In message , Neil Williams
writes
On Sun, 1 Feb 2009 20:35:25 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:

I agree with you (although unstaffed stations are unpopular with the
public at large, I can tell you, from a safety/security point of view).
*That* point was being made on Tyneside in 1980!

Yet in Germany it is very common - even underground stations are
usually completely unstaffed.

I realise that you are a big fan of the German way of doing things and
as a former resident of the BRD.......so am I.

However, there is a difference between most German systems and London.
Far, *far* more outsiders, unfamilliar with the system use London's
transport than that in most German cities.

You might know that for years I used to manage tour on the continent and
was quite used to letting people loose for a free day in a town. It
was *very* rare for people to want to make any use of public transport,
even when I'd explained, in simple terms, how to use it. The very
concept of Entwerter, Grosszone, Merhfahrkarten or even the simplest Day
Ticket and so on was so confusing to people that they just avoided it.
Most headed for a taxi, or complained to me that the coach wasn't taking
them somewhere. A few just boarded trams without tickets and then
ridiculed me in the evening "as they didn't need to buy tickets anyway
they were never checked"! ;-)

Only once, as far as I can recall, did anyone get caught and fined.
That, actually was in Prague.

Anyway, I'm just making the point that where a lot of people unfamilliar
are travelling, you need to be able to find assistance. I appreciate
that this is different from having someone stationed in a "Ticket
Office" as such, though.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk