"Mizter T" wrote:

"Tim B" wrote:
[roadside ticket machines]
Are these machines actually any use any more?

They're most certainly of use in the central London 'pay before you board'
area - or on bendy bus routes (albeit not for much longer) - when someone
doesn't have a ticket and needs one before they board the bus.

I haven't noticed a particular epidemic of the roadside ticket machines
being out of order of late - I'll endeavour to keep my eyes open in coming
weeks...

Just a quick further thought - of course the high price of a bus ticket
bought with cash is intended to act as a deterrent and encourage people to
use Oyster (PAYG or passes), but I do wonder if it wasn't a bit of a mistake
to bump it up from £2 to £2.20 - there'll remain a small demand for paying
with cash, and £2 is an easier sum to deal with (in terms of change etc -
also bearing in mind that the roadside ticket machines don't dispense change
either).