V-Flyer

Just a little reminder for those visiting the Capital that as of today, cash is no longer accepted on the London Bus:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-28177979

For those who stay at Airport Hotels on the Bath Road and take a local red bus to the Airport in preference to Hotel Hoppa services, be prepared ):

buns

What's a bus?

Why isn't every one on motorbikes. Park at the airport for free. Although T1 parking under the ramp is a bit cramped.

But back to your point. As someone who hasn't been on a bus in years how can I pay now just in case I need one in the future?

Dick D

London buses are free within the Heathrow zone, which includes most of the Bath Road hotels.

See this map for route details: http://www.icitst.org/Heathrow%20Free%2 ... 20Area.pdf

Outside the zone you can pay with an Oyster card or contactless payment card.

It amazes me that we assume people arriving from foreign shores will understand this. It's like arriving at LGW from abroad with only sterling notes and finding you can't use a luggage trolley because you don't have any ,£1 coins

PaulS wrote:It amazes me that we assume people arriving from foreign shores will understand this. It's like arriving at LGW from abroad with only sterling notes and finding you can't use a luggage trolley because you don't have any ,£1 coins

EXACTLY
!
What about those of us who, thank goodness, only have to visit on the occasional time for an exibition etc.?

Just get yourself an Oyster card (which can be ordered online and posted to you).

That's what I have for the couple of times I visit London every year.

As far as I'm aware your balance doesn't expire and you can just top them up as you need to online.

mitchja wrote:Just get yourself an Oyster card (which can be ordered online and posted to you).

That's what I have for the couple of times I visit London every year.

As far as I'm aware your balance doesn't expire and you can just top them up as you need to online.

Like James, I have an Oyster card which I use in London when necessary. Sometimes I have trips when I can't use TfL but when I can, it's a godsend.

I am not sure this has been entirely thought out. One thing being a local, but if you are a tourist in this country not knowing this, trying to board a bus without Oyster or travelcard, then you are knackered. My friend who is a bus driver thinks it might things worse, people who haven't topped up their oyster and then will argue the toss will hold things up

A few points here, and I dont know them all!

Tourists will mainly buy either travel cards each day or have/buy an oyster card.

Don't have enough on your oyster? You will now be allowed on for one journey and your oyster card taken into a negative balance.

There is a big move over to Contactless Payment Cards, all of TfLs service will accept them later this year, and busses started last year. Same price as oyster.

Hamster wrote:Tourists will mainly buy either travel cards each day or have/buy an oyster card.

While I agree with that in principle, the reality is that tourists will arrive at their destination first and then spend the first day or so in enquiring about the various options such as travel cards. Where I see a weakness in the system is where does one buy these cards? One automatically assumes that a rail card for the Underground can be purchased at an Underground station but not many will know that one can buy an integrated ticket especially if one is from a town or city that does not have a local rail service in addition to a bus service. For some people, they would rather travel by bus for the first few days before using the Underground and if so, where do they buy tickets/cards?

We have to remember that on this board we are all somewhat travel savvy but there will be many tourists to London for whom this is there first trip abroad, whose grasp of English is poor and whose research into travel within London has been provided by an out-of-date website

Yes, that is one of the issues raised I have seen.

Also a lack of Oyster dispenser/top-up points during the night.

This has come about due to cost, it costs a lot more to process the cash than they actually take. Should a public company "waste" that money? Or see it as ensuring the network is fully accessible for those without other means of payment.

Hamster wrote:Also a lack of Oyster dispenser/top-up points during the night.

This has come about due to cost, it costs a lot more to process the cash than they actually take. Should a public company "waste" that money? Or see it as insuring the network is fully accessible for those without other means of payment.

Agree fully on the lack of Oyster dispenser/top-up point for out of town visitors, but most will have done their 'exploring' within business hours so the main concern will be drunk locals looking for a cheaper way home

It would help if the station staff actually helped those in need as opposed to seeing someone in trouble, registering it and literally walking in the opposite direction not making eye contact. Some complacency and laziness from station staff confounds me.

I would not call it as a waste of money if done efficiently, but as I understand it the majority of the LUG is unionised .... there lay the main problem with efficiency and public waste of funds in my view ii)

Not applicable to everyone in the LUGs employ of course.... but most unfortunately n(

All they really needed to do is exact change into the cash box and Oyster card. This works perfectly fine and efficient at a lot of other busy overseas countries. Those who have travelled to Hong Kong will know how efficient the buses are when boarding passengers.

Sometimes it really get on my goat when buses in this country that give change, how long they wasted at a bus stop printing tickets out, giving change or people buying a season ticket.

As for getting exact change, you go and buy yourself a packet of chewing gum or in some cases you will have to pay more that the stated fare.

sky0000547 wrote:All they really needed to do is exact change into the cash box and Oyster card. This works perfectly fine and efficient at a lot of other busy overseas countries.

Not only overseas. Edinburgh has the same policy, though a ticket is given when (exact) cash is offered.

Sydney is also cashless on certain times of day on certain routes. Places to buy tickets - at least within the city - are plentiful as just about every newsagent / kiosk carries tickets,

Only 0.7% of journeys are paid for with cash, and like good V-Flyers, I am sure most visitors research how to get around before coming to London. So I think the negatives of this are over exaggerated. The positives will be welcome too, faster trips for example, safer bus staff from robberies for example. I do think there should be kiosks at busy bus stop however, for instant PAYG Oyster card purchasing.

pjh wrote:Not only overseas. Edinburgh has the same policy, though a ticket is given when (exact) cash is offered.

Yes true because Nottingham has this too.