Andrew Heenan wrote:
"solar penguin" wrote ...
Buses (and bus users) benefit much more from Oyster; the time taken
for loading-unloading is much, much quicker, and TfL's aim was to
extend the 'West End but ticket before boarding and touch in' to the
whole of London.
Shame they didn't take that into account when designing the details
of Oyster then.

I never said it was perfect. You've picked on one 'less than perfect
aspect, and made a crusade out of it. Instead of all this whining,
why not write to Boris - he has declared that the 'outer boroughs' -
who elected him - are his priority. I guess that includes your area
of SE London.
So you're saying the big picture is that Oyster wasn't designed with
people like me in mind...? I agree. Isn't that exactly what I was
saying when you claimed I kept being wrong...?

Don't put words in my mouth.
YOU have said that Oyster should be abandoned because you cannot
validate your 'auto-topup' on a bus.

You are still wrong (and an idiot) and will likely stay that way.
But that's OK; we need all types to keep the world spinning.

Abolishing Oyster and the flat fare would give more useful info
since a record of the amount paid for each ticket would reflect the
distance travelled. (And, as a bonus, it would also end the
injustice that people only travelling a couple of stops pay the same
as someone going all the way from one end of the line to the other.)

And cost a fortune in extra staff and wasted time, ennding up with a
bus service like the rest of the country.

If you wish to continue your crusade against the machines, you are
going to have a pretty miserable life; they are here to stay.

Pesronally, I'd rather have a system like Oyster:

It isn't perfect, but it's bloody good, and getting better, and lets
me board quickly, waiting only for the idiot who whined about the
five minute wait, then spends 3 minutes searching his backpack for
his oyster (probably you!).

Your preferred alternative may mean waiting 10 minutes for a bus then
wait another three minutes for each of six people who pay with coins,
and one who argues with the driver for not taking a £50 pound note.

But we could bicker all day.

You want Oyster tailor-made for you alone; I accept that while
nothing is perfect, Oyster is a bloody good scheme, and has done a
great job.
And I believe that sooner or later, even your pet peeves wil be met,
so maybe we won't see you elected as Mayor and jacking the whole
thing in to spite the rest of us..

And yes, you are still an idiot.

applause Great post!

--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)