On 02/06/2015 12:18, Bill Borland wrote:
In article 1633203475454892803.412597recliner.ng-
, Recliner
writes
wrote:
How can you "expect" people to make use of the web if they do not know
how to? Those commuting might know, but not everyone can do these things?
It took me less time to find that page than it probably took you to post
your original query, and I'm a holder of a retired Freedom Pass, not a
commuter. Incidentally, I'd hope the gates have been reprogrammed so that
they'd know the validity of your pass.
I do agree that the staff should have known, but the rules only changed on
Sunday, and a lot of other things have just changed as well. This was
important to you, but it almost certainly was low on their priority list of
new stuff to learn. As it was important to you, you should have checked it
yourself first online -- it only takes seconds.
Freedom Pass holders are no longer young. I did not even possess a
computer until some years after I retired. "Looking things up on the
Web" seems to have become second nature to all you young ones, but
unfortunately there is a great deal of truth in the adage "You can't
teach an old dog new tricks". It would take me much more than
"seconds" to find information that way - computers are inventions of
the Devil and must be approached very carefully - they might bite.
And that doesn't even begin to consider that the elderly might have
poor eyesight, arthritic fingers, various other defects (I note that
the OP holds a "disabled" Freedom Pass) making it difficult to use a
computer.
We do our best to "keep up" but it isn't always easy.
So as well as giving you free travel, the London Councils and TfL should
expend large amounts of money telling you exactly what available when
you can't even bother expend the effort to use a computer and/or
telephone to find out? In both cases there are plenty of options to
make the technology easier to use for those differently abled.
Of course, you may also view telephones as an instrument of beelzebub in
which case do you think that TfL should also offer a semaphore or smoke
signal (although wasn't that a bit foreign?) enquiry service?
I'm all for equality but some people seem to need a ridiculous amount of
hand holding.
If you can't be bothered to find out, why not travel with an expectation
of paying for it and being pleasantly surprised, and maybe grateful, if
it's free?