Oyster on the river is currently in development.

There are various issues - not least the different fare scales with
different operators, which reflect the different styles of service.

Thames Clippers operates the fast commuter "riverbus" and 02 Express,
while City Cruises operates the leisure service which caters for
families, visitors and anyone who wants a day out. [Our boats travel at
a more leisurely speed with more open deck areas, commentary etc, so
your trip on the river is not simply a method of transport.]

Another big question is the siting and installation of the kit.
Remember that boarding piers on the River Thames are not simply afloat,
they rise and fall more than 20ft twice a day Ð and they are very
exposed to the elements. And you can't do bus-type "pay on entry" when
the boat is at the pier.

Progress is being made Ð watch this space.

And as the weather picks up and you get the cameras out, do have a day
out on London's River: 2000 years of liquid history - and if you want
to know more, just ask [end of shameless plug].


On 2009-03-03 11:17:19 +0000, Peter Campbell Smith
said:

Tom Barry wrote in
:

The river bus is good but expensive, and takes a lot of staff for the
number of passengers (just under two bendy buses, I reckon, with
something like five or six crew on board plus crew at the landing
piers).

It is indeed expensive to run; not just the staff costs but the boats and
piers require more maintenance than buses and bus stops. I was involved
with a project a few years ago looking at how the costs and benefits could
be reconciled sufficiently to allow the river buses to operate on the basis
of Oyster PAYG fares, but the cost to revenue gap seemed too large, even
with a hefty cross-subsidy.

This was in Ken's time and I don't know whether there has been any change
in thinking since then.

Peter


--
Writer / editor on London's River