Londond Underground

[ah_dut]

Ok, before I say anything else I'd just like to mention I'm slightly angry with London Underground and this is therefore unlikely to be anything like a balanced argument.

I went to meet some friends today...nothing unusual. I went to take the tube...nothing unusual. Iwent to but a ticket...nothing unusual. I went to the machine and tried to pay, but the machine was broken...nothing unusual.

However, I went to Fulham Broadway (my destination) explained the situation etcetc...and was told to hand over £3. That's 50p a stop. That is extortion. (note, this is an adult fare and I am a child, I don't have an oyster so I cannot buy an adult ticket because I apparantly look over 18 or something) Ok, I asked could I buy a child ticket...he said nope oyster photocard needed. I said, ok could I buy an oyster card? He said yep...£3 and the journey will cost a quid. Royally cheesed off by the whole affair I coughed up.

So, what am I so angry about? First of all I paid 50p for my ticket a mere 3 days ago...so that's a 300% increase for a child fare I'm not always allowed to buy and a 600% increase if I'm not allowed to buy a child fare. I personally think this is extortion as the only other way to get to my destination is either get a lift with my parents or a 2 hour bus ride (free...if I get my oyster)

I know we need to improve public transport...and I don't mind paying for it. But this round of price rises is ridiculous. I'm currently getting a child oyster done so I cannot really do anything about for up to the 2 months it may take. In the meantime I have to pay adult fares (oyster) because of the simple fact that Ken Livingstone likes to hike up tube costs for people who don't have/are applying for oysters.

Accuse me of having a negative slant but I think it's basically saying get an oyster or get a car. The cost of a ticket (sans oyster) is higher then a car if 2-4 people are going to the same location...and the government persists in saying that we shouldn't buy cars. Yes...wake up people, car sharing is actually now officially much cheaper then public transport and it's better too!

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Sorry about what happend, but in Texas we don't have "the tube", so I don't really know what you're going through...

I'd say buy a car...

[BDC]

Yes, public transport in Britain can be appauling. I have waited hours for buses. Anyone else notice when you finally have enough and get a taxi it ALWAYS turns up immediately?

I think the only way people will give up cars is if public transport is reliable and totally free at the point of delivery. Not that it will ever happen. Damned car-driving MPs...

[Fragony]

Yes, public transport in Britain can be appauling. I have waited hours for buses. Anyone else notice when you finally have enough and get a taxi it ALWAYS turns up immediately?

I think the only way people will give up cars is if public transport is reliable and totally free at the point of delivery. Not that it will ever happen. Damned car-driving MPs...

I think the London underground works like a charm, shame it is closed in the nights, apart from that, great. But they could warn you about illegal ticket sales before jumping on you they way they do.

[ah_dut]

I dunno, the thing was they go there will be inflation busting price rises...I thought ok, 20-100%...I was wrong by a long way. And the service has got WORSE it seems. That's the bit that cheeses me off. Plus it is apparantly the most expensive in the world now (without oyster)

If I sound barmy with the oyster, oyster natter, it's a type of electronic travelcard similar to the Hong Kong Octopus, which I rate as excellent

[Vladimir]

Isn't it cost prohibitive to drive a car in London? It's a good way to make you move closer to where you work so they can tax you more. So many things to say about this but people need to make a choice. Pay the extra money or reject certain services. However once you reject them make sure they don't keep the extra revenue. Monopolies, be they government or private, serve only those who run them.

[Geoffrey S]

When I was staying in London earlier this year I found the Tube to be a fantastic way of getting around. And that was very shortly after the bombings, too, so a number of tracks weren't running.

It got us wherever we needed to go, and within our budget too. As Fragony said, it's just a shame they don't run at night.

[Ianofsmeg16]

The London Underground is fantastic to the outside world and people who havn't been on it before...

to the rest of us, it'll probably be quicker to walk than take public transport

[ah_dut]

If you use it every day you'll probably find the faults easier. Maybe it's just me again but I find Hong Kong, Shanghai...hell even Moscow's tube better then ours...but that may just be me

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

It always makes me laugh when Londoners bash their public transport.

It may have some problems, but it's the best in the country, by far.

[Geoffrey S]

Same about the train service in Holland, methinks. It's got its faults, but is still reliable.

[Papewaio]

Well if you travel without a ticket on Sydney trains you face a fine from $200 to $550 dollars (80 to 200 pounds).

Sydney Fines

Tickets for students are about half price of that of adults.

A weekly for work for me would cost about $47 (20 pounds)... which includes ferry and bus transport for the week.

Unfortunately out of the 7 main IT areas in Sydney the only one not on my train line or any train line for now is the one I work at... so I spend $60+ on fuel a week.

[Marcellus]

All things considered, London's public transport is excellent. I use the bus to get to school and have found it reliable. Underground trains are very frequent and give great flexibility to a traveller. Shame about the prices, though (adult bus fairs have risen over 100% in a couple of years, from 70p to (since 2/1/06) £1.50).

[solypsist]

it's too expensive for what it does. the whole "zones" cost thing is ridiculous, the cars are too small and the lack of air conditioning in the summer are just three of the problems.

the nyc subway, by contrast costs US$2 to go anywhere,as far as you like, with as many transfers as you like, and have climate control.

[JAG]

It always makes me laugh when Londoners bash their public transport.

It may have some problems, but it's the best in the country, by far.

Agreed, It took me to move away from London to realise it.

[English assassin]

The tube is fine, although it is a bit fetid in summer. Much better than buses. Is there some sort of rule that all buses have to have at least 5 nutters on them ? 6, if you include the driver.

Once you are in the centre though the best way to see London is to walk.

