wrote:
Before everyone gets a bit too carried away about how rubbish other
systems are compared to the tube you might like to be interested in
my experiences of the metro in Kiev, Ukraine which I had the pleasure
to use for a while this month.

A one month card which covers the whole system costs 25 Gryvna which is roughly
2 pounds 80 pence. This is for a service where the trains run every 2 mins
30 seconds the whole day.

Of course, your average Ukrainian earns a lot less than your average
Londoner. 45 times less, apparently, according to:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=285
(Average weekly earnings of £556 for Londoners, 2005)
http://manila.djh.dk/Ukraine/stories/storyReader$5
(Average *monthly* earnings of US$100 for Ukrainians, 2000)

That's about £53 per month versus £2409 per month. Based on this, a
£2.80 pass to a Ukrainian is equivalent (ignoring the difference in the
year of measurement) to an £127 ticket for a Londoner.

The Kiev metro is nowhere near as extensive as the London Underground -
it has 59km of route and 45 stations (compared to 408km and 275
stations). Zone 1 would be comparable; a Zones 1&2 monthly travelcard
costs £85.30. Make of that what you will.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London