asdf wrote:

On 24 Oct 2006 16:55:19 -0700, Mizter T wrote:

Presumably this is an example of the 'short journey' fares (or
whatever they are called) for stations near the Z1 boundary.

Older versions of the NR National Fares Manual used to call them
"substandard fares", and included a table of all the ones that existed
from NR/LU interchange stations, but there's no mention of them in the
latest edition - not even the ones crossing the Z1 boundary.

If they're only available on Oyster PAYG now then there'll be no need
to list them in the NR NFM, as this lists cash fares - and 'short
journey'/substandard fares are not to my knowledge available as cash
fares anymore.


Most interesting. I was under the impression that 'short journey' fares
were a thing of the past, and wasn't aware that 'short journey' fares
were ever implemented on Oyster PAYG.

I'm not convinced that this isn't just a mistake in the database - but
I'm most willing to be proven wrong on that!

The ones outside Z1 aren't needed any more; they haven't been ever
since the two-zone fare became the same as the one-zone fare.
(Though actually, I believe they disappeared *before* that change.)

I wonder if anyone can sketch out a timeline here - I think 'short
journey' fares outside zone 1 only ever existed as cash fares and were
done away with before the introduction of Oyster PAYG, perhaps in an
attempt to 'wean' people off the expectation of lesser cash fares for
'short journeys'.


The only ones that would still have a reason to exist would be the
ones crossing the Z1/Z2 boundary - and apparently they still do,
despite not having appeared in any recent publicity that I remember
seeing. I think it's too much of a coincidence to be a mistake.

I agree, my initial conclusion that they were a mistake would seem to
be wrong. It's weird that TfL don't seem to offer any publicity about
their existence - I guess they might appear on those large fares table
posters that are displayed near ticket machines/ticket offices which
list the fares to each LU station, though I wonder if they only list
cash fares. I'll take a look today.


The related "Tube only short distance season tickets" also seem to
have quietly disappeared off the face of the Earth. (These became
unnecessary with the abolition of the single-zone Travelcard.)

The existence and subsequent disappearance of Tube-only short distance
season tickets is on my list of questions to put to the oracles of utl!
Did they disappear when the fares changed in January 2006 when the
single-zone season Travelcard became no more?