On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:20:56 -0600, Tristán White wrote:

OK I get your point.

But here's a solution that would work in the middle ground: still charge to
dissuade the fraudsters, but not as draconian as the £4 penalty.

How about, rather than being charged the £4 on top of your other daily
usage, it is cappable, ie the most you will be charged is (from 2007) £6.20
TOTAL which is the 1-6 cap rate.

That means that if someone goes from Plaistow to Mile End and forgets to
touch in or touch out they get charged £4, and any subsequent journeys
(including subsequent incomplete journeys that day) add to the amount until
a cap of £6.20

The problem with that is if you haven't reached the daily cap, and
you're starting a journey that would take you up to the cap, and the
barriers are open, you can avoid touching in, in the hope that the
barriers will also be open at the other end and you get a free
journey. Even if they turn out not to be, and you pick up a £4 charge,
you won't be paying any more than you should have paid anyway.