Question for Londoners on Flist or Lurking

[shadowkat]

Apparently London is attempting to help NYC's MTA :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/23/new-york-london-subway-tube

Question to all the Londoners reading this and on my flist? How successful has the Oyster System been? And do you agree with the praises lauded in this article? Curious minds want to know.

[Poll #1727767]

Off-topic, just in case you wondered if it is possible to manipulate statistics? I've got proof, apparently there are software products that aid in data and statistical manipulation. Why do it yourself, when your computer can do it for you? (Google - SAS Systems - Statistical Manipulation or Data Manipulation.)

Comments

[rahael.livejournal.com]

The oyster card is great for me as a commuter - no more queuing for tickets, I nearly always have money on the card - and I can swipe my wallet to open turnstiles, I don't even need to take the card out...

however, it has led to ticket office closures on the tube system, less staff in stations etc. There are safety issues if you are travelling around late at night or in deserted stations where once you could expect someone to be in the ticket office.

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Pretty much that, plus, if you are travelling outside the your usual zones you need to top up, which I've had problems with, partly due closed ticket offices.

But on the whole I like it, though I am extremely lucky as my employers give me an interest-free loan to buy the annual gold card, which also gives me discounts on railway journeys! (that is, railway journeys leaving from London stations).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks - curious to see how it operated outside the usual zones, because London's system is different than NY's in that way.
You more or less pay the same amount for all "subway" related zones, but if you hope on a commuter train - it's a separate and additional cost.

With Oyster they are hoping to combine the commuter rail and subway and buses - so you just need one card. Did they try that in London as well?

[oursin.livejournal.com]

It covers pretty much all London transportation, including the Docklands Light Railway, and I think some commuter river services - buses, underground, and railways.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Similar issues here and we haven't even gotten to the Oyster system yet. Station agents being reassigned or laid-off, ticket offices closing, etc. They are attempting to implement a security box - where you can push a button to get either information or assistance. There's a pilot program for it on the 6 line, apparently.

I found an article in the London Times - where the system shut down and caused chaos in the agency. Commuters got to travel free, but the agency lost a lot of money. Apparently it has happened twice?

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Yes, the biggest one I remember was due to a bad software update that erased the data on people's cards when they touched in. Fortunately I wasn't travelling that morning.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

From what I read - I think you would have gotten to travel for free until they corrected it. (Although that might be another occurence).