All London underground ticket offices to close by 2015

[Mr Joshua]

They seemed to manage handling cash 15 years ago (when virtually no one had contactless bus passes or the ability to pay online) so why is it suddenly an issue now where the need for it is even less?

Perhaps the answer is in your own post.

I rarely have cash on me these days

Most drivers will have a float but if every Tom, Dick and Harry plops down a note (and they do) it won't last long.

So drivers can only drive 4 hours between breaks, new single decker buses can carry 44 seated passengers, it won't take long to wipe out any float if everyone uses notes.

 

[estebanrey]

Perhaps the answer is in your own post.



Most drivers will have a float but if every Tom, Dick and Harry plops down a note (and they do) it won't last long.

So drivers can only drive 4 hours between breaks, new single decker buses can carry 44 seated passengers, it won't take long to wipe out any float if everyone uses notes.

Ehh???

LESS people today use cash, so the problem of running out of change should be less of one than 15 years ago when most people used cash, how is that so?

 

[Tefal]

Ehh???

LESS people today use cash, so the problem of running out of change should be less of one than 15 years ago when most people used cash, how is that so?

most buses dont take anything but cash

 

[Freefaller]

Read the guardian comments section recently..?

Even that guy who spent 13 months in a boat somehow ends up with a discussion about how evil the conservatives are...

I'm down the middle really, I like policies from both sides, but not to the extremes that both parties go to. I guess if I were on the poorer scale of the population my view point would be skewed to the left as much as if I were multi millionaire and lean further to the right.

I just have no love for unions. I've worked in heavily unionised workplaces, where any form of discipline, changes or anything else was always rebutted by unions, slowing down processes, and slowing down and inhibiting innovation, process improvements and basically shooting themselves in the foot as we weren't able to be competitive in industry, or we were just trying to close the barn door when the horses had bolted. Reactive, firefighting management and improving the business are polar opposites, and the unions would just not want to align themselves. I'm not saying unionists are lazy, but they do not embrace change and are myopic in their industrial behaviour.

I work within the TfL umbrella, but since most people aren't railway people and are engineers, project managers and such like we're not having that issue fortunately. I just have a very tarnished view on working with unions so am probably a little bit unfairly dismissive of them - but from my experience and from what I read, they've had their time, they're just archaic in today's world.

I have a opinion and I said what I meant no trolling at all.. But what worries me is that you a mod is using bulling tactics
and threats to make a member do what you want.

Page saved out.

Save the page all you want. IF you really want me to bully you, I could permanently remove your account, but I won't because you're just overreacting, and I'm just making a point.

However, since no one was bullying you, and you're just being particularly obtuse (either on purpose, ergo, trolling or you're genuinely a few sandwiches short of a picnic [FYI - another common English expression]) I'll let you calm down. I'm sure in time you'll apologise for your troll-like behaviour (I still believe the best in people).

P.S. no sandwiches were offended in this post - I checked

 

[Mr Joshua]

most buses dont take anything but cash

Exactly, perhaps 15 years ago (when "They seemed to manage handling cash") more people carried change and didn't just got to an ATM then slap a note down for the driver to deal with. That isn't true of course because it was an issue 15 years ago too but more and more people aren't carrying change these days, apparently.

 

[Freefaller]

Oyster will be phased out undoubtedly in due course as people use bank cards instead - debiting your account directly.

Wouldn't it be great if in due course either through biometrics or whatever you wouldn't even need to go through ticket barriers and it would just debit you automatically for your journeys? No more faffing about with wallets, or pockets.

 

[Hades]

I think the next big thing for train payments will be to tap your mobile.

 

[Caged]

Only 40% of RMT members voted on the strike action, and of them only 76% voted yes to it.

So 30% of RMT vote yes and it happens. What ever happened to majority voting?

Nobody seems to have an issue with it in every other election. You can't count not voting as a no vote any more than you can count it as a yes vote. If you phrase it as "76% of union members who had an opinion one way or the other were in favour" then does that make it any better?

What about if the vote was phrased as a double negative, would not voting be voting in favour?

 

[Burnsy2023]

Oyster will be phased out undoubtedly in due course as people use bank cards instead - debiting your account directly.

That all depends on the cost of the merchant services. They may be prohibitively expensive.

 

[badcompany]

Sick of hearing about it!

 

[Freefaller]

I think the next big thing for train payments will be to tap your mobile.

Yup - Apple need to catch up and get NFC though

However, I don't see why not.

That all depends on the cost of the merchant services. They may be prohibitively expensive.

They currently have them for self service machines and ticket offices so it wouldn't be any different would it?

 

[Burnsy2023]

They currently have them for self service machines and ticket offices so it wouldn't be any different would it?

Potentially, but it's the frequency of the transaction that may be the issue. It may not be a problem at all though.

 

[Freefaller]

Potentially, but it's the frequency of the transaction that may be the issue. It may not be a problem at all though.

I'm sure a bank would partner with them or get some sort of sponsorship/advertising as they do with airport terminals (i.e. HSBC) - if it made sense commercially.

I don't really want to go back to paying for London transport, but if I did, having it on 1 card would make life so much easier.

Though tourists would still be an issue, heck the Americans don't even have chip & pin yet let alone contactless!

 

[Dis86]

I'm still stunned the London Underground has manned ticket offices! WTF for!?

I've never travelled on any metro rail system anywhere in the world that has manned ticket offices!

 

[Lightnix]

I'm still stunned the London Underground has manned ticket offices! WTF for!?

I've never travelled on any metro rail system anywhere in the world that has manned ticket offices!

Basically we still have them because they threatened to ruin everybody's day if we thought about getting rid of them. So I guess they'll be gone pretty soon.

 

[Spook187]

Most unions are great when dealing with an individual's problems, but when it comes to larger change they lose their relevance. It's the same with the Police Federation, great when you have a malicious complaint, crap when they start playing politics.

Yes i could kinda agree with that, i just don't like when people think because you support a union you are classed as a trouble maker or militant which i am not

 

[krooton]

Nobody seems to have an issue with it in every other election. You can't count not voting as a no vote any more than you can count it as a yes vote. If you phrase it as "76% of union members who had an opinion one way or the other were in favour" then does that make it any better?

What about if the vote was phrased as a double negative, would not voting be voting in favour?

That doesn't work, the natural state of TFL is not being on strike.

Elections require a party to be elected based on the votes received.

You cannot compare them.

 

[Tunney]

That doesn't work, the natural state of TFL is not being on strike.

Elections require a party to be elected based on the votes received.

You cannot compare them.

So you think that similar rules should apply to referendums, such as the ones on Scottish independence and EU memberships?

What about votes in the House of Commons?

 

[Caged]

Ok then, substitute votes in Parliament for election. Telling unions that they need a majority vote of all members when you're happy to pass things through Parliament with less will rightly get a greater retaliation than these couple of days of tube strikes.

Interpreting not voting as 'no' will make it incredibly difficult to pass any changes, and is unworkable.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Ok then, substitute votes in Parliament for election. Telling unions that they need a majority vote of all members when you're happy to pass things through Parliament with less will rightly get a greater retaliation than these couple of days of tube strikes.

But AV was defeated