(25 Apr 2018, 6:50 pm)idiot wrote I think its about time we went cashless in North East! Or at least no change!
Opinions?
(25 Apr 2018, 8:50 pm)Tamesider wrote The argument is relevant everywhere but:
Cashless. Definately not. Not everyone has an iphone and those that do clearly struggle when trying to show them to drivers on my routes. Fortunately, they are in a tiny minority. There are also increasing security issues with both iphones and Contactless cards. I only see these getting worse as cyber crime grows.
No change. Better idea, but only if fares are widely known before boarding and are much simpler and in some cases "rounder" o it is easy to tender the correct amount of notes/coins.
(25 Apr 2018, 6:50 pm)idiot wrote I think its about time we went cashless in North East! Or at least no change!
Opinions?
(25 Apr 2018, 7:30 pm)omnicity4659 wrote App-based innovations such as ArrivaClick are currently being rolled out across the country, marking the start of cashless travel.
(26 Apr 2018, 11:46 am)BusLoverMum wrote I assume they require the use of a phone with NFC?
I gave up on the current mobile ticketing app in general when it developed a habit of losing my tickets and needing re-syncing, but that was impossible where the mobile signal was poor.
(26 Apr 2018, 3:38 am)James101 wrote My experiences of contactless payments have been positive, I actively choose to pay by card on the bus where I can. As I generally buy day tickets between £5-10 and my bus stop is closer than the nearest cash machine this makes the most sense.
The amount of people that don’t have a smartphone or contactless card, and also do not qualify for a concessionary pass (also contactless) must now be tiny - considering the default for both new cards and phones (above £50) is to have this technology.
I don’t think the fraud argument is a starter really. This ‘Which?’ article on the subject says contactless fraud accounts for just 1.9% of all credit card fraud - the monetary value of fraud is just increasing at the sameness rate as the overall spend. As the article states, 0.02% of card spending is lost to fraud. By comparison, on a £20k salary that would be £4 per year. I’m certain if I was given £20k in cash I’d loose more than £4 in dropped change, mistaken overspending, lost wallets and the threat of robbery.
The benefits of cashless are there to be had for both the passenger and the company. London’s not perfect, but their bus system works better for cashless fares
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/02/bri...ard-fraud/
(27 Apr 2018, 8:41 pm)Tamesider wrote I'm not sure the number of people without smartphones is "tiny". I think recent figures suggested 22% of the population didn't have them - and I don't have contactless. I confess, I don't know what you mean about a £50 "default", and also don't forget a concessionary pass does not mean free travel at all times. What about octagenarians who don't understand mobiles, never mind smartphones, but still have to pay to get to a peak hour medical appointment? And that's before we get on to the reliability (or lack of) phone reception, as raised by others.
(27 Apr 2018, 10:18 pm)Jamie M wrote Free travel after 930am. Before it's 50p. If the passes could be linked up, you could simply offer a scheme, like the dartford tunnel uses, where it charges to an account and you have up to 24 hours to file a payment (online or by phone). If you don't pay up, your account and thus card becomes de-activated. That's if you can't pay on the spot for contactless or mobile tickets or have a valid pass.
(28 Apr 2018, 9:38 am)Andreos1 wrote I'd imagine the costs to run and administer the scheme, far exceeds the return too.
(28 Apr 2018, 9:46 am)Jamie M wrote I mean the passes are a centralized system that's run out of the government at pure loss.. there's payouts for the passes to the operators without any direct funding from the holders. I don't see how this can be an issue if, in exchange, it makes the system more efficient. I'm sure lots of people using the dartford crossing don't have internet access, and I'm therefore certain you can phone in to resolve the issue. This would only be metaphorically applied between start of play to 9:30am.
(27 Apr 2018, 8:41 pm)Tamesider wrote I'm not sure the number of people without smartphones is "tiny". I think recent figures suggested 22% of the population didn't have them - and I don't have contactless. I confess, I don't know what you mean about a £50 "default", and also don't forget a concessionary pass does not mean free travel at all times. What about octagenarians who don't understand mobiles, never mind smartphones, but still have to pay to get to a peak hour medical appointment? And that's before we get on to the reliability (or lack of) phone reception, as raised by others.