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#1
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
TKD,
Sorry, I thought you can put 1-day Travelcards on prepay. This is what the TFL website says:- "During any 24-hour period from 0430 to 0430 the following day, you will never pay more than 50p less than the equivalent Day Travelcard price for all your Oyster single journeys in Zones 1-6 or we will refund the difference. " I read this as meaning that if I make dozens of journeys within, say Zones 1 and 2 in 1 day, then my Oystercard would be charged the equivalent of a 1-day Travelcard for Zones 1 & 2, less 50 pence. Is that not the same, in all but name, as buying a 1-day Travelcard on Prepay? Marc. |
#2
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
Sorry, I thought you can put 1-day Travelcards on prepay. This is what
the TFL website says:- "During any 24-hour period from 0430 to 0430 the following day, you will never pay more than 50p less than the equivalent Day Travelcard price for all your Oyster single journeys in Zones 1-6 or we will refund the difference. " I read this as meaning that if I make dozens of journeys within, say Zones 1 and 2 in 1 day, then my Oystercard would be charged the equivalent of a 1-day Travelcard for Zones 1 & 2, less 50 pence. Is that not the same, in all but name, as buying a 1-day Travelcard on Prepay? Depends if you think the capped Oyster fare that is valid on only some National Rail lines is the same, in all but name, as a 1-day travelcard. |
#3
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
TKD wrote:
Sorry, I thought you can put 1-day Travelcards on prepay. This is what the TFL website says:- "During any 24-hour period from 0430 to 0430 the following day, you will never pay more than 50p less than the equivalent Day Travelcard price for all your Oyster single journeys in Zones 1-6 or we will refund the difference. " I read this as meaning that if I make dozens of journeys within, say Zones 1 and 2 in 1 day, then my Oystercard would be charged the equivalent of a 1-day Travelcard for Zones 1 & 2, less 50 pence. Is that not the same, in all but name, as buying a 1-day Travelcard on Prepay? Depends if you think the capped Oyster fare that is valid on only some National Rail lines is the same, in all but name, as a 1-day travelcard. A capped Oyster card (i.e. an Oyster card being used in it's Pre Pay guise which has reached a daily cap) is *not* a Day Travelcard - this needs to be made crystal clear. The fact that the capped fare is 50p less than the equivalent Day Travelcard should help to make clear this distinction (the 50p differential did not exist in 2005's fares). It also reflects that with a capped Oyster card you get less - i.e. you can't use most National Rail services. The use of the word 'equivalent' when comparing Day Travelcards and capped Oyster cards could be argued to be a bit misleading - the two fares are comparable, but not equal. |
#4
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
Mizter T wrote:
Depends if you think the capped Oyster fare that is valid on only some National Rail lines is the same, in all but name, as a 1-day travelcard. A capped Oyster card (i.e. an Oyster card being used in it's Pre Pay guise which has reached a daily cap) is *not* a Day Travelcard - this needs to be made crystal clear. The fact that the capped fare is 50p less than the equivalent Day Travelcard should help to make clear this distinction (the 50p differential did not exist in 2005's fares). But this could just as easily be the difference between payment methods, trying to encourage people onto Oyster. It also reflects that with a capped Oyster card you get less - i.e. you can't use most National Rail services. 50p is a pathetic discount, especially when there are bigger discounts for straightforward fares on Oyster instead of cash. |
#5
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
Mizter T wrote: Depends if you think the capped Oyster fare that is valid on only some National Rail lines is the same, in all but name, as a 1-day travelcard. A capped Oyster card (i.e. an Oyster card being used in it's Pre Pay guise which has reached a daily cap) is *not* a Day Travelcard - this needs to be made crystal clear. The fact that the capped fare is 50p less than the equivalent Day Travelcard should help to make clear this distinction (the 50p differential did not exist in 2005's fares). But this could just as easily be the difference between payment methods, trying to encourage people onto Oyster. True - but I still think it's a better situation than last year when all the off-peak Oyster capping levels were set at the same amount as the 'equivalent' Day Travelcard (with the exception of the Zone 1-6 cap, which was 30p less than the Z1-6 Day Travelcard). The price differential can be seen to suggest that the two products are different. I absolutely take your point that the lower price could also merely be seen as a way of rewarding passengers for choosing Oyster over paper tickets, as is the case with both Tube and bus fares. However it's also preferable that there is a price difference between the two products given that you get less with a capped Oyster card than with a Day Travelcard - see my next point... It also reflects that with a capped Oyster card you get less - i.e. you can't use most National Rail services. 50p is a pathetic discount, especially when there are bigger discounts for straightforward fares on Oyster instead of cash. Whether 50p is a good enough discount or not is indeed a matter that's up for debate. I guess one argument for keeping the cost of a capped Oyster card close to that of a Day Travelcard could lie in the fact that TfL hopes to get National Rail to start accepting Oyster Pre Pay across London. If and when that happens then a capped Oyster card would indeed be the effective equivalent of a Day Travelcard (i.e. valid on NR) - and TfL wouldn't want to shock the punters by suddenly hiking the capping levels to the same cost as Day Travelcards. Of course, there would also be the obvious opportunity for the capped Oyster Day Travelcard to be cheaper than it's paper brother, the printed Day Travelcard. Another, simpler, explaination for the "pathetic discount" as you put it is that TfL wants (or needs) the revenue. This debate will rumble on and on. However the fact that a Day Travelcard and a capped Oyster card are not one and the same thing, however much people think this is stupid/annoying etc, is nontheless a fact. Anyone who comes to uk.t.l confused about this should, one hopes, come away enlightened. Or if not enlightened, at least aware of this fact! |
#6
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
On 12 Jan 2006 09:30:27 -0800, "Mizter T" wrote:
I absolutely take your point that the lower price could also merely be seen as a way of rewarding passengers for choosing Oyster over paper tickets, as is the case with both Tube and bus fares. However it's also preferable that there is a price difference between the two products given that you get less with a capped Oyster card than with a Day Travelcard - see my next point... We are not rewarded for using Oyster. This is considered the standard fare. We are charged a premium for buying cash tickets. |
#7
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Is pay-per-use Oystercard cheaper than... an annual travelcard?
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