After the ASA's recent rebuke to TfL concerning the "better from every
angle" bendy bus poster, a new reprimand regarding the "Pink is the new
Blue" posters promoting Oyster Pre Pay (pay as you go)...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4418674.stm


The full ASA adjudication is available from their website:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudicati...ation_id=40497

Objections (1) and (4) are IMHO the strongest points, particularly
objection (1) - that the poster "misleadingly implied the Oyster card
was a like-for-like alternative to the one day Travelcard".

The poster in question had a blow-up of a One Day Travelcard to the
top, and an Oyster card to the bottom - seemingly equating the two. As
us London travellers know, this is not the case - whilst Pre Pay daily
capping is great, it ain't any use on most National Rail services.

Objection (3) is that the posters "did not make clear the distinction
between Oyster cards used as Pre Pay and Oyster cards used as season
tickets" - which just reflects (what I see to be) a frequent confusion
amongst many of the travelling public as to how the Oyster system
works, and it's chameleon-like ability to act as two types of tickets
at the same time.


The Oyster system is difficult to describe - TfL obviously wants to put
across a clear and simple message so as not to baffle people, but
sometimes that message seems to be too simple.

Roll on Pre Pay on National Rail in London - though it seems this
really isn't going to happen anytime soon, and it's not for TfL's want
of trying.