Bus and Tramlink Pre Pay will go live from 16 May 2004.

There will be no capping facility at this time and no date for its
introduction has been provided. Hence if you intend to make more than 4
bus trips with Oyster Pre-Pay you will, for the time being, be better
off with a One Day Bus Pass

Also no through ticketing between Tramlink and the T31/2/3 is possible
with pre-pay so cash tickets remain the preferred choice for such trips.

(from a LUL internal comms notice)

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Paul Corfield wrote:
Bus and Tramlink Pre Pay will go live from 16 May 2004.

There will be no capping facility at this time and no date for its
introduction has been provided. Hence if you intend to make more than 4
bus trips with Oyster Pre-Pay you will, for the time being, be better
off with a One Day Bus Pass

Also no through ticketing between Tramlink and the T31/2/3 is possible
with pre-pay so cash tickets remain the preferred choice for such trips.

(from a LUL internal comms notice)


Are you able to divulge why it has taken so long to implement? IIRC, the
original estimates for bus and Tramlink activation were much earlier in
2004.

Brad

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...

Also no through ticketing between Tramlink and the T31/2/3 is possible
with pre-pay so cash tickets remain the preferred choice for such trips.

What level of through ticketing is available?

Can someone use a single ticket from zone one to say addington?

--
TC

On Mon, 10 May 2004 17:39:05 +0000 (UTC), TheOneKEA
wrote:

Paul Corfield wrote:
Bus and Tramlink Pre Pay will go live from 16 May 2004.
[snip]
Are you able to divulge why it has taken so long to implement? IIRC, the
original estimates for bus and Tramlink activation were much earlier in
2004.

I haven't spoken to anyone on the project team. My *guess* is that the
problems are a combination of :-

a) accounting and reconciliation of cash value taken from the cards
b) reliability of on bus readers / ticket machines (I am still
encountering buses with defective equipment and this really needs to be
sorted out to prevent huge hassle for bus drivers if someone tenders
Oyster Pre Pay and has no other means of payment).
c) operating procedures in case of equipment failure and also rules for
cashless bendy buses (including non bendy back up vehicles)
d) training of bus staff and Ticket Stop agents.
e) changes to bus fare / bus zone / cashless bus ticketing rules / regs.

I may be completely wrong in my guesses above but the testing process
for the bus equipment has taken far, far longer than anyone estimated
(the testing issue was mentioned on the document I saw). The fact that
the equipment is mobile and not on line (unlike LUL / DLR fixed
equipment) seems also to be factor.

However someone on a 38 bus on Saturday happily made a Pre-Pay deduction
from a very mobile conductor and her little hand held reader machine!!
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Mon, 10 May 2004 19:41:46 +0100, "TC"
wrote:


"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
.. .

Also no through ticketing between Tramlink and the T31/2/3 is possible
with pre-pay so cash tickets remain the preferred choice for such trips.

What level of through ticketing is available?

The "T" buses can issue a ticket to any Tramlink stop. Similarly you can
buy a through ticket from any Tramlink stop to any stop on any of the
"T" feeder services. This is via the normal paper tickets issued on bus
or from tram ticket machines. This facility has existed from Day 1 of
the bus services.

Can someone use a single ticket from zone one to say addington?

No. I understand there is limited through ticketing from some National
Rail destinations to Tramlink (not 100% certain on this) and there is
through ticketing from Wimbledon line Tube stations onto Tramlink with
interchange via Wimbledon station.

Here is some info from the unofficial tramlink site
http://www.croydon-tramlink.co.uk/in.../tickets.shtml
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Mon, 10 May 2004 20:12:01 +0100, Paul Corfield wrote:

a) accounting and reconciliation of cash value taken from the cards
b) reliability of on bus readers / ticket machines (I am still
encountering buses with defective equipment and this really needs to be
sorted out to prevent huge hassle for bus drivers if someone tenders
Oyster Pre Pay and has no other means of payment).

AFAIAC, defective equipment should mean a free trip, at the cost of the
bus operator. This would soon sort the problem out.

Neil
--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
Mail me on neil at the above domain; mail to the above address is NOT read

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 10 May 2004 19:41:46 +0100, "TC"
wrote:


"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
.. .

Also no through ticketing between Tramlink and the T31/2/3 is possible
with pre-pay so cash tickets remain the preferred choice for such
trips.

What level of through ticketing is available?

The "T" buses can issue a ticket to any Tramlink stop. Similarly you can

I meant on oyster ;-)

I was wondering what one had to do to transfer from tube to tramlink at
Wimbledon.

--
TC

Paul Corfield wrote:
Bus and Tramlink Pre Pay will go live from 16 May 2004.

There will be no capping facility at this time and no date for its
introduction has been provided. Hence if you intend to make more than 4
bus trips with Oyster Pre-Pay you will, for the time being, be better
off with a One Day Bus Pass

Also no through ticketing between Tramlink and the T31/2/3 is possible
with pre-pay so cash tickets remain the preferred choice for such trips.

(from a LUL internal comms notice)


Just to add to this... at the mayoral hustings at University of London
Union today, Ken said that Oyster Prepay would be available on buses "in
the next two to three weeks" and that advertising was being prepared now.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

He said WHAT ........!!!!!!!!! Some very sweaty bodies in Buck Palace
Road or wherever the TfL Upper Echelon hangs out these days......and
nights....!