[Geoffrey S]

The tube is fine, although it is a bit fetid in summer.

That's the main thing I'd like to see changed. Horribly hot at times.

Once you are in the centre though the best way to see London is to walk.

Once you've got your bearings walking is certainly the best way to get around. Mostly, we used the tube to get to the centre, then walked around for the day and caught the tube back when we were done.

[Scurvy]

i'v lived in lodnon all my life and have never had a problem with tube or overground (apart from minor delays from strikes etc.) if you want a a child ticket then you have to prove your 15 or under, and i reccomend just getting a child day travelcard as its much simpler and fairly cheap. Also gettiong an oyster card is a real help and when you have one makes everything easier... you can use it on buses aswell now they'v raised prices...
I honestly think london transport system is one of the best in world, you can get to almost anywhere in the capital easily enough, and despite the trains not running at night you can still take night-buses

[ah_dut]

it's too expensive for what it does. the whole "zones" cost thing is ridiculous, the cars are too small and the lack of air conditioning in the summer are just three of the problems.

the nyc subway, by contrast costs US$2 to go anywhere,as far as you like, with as many transfers as you like, and have climate control.

Gah! I would have thought the last person to agree with me would be Soly...

It always makes me laugh when Londoners bash their public transport.

It may have some problems, but it's the best in the country, by far.

Ok BKS, lets look at this from a slightly different angle...We agree London is supposedly (ok it is) one of the top cities in the world. As such, shouldn't it have world class tourist activities? and the transport system to get you up there with the best of them? I've been to NY (ok, 2 weeks) Shanghai (a week a year) and Hong Kong (2 weeks a year) Moscow (a day) where I cannot even read read Russian yet it seems about the same as ours. I realise other parts of the country don't have as extensive a system but I'm just railing about the prices as of NOW

[English assassin]

But Ah Dut look at if from LU's point of view. The trains run close to capacity most of the day. Why should they make them any cheaper, its not as if there is room for any more passengers. It would only mean less money to spend on maintenance. People who use the tube pay for the tube, it seems fair to me.

The thing that really twists my nipples is how much taxis cost in London, and (not coincidentaly) how difficult it is to get one at night. OK, taxi drivers in NYC may not speak great English and can be navigationally challenged but at least you can get a cab and not need a second mortgage to pay for it.

Three years to do the knowledge, they're having a giraffe...

[ah_dut]

Ahh but when I go on the tube in the holidays the trains are absolutely empty. That's because it's off peak. I'm not saying make them cheaper necessarily I'm saying that a 300% increase is ridiculous in anyone's book...

I'm not saying don't pay, I'm saying it was already quite expensive but now it's extortionate

I won't argue on taxis, I don't use them and blatantly cannot afford it

[matteus the inbred]

I won't argue on taxis, I don't use them and blatantly cannot afford it

especially not to go south of the river!

i like the Tube, even though it lets me down once a week on average. i'm almost always slightly surprised at how efficient it can be sometimes, especially using the Jubilee line to get from the Docklands to north London. i was cross at the rise in ticket prices for a year's Oystercard (£50 up this year!!!), but it's still cheaper and far more efficient than buying a travelcard every day. confirmed Oyster user, me. i agree with English assassin about the buses though, always full of fruitcakes. especially at 3 in the morning in Stratford.

[Marcellus]

The tube is fine, although it is a bit fetid in summer.

They had a competition a little while ago to see if a member of the public could come up with an idea to keep the tube cool. 3500 entries, not one of them original and practical.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4562379.stm

[Scurvy]

especially at 3 in the morning in Stratford.

well if your in Stratford what do you expect?

i use buses daily in west london and as late (early) as 1 in morning i rarely encounter and "fruitcakes" (maybe 1 a year) i dont use taxis as i find london transport just fine (although i rarely go to the city so guess its more efficient to use them there)

[Scurvy]

They had a competition a little while ago to see if a member of the public could come up with an idea to keep the tube cool. 3500 entries, not one of them original and practical.

open the window? it usually works? just a bit noisy :)

[Papewaio]

Is the term Oyster slang or an acronym?

[Kanamori]

it's a card that you get in order use as a pass that swipes, or some quick equivilant, in my understanding.

[English assassin]

Is the term Oyster slang or an acronym?

What Kanamori said, more or less. Its a smart card that you can load money onto, or your season ticket, and then whenever you get on a bus or enter or leave the tube system you just hold it up to the reader and it takes the right amount of money off.

It really speeds things up and hats off to red Ken for introducing it. Mind you they do store the data on where you have used it for six weeks...

I don't know why its called oyster though, I was curious to see the HK equivalent is octopus so maybe there is some sort of marine invertibrate theme going on. I pity the city that gets the "winkle card" if so. "Crabs" would be difficult to carry off with dignity as well.

[matteus the inbred]

I don't know why it's called oyster though

is that not because the electronic card readers on the gates are vaguely oyster shaped...?

someone on some forum elsewhere suggested that it implies you can go anywhere, as the world is your...
urg.

why's the HK version called an octopus then? i'm assuming it doesn't have eight little tentacles, as that would a) be weird and b) get caught on pockets and keys and stuff

[Somebody Else]

Comparing the London tube to the subway system in Beijing... I much prefer it in Beijing - problem is, it is only a fledgeling system, three lines are in service out of a planned 14 or so. The tickets cost about 30p, to go well nigh anywhere, they've got fans in them to keep the temperature down, they're clean enough - which is weird considering it's China. Another problem is during rush hour - then they're packed - but the tube's the same on that count.

I may be slightly biased, because I despise London. It's too expensive, full of scummy people, generally unpleasant.

To be honest though, I don't generally take public transport if I can avoid it... taxis are so much more convenient.