As far as buses and many other things are concerned, London is a different country, totally different to the rest of Great Britain. Its buses are regulated and centrally planned for a start. No free market exists in the capital. London's buses are lavished with a level of subsidy that the rest of the country can only dream about. One of the benefits of that is the multi-modal Oyster card, which has sped up London's buses by doing away with the need to pay by cash when you board. Cash has still been an option though, until now, but it will be phased out from this summer. To stop people being stranded, Oyster cards will allow people to go overdrawn by the value of one bus journey. Even if you lose your Oyster card, you can pay with your contactless bank card. All in all, this is a positive step, which will speed up journeys even more ... and widen the gap between the experience of using buses in London and elsewhere in the country.
While London gets excited by the end of cash on buses, just a few miles up the road, Hertfordshire marvels at the fact that you can now buy a ticket that is valid on almost all buses in the county for an entire week. In fairness, the Intalink Explorer makes Hertfordshire one of the best places in the country to use the bus. There are a great many regions with no all-operator ticket whatsoever. Visitors from Europe quite rightly view us as primitive.
The problem London is creating is not everyone wants, or is suitable for, any form of period tickets - it is going to cause a hassle for the short break visitor. As one of my colleagues (from the East Midlands) pointed out they don't want the hassle of an Oyster for a visit that may only be once a year at most (and that is unlikely to use up the value on the card, leaving money on the card that may never be used), I guess TfL aren't bothered by such groups, they aren't local. I don't have a contactless bankcard and don't want one, I simply don't see the need and don't trust the security. TfL already appear to have removed any ability to buy any form of season ticket that isn't on Oyster on or off-bus. You can still buy a Travelcard if arriving by train (or from a train station) apparently, but looking at the TfL website you wouldn't know it (it's only mentioned as an offering on the train ticket pricing lists it doesn't mention that they are valid on buses and doesn't tell you where they can be bought) and if you arriving by coach or staying overnight it is get an Oyster or get lost it appears from TfLs perspective. Hardly a customer friendly example of state controlled regulation, more an example of the risks of a regulated monopoly that doesn't have to worry about anyone coming in and offering a more convenient service. It's why there isn't anything as successful as Oyster anywhere else, the price differential that TfL put in to drive people to Oyster couldn't be allowed anywhere else as someone would just come in and undercut you (or the press would accuse the private company of profiteering & ripping off their cash customers as the difference in price is so high). London only works because of the huge amounts of subsidy it receives to support its bus network and yet there are still areas in the deregulated provinces that can match the passenger growth rates and many that beat it for customer service.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that it will still be possible to purchase a card one-day Travelcard from shops and underground stations. Almost all tourists and occasional visitors will avail of this, especially if travelling by tube in Zone 1 which is incredibly expensive.
DeleteIn practice, an awful lot of occasional travellers DO have Oyster. My wife and daughter venture into London several times a year; both have Oyster which gets topped up by £10 each time by phone. £10 covers a one-day Travelcard with small change, so there is little surplus cash left on there.
If you are even slight savvy, you can easily work the London system without cash. Most bus drivers now pay in less than £25 per shift, with many late shifts paying in precisely £0!
For once, this is actually a good move. Perhaps, in time, we can lose the assault screens as well, which IMHO actually create friction between passengers and drivers as well as protection against theft. No cash - no theft!
How can oyster be considered a hassle when buying one is no more difficult than buying a train ticket and only has to be done once. I find outside London, buses are far more of a hassle, having to have a pocket full of change. The slowness in boarding compared with London is really noticeable.
ReplyDeleteAs for contactless cards. I'm not an expert on security, but I do know that if I lost mine I could contact the bank and the card would be stopped immediately. I know of no way to do this if I lost my wallet full of cash!
Outside of London buses are few and far between and most people only use them occasionally. An Oyster card could be introduced but would have very limited take up. Probably better for credit or debit cards to be used on the buses
DeleteWhat a load of rubbish! What about The Key as offered by several Go Ahead companies. Is that not a success?
DeleteThe Key is a huge step forward, but it isn't multi-modal and can't even be used on any buses not run by Go Ahead. As good as it is, its appeal is limited. Hopefully the way forward will be for all bus operators to have such schemes and for them to become compatible with one another.
DeleteFrom Southern Railway's page about The Key: "Will the key work in London?
ReplyDeleteYes, the existing London Oystercard system is currently being updated to allow the key to work. From the 21st October 2013 the key will work on all Oystercards readers at London Victoria, Clapham Junction and East Croydon, but from February 2014, you will be able to load a travelcard onto the key for use on National Rail, London Underground, DLR and buses." Inter availability will be coming shortly with Brighton & Hove according to their website....So that sounds pretty multi-modal.
Sounds good. Now we need to look at how to roll it out to bus operators and rail franchises outside London that are not part of Go Ahead.
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