Public Transport in your particular part of the region

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m-in-m
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Joined: Sat 05 Apr, 2008 22.26
Location: West Suffolk/Cambs

WillPS wrote: Mon 30 May, 2022 10.03
Jonwo wrote: Sun 29 May, 2022 19.13 I don't mind USBs but given a lot of phones now are USB C, having USB A sockets or even USB C sockets will be a bit redundant as time goes on and technology progresses.
I carry a USB A to C cable with me for on-the-go charging purposes. My gut is that USB A won't ever be dropped from sockets at cafes etc, at most it'll be a combination of both A and C.
We are providing USB A & C on desks when buying now. I haven't used C to C myself yet.
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Pete
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Location: Dundee

I suppose, at the moment, the bulk of chargers are still A, however this'll change in time. Given that I'd assume its just a case of changing the face plate of the sockets (particularly when there is 240v plugs involved) this could probably be done within depots.

Where it gets more complex is things like the T&W Metro which has USB-A only in the armrests of its brand new spec trains entering service in 2024. Are the wires going to the ports powerful enough of handling USB-C power demands or will it be 5v with a USB-C socket? I know the overground 345s have normal plugs (for the cleaners) and assume the 720s do as well, but are the cables leading to their USB-A sockets capable of handling USB-C?
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Jonwo
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There's an article in Bloomberg about how Canary Wharf has seen its visitor numbers increase by a quarter which is impressive considering the area is weekday heavy as a destination,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... abeth-line

I wonder how many people visited places like Woolwich and Abbey Wood for the first time? I know I went to Abbey Wood only to discover there's nothing in Abbey Wood.
Martin Phillp
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Jonwo wrote: Wed 01 Jun, 2022 15.01 There's an article in Bloomberg about how Canary Wharf has seen its visitor numbers increase by a quarter which is impressive considering the area is weekday heavy as a destination,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... abeth-line

I wonder how many people visited places like Woolwich and Abbey Wood for the first time? I know I went to Abbey Wood only to discover there's nothing in Abbey Wood.
Abbey Wood and neighbouring Thamesmead are in dire need of regeneration, which I think is one of the reasons the Elizabeth Line goes there. It's also one of the 'cheapest' parts of London.
TVF's London Lite.
Jonwo
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Joined: Sat 26 Apr, 2008 02.05

Martin Phillp wrote: Thu 02 Jun, 2022 03.17 Abbey Wood and neighbouring Thamesmead are in dire need of regeneration, which I think is one of the reasons the Elizabeth Line goes there. It's also one of the 'cheapest' parts of London.
It doesn't help in the case of Abbey Wood, you're greeted to a motorway as you exit the station.
thegeek
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Joined: Sat 04 Jun, 2005 12.35

Here's my promised Glasgow transport rant:
The current temporary timetable ScotRail are running means the branch lines I've been using are running hourly services, but not a clockface and finishing uselessly early. In many cases, a return is cheaper than a single, not that the ticket machine tells you that.

First have introduced a tap on/tap off system on the buses. You tap in with your bank card on the reader next to the driver, and they press a button but don't give you a ticket; then when you're leaving you tap a different reader on the other side above the luggage rack. Except when I did that, the reader didn't beep, which the driver told me was because I'd travelled far enough for it to charge the maximum single fare, therefore it wouldn't register. Which sounds a bit iffy to me. It does apparently do daily and weekly capping, but is still a right faff if your journey takes you across different operators or modes.

Come to think of it, is true pay as you go possible anywhere in the UK outwith the reach of TfL?
cwathen
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Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 17.28

thegeek wrote: Fri 03 Jun, 2022 22.46 First have introduced a tap on/tap off system on the buses. You tap in with your bank card on the reader next to the driver, and they press a button but don't give you a ticket; then when you're leaving you tap a different reader on the other side above the luggage rack. Except when I did that, the reader didn't beep, which the driver told me was because I'd travelled far enough for it to charge the maximum single fare, therefore it wouldn't register. Which sounds a bit iffy to me. It does apparently do daily and weekly capping, but is still a right faff if your journey takes you across different operators or modes.

Come to think of it, is true pay as you go possible anywhere in the UK outwith the reach of TfL?
First West of England has had 'Tap & Cap' in Bristol since the end of 2020. You tap on but not off without needing to speak to the driver. 1 tap will sell a single, and from then on capping comes in. If you do one more tap that day it will assume that must have been a return and cap for a return, if you tap more than that it will cap at a day rider fare. During the same week it will cap further at the level that a weekly season ticket would have cost.

It does actually work pretty well in the central areas and the capping always works perfectly, only weaknesses are specialty tickets which still exist but need to be asked for now rarely get sold since hardly anyone talks to the driver which can cause people to overpay, and because neither the driver nor the system know where you're going to it's very easy to travel outside of the inner fare zone without realising.
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Pete
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thegeek wrote: Fri 03 Jun, 2022 22.46 Here's my promised Glasgow transport rant:
The current temporary timetable ScotRail are running means the branch lines I've been using are running hourly services, but not a clockface and finishing uselessly early. In many cases, a return is cheaper than a single, not that the ticket machine tells you that.
it's the uselessly early that gets me. I went to a leaving do for someone from work and people from other towns were having to get the last bus at 9:30 bc the last train (normally 11:30) was at 7:30!
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Jonwo
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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.
Charlie Wells
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Location: Cambridgeshire

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.
The problem with the oyster system is the limited number of zones it can hold. I believe the technology behind it can only hold 15 programmed 'zones'. It's why more recent extensions have been contactless only, and not oyster & contactless. With it set to expand further over the next few years, I'm not sure the system is as clear and simple as it once was.
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Jonwo
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Charlie Wells wrote: Sat 04 Jun, 2022 14.33
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.
The problem with the oyster system is the limited number of zones it can hold. I believe the technology behind it can only hold 15 programmed 'zones'. It's why more recent extensions have been contactless only, and not oyster & contactless. With it set to expand further over the next few years, I'm not sure the system is as clear and simple as it once was.
Interestingly, TfL already license their contactless technology to Cubic who in turned have implemented on other metro systems globally like the TfNSW in New South Wales with the Opal Card and the MTA in New York with the OMNY card.
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