thegeek wrote: ↑Sun 05 Jun, 2022 07.00
Jonwo wrote: ↑Sat 04 Jun, 2022 14.01
I find the payment system for tickets outside of London so confusing. The Oyster system is so simple to use, I'm surprised TfL haven't tried licensing it to the other parts of England as it would earn them some much needed dosh.
It gets complicated where there are multiple operators involved. We went to Pollok Park, and could get either First or McGills buses - in theory I could have got a Glasgow Tripper ticket (if I had a suitable ITSO card) but it's 50p more than a FirstDay and also less cost effective than the family ticket I bought. But then that meant we were locked into getting a First bus back.
If I wanted to make a journey by bus then train then that's two separate tickets, going by subway would mean a third. It's possible to put it all on the same smartcard but that's not what's causing the friction here, it's thinking about the simplest way to make my journey (and how much flexibility I have in coming back the same way or by a different mode without it costing me more).
The joy of Oyster (and contactless) is not having to think about any of that, and knowing that I can take whatever route I want and the system will sort it out. But that only works when you've got a TfL sorting out revenue allocations, and your Firsts, Stagecoaches and assorted rail operators aren't going to do it voluntarily if it means less money for them.
And so the nail was hit on the head for reversal of privatisation of local bus services, without one central body in charge.
I'm just outside of London on the Surrey borders and we have the same issue on some routes where there has been "competition" and a few bus companies trying to undercut each other. Nobody ever really wins, passengers get confused by the array of fares and tickets and just want a bus to get them from A to B and reliabily, which is what TFL do pretty well. As a result of such competition, there is now one route and a return ticket costs up to £6.50.
Versus TFL - £1.65 buys you a journey, no matter how short or long it is, and if you have to switch buses within the hour, it won't cost you any more. You can tap in with something you already have (a bank card or device) and your journey is open once you are within the TFL zonal system.
I don't agree with yet another smartcard-based system where you have to convert "your" money into "their" money. Why not just use what people have (a contactless bank card or device) as a token and have the infrastructure calculate the fares?
I read up on the Glasgow Tripper ticket and all this having to wait 2 weeks for your card to be shipped, then you have to arse around with registering and topping it up online and then waiting 4 hours for you ticket to be active. Sheesh.
What happens when my ticket has expired?
Simply buy another one! Log on to your Tripper account and add another ticket. We ask that you leave at least four hourse between purchasing your ticket online, and activating it on the bus.
If the 4hr window does not suit your travel plans, remember that you can also buy a Tripper Day ticket on the bus too.