London Banter - View Single Post - UK faces first major train strike in 20 years

e27002 aurora

On Fri, 15 May 2015 14:30:36 +0000 (UTC),
d wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015 12:59:06 +0100
Mizter T wrote:
On 15/05/2015 09:42, d wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015 08:10:06 +0100
e27002 aurora wrote:
I suspect that most jobs on the railway
(except perhaps tube station
ticket office staff)

Now we may observe an enormous public sector folly in real time. Only
a public body could be this stupid. Pity the poor tourist arriving in
London in need of guidance on using TfL services.

To be fair the blame can be squarely laid at the door of the blonde buffoon.
TfL simply have to do as their told. God help us if Boris ever becomes PM,
it'll be a ****ing disaster (and I speak as a Tory voter) not least because
the man is bone idle and is more interested in promoting himself than doing
what he's paid to do.

The grant from central government to the GLA for transport has been
significantly cut back.

I don't see how moving staff out of ticket offices and investing in even
more expensive ticketing machines is going to reduce spending. Unless of
course the long term plan is to dispense with said staff in a few years
when they've been deemed to be "ineffective". Though hopefully whoever the
next mayor is can at least stop this in its tracks before too much damage
is done.

The stranger needs a counter, or a window, where he can ask for help
and be sold the correct ticked regardless of what denominations his
money is in, or what sort of credit card he has.

I have been in exactly this situation in San Francisco. The gates are
automated, tickets are sold by machines that, back then, only took the
correct coins. The one human being on duty told me to leave the
station and come back with right change.

SF Muni is fascinating system. But, I find it hard to consider myself
a fan.