On 11 Sep 2006 23:54:45 -0700, "Neil Williams"
wrote:

Dave Arquati wrote:

-- via Zone 1 singles from £3 to £4 (!)
-- bus singles from £1.50 to £2

Now that really is taking the ****. Why don't they just abolish cash
fares if that's what they want to do? It's nothing but an underhand
and dishonest tourist tax.

It's only a tax on stupid tourists. Anyone visiting a different city,
especially those from overseas where English is not their first
language, is likely to bring with them a guide book or do some
internet research before they set off. I certainly always do, and that
research always includes checking out the public transport options and
fares in my destination city.

If there really are any tourists that just turn up somewhere where
they don't speak the language without the sense to read the key points
of a guidebook / leaflet / inflight magazine and check for basics like
how to travel around the place, I'm fine with them paying a bit extra.

You also ignore the fact that typically newly arrived tourists come
with a huge pile of large denomination notes or travellers cheques.
Quite how you expect them to fit those into Oyster machines is beyond
me. Do you see what I'm saying? The people you're bleating about are
*extremely* likely to go to a tube station ticket office (e.g. the one
at Heathrow, Gatwick or a major train station) first because it's
probably the only place they can spend the large notes they've got
anyway.