In article ,
(eastender) wrote:

In article . com,
"Boltar" wrote:

I've had an oyster card since they first came out funnily enough.
And well done to you for getting a card though since you're a regular

on this group I suspect you already knew about them. I doubt the
same can be said for 99% of tourists who come here however. Do you
read up on the ticketing of the metro and bus systems in every
foreign city you visit before you go in case you get screwed by some
megalomanic mayor and his patsies by not coughing up a deposit
beforehand to buy the local smartcard?

What nonsense. Many other world cities have travelcard systems -
why wouldn't someone check out London's? And you don't need to
'read up' on them - you can just go to a ticket office or machine
and buy one in most cities I've been to.

Precisely. Just regard cash fares as a tax on the ignorant, as in almost
every city in the world.

--
Colin Rosenstiel.

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
In article ,
(eastender) wrote:
What nonsense. Many other world cities have travelcard systems -
why wouldn't someone check out London's? And you don't need to

Why would you? I don't know any other city metro that penalises people
for buying a normal ticket. If you know otherwise then please tell us
where.

'read up' on them - you can just go to a ticket office or machine
and buy one in most cities I've been to.

How many cities have you been too? Can you speak every language in the
world? Try going to the eastern block and asking the babushka at the
ticket office about the fares in english and see what sort of response
you get.


Precisely. Just regard cash fares as a tax on the ignorant, as in almost
every city in the world.

Should be a tax you 2 should be paying then.

B2003

On 28 Dec 2006 11:49:49 -0800, "Boltar"
wrote:


Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
In article ,
(eastender) wrote:
What nonsense. Many other world cities have travelcard systems -
why wouldn't someone check out London's? And you don't need to

Why would you? I don't know any other city metro that penalises people
for buying a normal ticket.

This system penalises people who buy abnormal tickets. Oyster is
normal.

Boltar wrote:
Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
In article ,
(eastender) wrote:
What nonsense. Many other world cities have travelcard systems -
why wouldn't someone check out London's? And you don't need to

Why would you? I don't know any other city metro that penalises people
for buying a normal ticket. If you know otherwise then please tell us
where.

I can't immediately think of where it was, but I've recently* been
somewhere where it costs more to buy a tram/bus/etc ticket from the
driver than from a kiosk in advance. Admittedly it isn't as dramatic a
difference as the card/cash prices in London, but fare differentials do
exist.

Conversely, in Manila they charge a 2% processing fee for using the
smart card!

(*)so I'd guess Sofia, somewhere in Italy, Innsbruck or Berlin.

'read up' on them - you can just go to a ticket office or machine
and buy one in most cities I've been to.

How many cities have you been too? Can you speak every language in the
world? Try going to the eastern block and asking the babushka at the
ticket office about the fares in english and see what sort of response
you get.

In my experience, as long as you want a bog-standard single ticket,
you'll get a ticket. Often as not there is a fare table on display, so
you can spot a likely-looking product (and ignore the "pregnant war
veterans with dogs and three children travelling on the day after a
public holiday" discounts).

The trickier bit can be working out where zone boundaries are, and
trying to establish if a "Travelcard"-type product is valid 00:01-23:59,
"off peak", or for 24h after issue (or first use).

If you get really stuck, just look for someone under 30 who will
enthusiastically translate as an opportunity to practice their English.
Or, if you know any German, in some places you might have some success
if you find an older person and try speaking German (having first made
clear that you aren't German, it is purely an attempt to find a common
language, and they bombed your granny's house as well, &c &c)


Precisely. Just regard cash fares as a tax on the ignorant, as in almost
every city in the world.

Should be a tax you 2 should be paying then.

B2003



--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In article ,
lid (Arthur Figgis) wrote:

I can't immediately think of where it was, but I've recently* been
somewhere where it costs more to buy a tram/bus/etc ticket from the
driver than from a kiosk in advance. Admittedly it isn't as
dramatic a difference as the card/cash prices in London, but fare
differentials do exist.

It was the case in Strasbourg in 1985. I agree the differential is the
only real problem. £4 to £1.50 is rather taking the ****.

--
Colin Rosenstiel.

On Thu, 28 Dec 2006, Boltar wrote:

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
In article ,
(eastender) wrote:

What nonsense. Many other world cities have travelcard systems - why
wouldn't someone check out London's? And you don't need to

Why would you? I don't know any other city metro that penalises people
for buying a normal ticket.

In London, a paper ticket isn't a normal ticket. Oyster is.

tom

--
If it ain't broke, open it up and see what makes it so bloody special.

Tom Anderson wrote:
In London, a paper ticket isn't a normal ticket. Oyster is.

Try putting a one day travelcard on an Oyster. Oh hold on , you can't.

Sorry , what were you saying?

B2003

On Fri, 29 Dec 2006, Boltar wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

In London, a paper ticket isn't a normal ticket. Oyster is.

Try putting a one day travelcard on an Oyster. Oh hold on , you can't.

Sorry , what were you saying?

I was saying that Oyster is the normal form of ticket. Which it is.

tom

--
It's just really ****ing good and that's all. -- Gabe, on the Macintosh

Tom Anderson wrote:

On Fri, 29 Dec 2006, Boltar wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

In London, a paper ticket isn't a normal ticket. Oyster is.

Try putting a one day travelcard on an Oyster. Oh hold on , you can't.

Sorry , what were you saying?

I was saying that Oyster is the normal form of ticket. Which it is.

For season ticket holders yes it is , but people who are here just for
a day or 2 and want to tour the city will want 1 day travelcards which
Osyer doesn't support. Sure , you can use it in prepay mode but you'll
pay through the nose if you make more than a few journeys whereas a
travelcard is a one off cost. Though knowing Ken & Tfl I suspect thats
the whole point - prepay brings in more revenue. Wouldn't surprise me
if the 1 day travelcard ceases to exist in the next few years and the
clock will roll back to 1985 where you only had the choice of singles
or returns (which is all prepay is at the end of the day).

B2003

Boltar wrote:

For season ticket holders yes it is , but people who are here just for
a day or 2 and want to tour the city will want 1 day travelcards which
Osyer doesn't support.

And what about people who live in London but don't use season tickets?
Or who use point-to-point NR seasons with no travelcard/tube/bus/zonal
options?

Oyster is next-to-useless for us too.

Though knowing Ken & Tfl I suspect thats
the whole point - prepay brings in more revenue. Wouldn't surprise me
if the 1 day travelcard ceases to exist in the next few years and the
clock will roll back to 1985 where you only had the choice of singles
or returns (which is all prepay is at the end of the day).

I'd be in favour of that if they were dirt-cheap returns and singles,
cheaper than one day travelcards because you're not paying for
unnecessary bus journeys, but implemented using proven tried-and-tested
technology like paper and cardboard, not unreliable new-fangled smart
cards that break down after you've only used them two or three times!