On Dec 11, 8:28 pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:
I note that these are exact change only, and as such are yet another
downgrade for those not familiar with the system or short of change.
Why is TfL getting so obsessive about making things difficult, just
like they did with the bus machines?

Neil

I imagine its based on a bit of research. Like cheques, cash is
becoming an increasingly less common method of payment, with more and
more people resorting to plastic money.

The new "small machines" (called Advanced Fare Machines) replace the
old small machines (Few Fare Machines). Replacing a machine that
sells about a dozen popular tickets for coins only, and gives change,
for one that has the full functionality of the larger machines, and
takes exact coin or cards, seems a fair enough trade off. As has been
said in an earlier post, the change chutes for the machines are not
small.

They are, like the machines they are replacing, more of a backup for
the main machines anyway. They are called Few Fares because they
offer a basic selection of tickets, against the Multi Fare Machines
that sell most tickets, but even they can't sell EVERY ticket type
that can be bought from the ticket office.

As for the original complaint about them not giving change - the main
machines will continue to provide change, as will the ticket offices
where and while they're available. The new machines are clearly
labelled as exact change only.

As an additional, the cynic in me sees an obvious ploy to make the
machines easier to maintain (requiring no floating whatsoever), and
thus moving a step closer to requiring less staff.

It'll be a shame when people have no-one to offload their stress on
first thing in the morning.

On 14 Dec, 16:07, Cyril Sneer wrote:
As an additional, the cynic in me sees an obvious ploy to make the
machines easier to maintain (requiring no floating whatsoever), and
thus moving a step closer to requiring less staff.

It's been suggested it's down to wheelchair user requirements making
the coin slot too low to [easily] fit the change-dispensing gubbins in
below it:
http://billz1064.proboards1.com/inde...d=115454 2562

There's probably some truth in this, but given all the other factors
mentioned here I doubt it was the sole reason.

U

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A blog about transport projects in London