On 21 Oct, 20:22, Mizter T wrote:
On Oct 21, 8:00*pm, MIG wrote:





On 21 Oct, 19:52, Mizter T wrote:

On Oct 21, 6:36 pm, MIG wrote:

It has really pist off the journalists, hasn't it, this burying of bad
news on CSR day?

They are saying that it's the start of an attempt to phase out
travelcards.

Given how an Oyster OSI ****up has just saddled me with a penalty
fare, and I can't be the only one, this is extremely bad news.

Is anyone actually saying it's the start of an attempt to completely
phase out Travelcards? (I mean, apart from you?)

No one apart from me, because I didn't say it. *It's just been said on
the BBC London News, and probably elsewhere.

I haven't even read the changes in detail. *I was just commenting on
the media response.

OK, sorry - afraid I rarely seem to watch the local television news
bulletins these days, so their take on matters rather passes me by -
that said the Beeb's London news operation seems relatively well
versed in matters transportational, though I'm more likely to pick up
on their output on the web, or perhaps BBC London radio (though time
constraints mean it'll only ever be a snippet).

Haven't picked up a copy of the Standard today, but looking at their
main news page on the web the new fares don't feature prominently...
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/news/

...though once you find it there's a decent piece on the changes from
Pippa Crerar (whom I rate) he
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23890196-.do

It's not a forensic analysis but I wouldn't expect that either. She
seems to confirm my earlier thoughts about the CSR announcements
w.r.t. changes to rail fares regulation pathing the way for the
Travelcard price increases (something that was definitively off the
agenda last year) - though not sure where I got RPI+2% from, as she
mentions a 6% rise.

This report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11598617 is
focusing on what they are calling a 74% rise. The main theme of
reports I half saw/heard was that Boris was hiding the bad news on CSR
day, after giving a press conference with partial information and
giving journalists partial printouts, when it hadn't been billed as an
announcement of the new fares.

Peter Hendy came on to say that they weren't hiding anything and had
got round to releasing all the information by now, some of it today.

It seemed to be largely a story about journalists being peeved at what
they obviously perceived as an attempt to hoodwink them. That's
presumably why they are hitting back with the 74% instead of going
along with any different spin. I am pretty sure that it was one of
the journalists who made the comment about phasing out travelcards,
but I was frying potato-related foods and wasn't taking notes.

You raised an interesting point though. If capping can't very well
exceed the cost of travelcards, and travelcards are subject to
regulation, aren't day travelcards keeping the PAYG fares down? So
there's motivation anyway.

And as we know, PAYG fares aren't that cheap when they land you with a
£20 penalty fare plus escalating admin fees. Perhaps they ought to
pull their collective finger out and fix PAYG before offering it as
the wonderful, cheap alternative?