone for an Oyster? Short of the machine being
psychic
and knowing what you want as soon as you get there I doubt it.

There was talk, earlier, of tourists. Non-English speakers will find a
machine less daunting than a grumpy Tfl employee.

This is certainly true. And I also find it odd that certain people here
think the first time a tourist will ever have experienced anything so
new-fangled as a ticket machine is on arrival in London.

And I find it odd that so many people on here have so little understanding
of human nature that they Just Dont Get that when its your first time in a
new city, are perhaps tired from travelling and are a bit confused about how
things work a lot of people would prefer talking to a person who can explain
what tickets they need , prices, zones etc, rather than wrestle with some
- IMO - poorly designed ticket machine interface.

I know people who use usenet are generally more technical than others and
wouldn't have a problem with most machines, but FFS at least try and put
yourselves in others situations occasionally.


And conversely why should we subsidise foreign visitors to these lands
when they do not do likewise? Particularly when there are plenty of
guidebooks available, in their language, that hopefully contain a useful
zonal map of the tube alongside details of what tickets are available.

Although I'd have thought the best advice these days would be to just
use a contactless card and it will get you close to the cheapest
possible fare if not exactly so.

At least the system is nowhere near as perverse as the Sofian tram
system, with the additional complication of notices in cyrillic and a
different fine structure for foreigners (higher by a factor of 10 or
used to be!)

Bus tickets - single?
 

On Wed, 9 Dec 2015 13:03:19 +0000
Someone Somewhere wrote:
On 09/12/2015 09:22, d wrote:
I know people who use usenet are generally more technical than others and
wouldn't have a problem with most machines, but FFS at least try and put
yourselves in others situations occasionally.


And conversely why should we subsidise foreign visitors to these lands
when they do not do likewise? Particularly when there are plenty of

Sorry? How is providing a person to speak to subsidising anything? And I
wasn't just talking about foreign visitors. When I first used the T&W metro
with is staffless stations and hopeless ticket machines I was standing there
for 2 or 3 minutes trying to figure out what the hell to buy. If they'd had
someone in a window it could have been sorted in seconds.

Listen , if you lot all have Aspergers and prefer dealing with machines than
people then you have my pity. But most of us in the human race are not that
way inclined so stop assuming everyone is as screwed up as you are.

guidebooks available, in their language, that hopefully contain a useful
zonal map of the tube alongside details of what tickets are available.

Oh sure, and a screen by screen guide of how to use the machines too no
doubt.

Although I'd have thought the best advice these days would be to just
use a contactless card and it will get you close to the cheapest
possible fare if not exactly so.

Because the complete lack of signage on the gates makes it so obvious that
contactless can be used doesn't it.

At least the system is nowhere near as perverse as the Sofian tram
system, with the additional complication of notices in cyrillic and a
different fine structure for foreigners (higher by a factor of 10 or
used to be!)

And a single journey probably cost the equivalent of 10p.

--
Spud

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 2015-12-09 14:36:43 +0000, d said:

Sorry? How is providing a person to speak to subsidising anything? And I
wasn't just talking about foreign visitors. When I first used the T&W metro
with is staffless stations and hopeless ticket machines I was standing there
for 2 or 3 minutes trying to figure out what the hell to buy. If they'd had
someone in a window it could have been sorted in seconds.

Well this is a first - I actually agree with you. I travel a lot in
Europe and many is the time I've been peering at a ticket machine
trying to figure out how to buy a single fare. Even the locals
sometimes don't know and sometimes it's not even the right machine...

If there are no barriers I usually just ride for free.

Mostly though it's down to very poor interface design.

E.

Bus tickets - single?
 

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at 19:27:10 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Mizter T remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every ten
minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection each day,
at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 14:36:43 on Wed, 9 Dec
2015, d remarked:
Although I'd have thought the best advice these days would be to just
use a contactless card and it will get you close to the cheapest
possible fare if not exactly so.

Because the complete lack of signage on the gates makes it so obvious that
contactless can be used doesn't it.

There's lots of big signs up (albeit only in English) at the larger
stations.
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 09:06:06
on Wed, 9 Dec 2015, remarked:
And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every ten
minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection each day,
at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

But you live in the City Centre. Try the exercise again halfway up
Milton Road,
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

A great thing about the internet is that someone asks a question like,

"Is it no longer possible to buy a single bus ticket?"

and he gets nearly one HUNDRED replies!

Superb!

Bus tickets - single?
 

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
09:06:06 on Wed, 9 Dec 2015, remarked:
And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every
ten minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection
each day, at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

But you live in the City Centre. Try the exercise again halfway up
Milton Road,

You implied it was everywhere outside the M25. I've told you a million times
not to exaggerate!

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Bus tickets - single?
 

In message , at 11:51:29
on Wed, 9 Dec 2015, remarked:
Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

But you live in the City Centre. Try the exercise again halfway up
Milton Road,

You implied it was everywhere outside the M25. I've told you a million times
not to exaggerate!

The second M stands for *may* ;)
--
Roland Perry

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 2015-12-09 17:09:49 +0000, Offramp said:

A great thing about the internet is that someone asks a question like,

"Is it no longer possible to buy a single bus ticket?"

and he gets nearly one HUNDRED replies!

Superb!

That was me - and only 95% off-topic.

E.

