Walter Briscoe wrote

where "Written Answers PDF" links to
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/
assemmtgs/2010/mqtjan27/minutes/written-answers.pdf from which I
quote:

Paper fares guide
Question No: 151 / 2010
Mike Tuffrey
Given the introduction of PAYG on National Rail, and significant
changes
to Oyster single fares, why was a paper fares guide not available at
stations on or before 2 January 2010?
Answer from the Mayor:
The information leaflet "Oyster pay as you go on National Rail",
giving
sample fares, was available at many National Rail stations in
December
2009.

A comprehensive paper fares guide was not introduced this year,
following an extensive study of customer usage of previous annual TfL
Fares and Ticketing leaflets. The results found that, in
general, customers prefer to ask station staff about fares, alongside
other questions about journey planning and so on. They do not
proactively seek the leaflet in the station. When shown a copy of
the
leaflet, customers found it too complex for their purpose, which is
usually to seek an individual fare or product.

The research showed customers seek simple and tailored information,
appropriate to their needs, for example, on concessionary fares.
Three
separate leaflets, which are available at Underground stations and
many
National Rail stations, have been produced for 2010:

* Getting around with Oyster
* Getting around with Discounts (concessionary fares), and
* Welcome to London (for visitors).

The TfL website now offers an online fares finder

(http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tickets/fa...finder/current)
and the Oyster helpline is open seven days a week to help with fares
enquiries.

I find that response a superb mixture of irrelevance and obfuscation.


It's not irrelevant to say "We're not providing what {most} customers
want" and I have posted that the NR leaflet "Oyster pay as you go on
National Rail" (and the Tfl Getting around with Oyster) contain example
fares which had no equivalent in the old paper "Guide to Fares and
Tickets" - they were paper only mixed NR and Tfl in 2009.

Thus the old leaflet was a compromise to try and keep it readable and
the new complexities maybe broke it ?

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