MSE News: London buses to stop taking cash this summer

macman

Since two thirds of the one per cent of 'cash users' apparently live in London (i.e. not tourists or other visitors), they must be extremely infrequent users in order to be prepared to pay the huge fare premium for not using Oyster-or too wealthy to care.
Taking cash fares on public transport is an anachronism that has long been ended in most of Western Europe. It's also a major cause of delays.

martindow

Can you rely on using a contactless card - I thought that every few transactions they needed a code to be entered as with credit cards? If bus card readers are not exempted from this it could cause problems.

iAMaLONDONER

LadyDee wrote: »

Not disagreeing with you, but if you lost your purse you wouldn't have any cash anyway.

But yes, if TFL is meant to serve the needs of Londoners why then did they ignore the results of the consultation (which probably cost hundreds of thousands of £s).

The important thing is that it was a consultation rather than a referendum!

However I think TfL are completely wrong in his case

iAMaLONDONER

wealdroam wrote: »

That seems rather complicated to me.

Did you notice that contactless credit and debit cards will work in the same way as payg oyster?
I.e. with the travelcard or bus pass cap.

At the moment the cap doesn't apply on Contactless cards

The_Groat_Counter

martindow wrote: »

Can you rely on using a contactless card - I thought that every few transactions they needed a code to be entered as with credit cards? If bus card readers are not exempted from this it could cause problems.

The bus card readers are exempted (same will apply to the tube & rail once it rolls out there).

wealdroam

iAMaLONDONER wrote: »

wealdroam wrote: »

Did you notice that contactless credit and debit cards will work in the same way as payg oyster?
I.e. with the travelcard or bus pass cap.

At the moment the cap doesn't apply on Contactless cards

That's right... I used the word 'will'... talking about the future.

You will have seen the following statement in the Consultation Report:

We are working closely with the UK Card Association to raise awareness and availability of CPC as an alternative to Oyster. Daily fare capping with CPC will be available early in 2014 and, like Oyster customers, CPC will then be able to be used across the our transport network.

For those that don't know, 'CPC' is 'Contactless Payment Cards'.

chattychappy

The point is that TfL are effectively a monopoly in London - they can do pretty much what they like. Can you imagine if Starbucks refused cash because contactless would save them money/be quicker? They'd lose business to Nero. Private businesses have to be accomodating, TfL should be likewise.

I use Oyster all the time, but recently I left my wallet (inc Oyster card) on a train. Arrived at a bus stop without my wallet - just had 4 quid in my pocket. Sorted - paid cash on this one occasion.

It was 23:45. 4 quid. What would I have done if the bus driver didn't take cash? Walk 3 miles in the rain?

Nearest friend 30 miles away. Nearest relative ditto (and in hospital).

Just another way to make London a little nastier.

jon81uk

chattychappy wrote: »

The point is that TfL are effectively a monopoly in London - they can do pretty much what they like. Can you imagine if Starbucks refused cash because contactless would save them money/be quicker? They'd lose business to Nero. Private businesses have to be accomodating, TfL should be likewise.

I'm not sure that no longer accepting cash would have such a big effect to places like Starbucks, I think stopping card payment would be a big killer to a lot of businesses now. Look at all the recent issues when Lloyds and NatWest debit cards stopped working.
I'm surprised that some petrol stations haven't stopped taking cash yet, given its a high value item that I don't think many people pay for using cash anymore.

~_Aridjis_~

I am a very occasional visitor to London. It looks like I will have to try and work out how the Oystercard works (can you even get one just for one day?) or use the tube or walk!

iAMaLONDONER

chattychappy wrote: »

The point is that TfL are effectively a monopoly in London - they can do pretty much what they like. Can you imagine if Starbucks refused cash because contactless would save them money/be quicker? They'd lose business to Nero. Private businesses have to be accomodating, TfL should be likewise.

I use Oyster all the time, but recently I left my wallet (inc Oyster card) on a train. Arrived at a bus stop without my wallet - just had 4 quid in my pocket. Sorted - paid cash on this one occasion.

It was 23:45. 4 quid. What would I have done if the bus driver didn't take cash? Walk 3 miles in the rain?

Nearest friend 30 miles away. Nearest relative ditto (and in hospital).

Just another way to make London a little nastier.

I completely concur