Memorandum from Jonathan Horan (TPT 03)
There are a couple of points I wished to make
under question one of the ticketing consultation:
1. Is ticketing sufficiently integrated
across different modes of transport and between different geographical
areas? In London, yes. In other areas, even where the Plusbus
exists, no-one knows about it and it doesn't apply to all operators.
The West Midlands seems to be a bit better, but when you're going
from one area to another there's no consistency. I live in Stafford,
which is semi-rural. The only example of integrated ticketing
is where I can use a train ticket on one of the bus routes. Apart
from that, all the bus operators have their own tickets and fare
structure. It's a nightmare, and despite not owning a car I find
it difficult to defend public transport because of its inadequacy
and complexity.
2. When I want to take my bike on the train,
there are additional barriers. I can't reserve my bike place on
line any more, because they've removed the option from online
ticketing systems. So, if I want to reserve a bike place, I have
to visit the station. What's the point in having bought the ticket
online in the first place?
February 2007
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