Mikael Armstrong wrote to uk.transport.london on Thu, 23 Sep 2004:

The railway companies would be better off ensuring that they have working
ticket machines, enough of them and manned booths. Perhaps even ticket
machines on trains. I have had to get on trains many times without a ticket
and try and buy one later, as the machines were out of order and the ticket
offices closed. The real freeloaders are few and far between.

They do exist! I remember in Paris, before magnetic screening was
introduced by after the "tricoteuses" had stopped punching tickets
manually, you had to introduce your ticket into a machine that punched
it, and this opened the gates. Unfortunately, it did not cancel the
ticket, so an awful lot of people just used the same ticket over and
over again, until the magnetic readers were introduced. I gather from
the French transport museum website that these punchers were only
intended to be a temporary measure, but I was there, and they looked
rather permanent to me.... I think the RATP PTB had to do a quick
rethink.

Maybe one day travelcards that allow a reduction in price will be on
smart cards that can be touched to a reader, and any allowable deduction
then made automatically, and a prompt to renew the card when it is
expiring can also be issued. Actually, I've never been asked to show my
card when my ticket is checked, although I'm always prepared to do so -
perhaps it's my honest face..... ;-)
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 11 September 2004