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Peter Campbell Smith[_5_] · June 14th 10, 11:42 AM posted to uk.transport.buses,uk.transport.london

Matt J Forbes wrote in news:33fcfcd6-3ce5-435a-b581-
:

In Portsmouth, the two major operators (First Hants & Dorset and
Stagecoach) issue zero fare tickets to those travelling on OAP /
Disabled passes, but seemingly without taking into account the origin
or destination of the journey in question. I'm no expert on these
things, but I can only imagine that it must cause nightmares for the
company accountants when billing the council for 'lost' revenue.

Broadly speaking, there are two ways in use for dealing with the accounting
issues. One is to count every use (eg by pressing a button or issuing a
zero-priced ticket) and the other is to sample the traffic from time to
time and extrapolate.

Different operators and authorities at various times have preferred one
over the other. Again in broad terms, counting each use is more expensive
but more accurate, but the degree to which it is more expensive depends on
the type of on-board and in-depot equipment the operator already has.

Peter

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| Peter Campbell Smith | Epsom | UK |