Bus tickets - single?
 

wrote in message
...
In article , (Roland
Perry)
wrote:

In message , at 19:27:10 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Mizter T remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every ten
minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection each
day,
at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

presumably that's because you have 4 post offices within 5 minutes walk

not many people are this lucky

tim



--
Colin Rosenstiel

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 04/12/2015 14:51, Roland Perry wrote:
2015, Clive Page remarked:
I thought that when contactless bank cards were introduced for small
transactions in shops one of the safeguards was that the first time
you used one you would be required to enter your pin on the associated
pin pad, just so that if someone stole your card and you had not
enabled it in this way it could not be used to empty your account.

I dimly recall that too, but have never encountered it myself in the
field (I have several cards on the go).

I've just got more information on this, by chance. Halifax says of a
conctact-less card that "the first time you use it for any transaction
you will need to enter your PIN. Once you've done that your card is
ready for contact-less payments."

And I just checked the website of Nationwide Building Society which has
different and rather ambiguous wording but to much the same effect -
except that they say the initial transaction can be a chip and signature
one. So it doesn't appear that there is any flag on the card that has
to be updated by using it with a PIN the first time, the flag (if any)
must be on the bank's own servers. Nor does it appear that you need to
use it with a potentially contact-less terminal but with a PIN first
time, provided you have used that card somewhere with a PIN beforehand,
even an ATM.

This makes me more worried than I was - it means that any of my
contact-less cards could be stolen and used for a whole string of
transactions under £30 by anyone else with no PIN. I wonder how I would
establish that I didn't make these purchases myself.

Rather bizarrely, the Nationwide site says
"For extra security, you might occasionally be asked to enter your
4-digit PIN, or sign."

This is just after pointing out that you can use them for travel on
London Transport in place of an Oyster card. I'll bet a bus or tube
gate-line never asks for your PIN.


--
Clive Page

Bus tickets - single?
 

On 09/12/2015 17:09, Offramp wrote:
A great thing about the internet is that someone asks a question like,

"Is it no longer possible to buy a single bus ticket?"

and he gets nearly one HUNDRED replies!

Superb!

And most of them don't attempt to answer the question.

--
Clive Page

Bus tickets - single?
 

In article ,
(tim.....) wrote:

wrote in message
...
In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at 19:27:10 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Mizter T remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every
ten minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection
each day, at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box
collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

presumably that's because you have 4 post offices within 5 minutes walk

not many people are this lucky

Not more than two post offices within that number. The nearest is within
100m of the front door while the 4 don't include the nearest post office,
where any posting has to be handed over the counter as it has no box close
by.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Bus tickets - single?
 

wrote in message
...
In article ,
(tim.....) wrote:

wrote in message
...
In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at 19:27:10 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Mizter T remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban street
the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every
ten minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection
each day, at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box
collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

presumably that's because you have 4 post offices within 5 minutes walk

not many people are this lucky

Not more than two post offices within that number. The nearest is within
100m of the front door while the 4 don't include the nearest post office,
where any posting has to be handed over the counter as it has no box close
by.

You're lucky to have post boxes still collected in the evening

Round my way the only ones that get that are the ones outside the post
office, all the rest get opened at about 8:30 as postie walks past on his
delivery

A change they made about 2 years ago

tim

Bus tickets - single?
 

In article ,
(tim.....) wrote:

wrote in message
...
In article ,
(tim.....) wrote:

wrote in message
...
In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at 19:27:10 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Mizter T remarked:

And presumably these courier services would install pillar boxes
with once or twice daily collections in almost every urban
street the country

They are much more sparse than that. On average perhaps one every
ten minutes walk. The one nearest me has only a single collection
each day, at about 8.30am!

Five mins walk, perhaps, in an urban setting. From my front door,
I've got four that I can think of well within 5 mins walk.

YMMV in an urban setting outside the M25.

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box
collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

presumably that's because you have 4 post offices within 5 minutes walk

not many people are this lucky

Not more than two post offices within that number. The nearest is within
100m of the front door while the 4 don't include the nearest post
office, where any posting has to be handed over the counter as it has no
box close by.

You're lucky to have post boxes still collected in the evening

Round my way the only ones that get that are the ones outside the
post office, all the rest get opened at about 8:30 as postie walks
past on his delivery

A change they made about 2 years ago

I know. Another reason why I like living in a city centre.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Bus tickets - single?
 

In uk.transport.london message MIOdnaaWOsLD3vXLnZ2dnUU78dOdnZ2d@giganew
s.com, Wed, 9 Dec 2015 09:06:06, posted:

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

If you still live in the same place, your 5-minute-area surely has one
of the highest concentrations of letter-writers in the UK. It may be
that so many are provided there not for the convenience of perambulating
posters as such but to save the poor post-collectors having to extract
envelopefuls from boxes crammed to bursting-point with erudite epistles.

--
(c) John Stockton, Surrey, UK. Turnpike v6.05 MIME.
Merlyn Web Site - FAQish topics, acronyms, & links.

Bus tickets - single?
 

In article id,
lid (Dr J R Stockton) wrote:

In uk.transport.london message
, Wed, 9 Dec 2015
09:06:06, posted:

This urban setting outside the M25 still has evening box collections with
more than 4 within 5 minutes walk of our house.

If you still live in the same place, your 5-minute-area surely has one
of the highest concentrations of letter-writers in the UK. It may be
that so many are provided there not for the convenience of perambulating
posters as such but to save the poor post-collectors having to extract
envelopefuls from boxes crammed to bursting-point with erudite
epistles.

You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

But I think most of the boxes are positioned where they are for historical
reasons. The closest one used to be close to the sub-post office until it
closed over 30 years ago. When another one opened about 5 years ago at the
other end of the street they didn't put one outside it. Another is at the
main post office which has moved twice in recent decades and wasn't within 5
minutes' walk at one time.

--
Colin Rosenstiel