In message , Neil Williams
writes

As for the fares, yes, I do believe the ODTC price is *far* too
high[1], and the peak travelcard is sickeningly expensive. It's not
the principle that's the problem, it's the price.

[1] I believe that day travelcards for city areas should be priced at
just under twice the single fare for the "main" journey that results
in their purchase. You then get the fringe benefit of extra public
transport journeys that might otherwise have been made by car.

The off-peak ODTC that I normally get (zones 1-2) is 10p more than twice
the single fare. Pricing it at - say - 10p less wouldn't really make the
slightest difference to me. The incentive to not drive is the fact that
taking the car would be many times the cost of the ODTC.

The current peak-time differential *is* high enough to make me want to
travel off peak. For business purposes I only go into town occasionally,
and I deliberately schedule meetings to start at or after 10.30, so that
I can travel off-peak.

Bringing the cost of the peak-time ODTC closer to that of the off-peak
one would be a disincentive for me to travel off-peak (even for shopping
let alone business), which may not be a Good Thing for the commuting
public at large.

--
Paul Terry