London Banter - View Single Post - Proposal - every Tube ticket office to close by 2015

Richard · November 23rd 13, 10:44 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:31:32 -0600,
wrote:

[Mizter T:]
There's no suggestion whatsoever that Oyster cards are to disappear
from the scene. So Oyster cards should continue to be available from
shops as they are now - and they're already available for vending
from Tube ticket machines (at least one machine in each station).

Really? I've never noticed one at East |Putney. And the ticket stop outside
shuts long before the end of service.

If there isn't one, then that will be fixed before 2015 (the year!).

I can't help but think that a lack of Tube ticket offices at main NR
termini and other arrival points (Heathrow, VCS etc) just isn't very
visitor friendly though - however much TfL might try and push Visitor
Oyster cards to visitors before they arrive in London, people are
just going to turn up and expect to sort it on arrival. (CPCs may be
a solution for some of those visitors, but not all.)

I heard there was a list somewhere of ticket offices that *are* to
remain open. A few stations stand out, surely: airports, King's
Cross, Oxford Circus, Victoria?

Agree. I found Berlin a little bewildering for visitors to get going on the
U & S Bahn.

The machines could be better but all you need to remember is that most
of Berlin is in zones A and B. The new airport is in C. Some places
have their own zones A, B and C within the global zone C, like
Potsdam. I'm beginning to see your point! A weekly/monthly ticket
has an odd name designed to confuse visitors (like the Swiss "tariff
community tickets" screen option that only sells to anoraks). Once
you've done all that, the transport is good quality, although the lack
of money for the bus service particularly has to show an effect soon.

Richard.