3 ms·

> However I strongly suspect you're wrong -- people choose cheaper tickets all the time, they book specific trains in advance We are talking urban transit here

> However I strongly suspect you're wrong -- people choose cheaper tickets all the time, they book specific trains in advance We are talking urban transit here and not advance bookable trains. If given the choice of a 20% cheaper ticket but half the trains people would take the more frequent service. Why take the choice away? Because more operators means fewer trains/busses/trams per operator as the infrastructure is generally limited. So in urban areas shared ticketing is what customers prefer.

isostatic 8y ago
> We are talking urban transit here and not advance bookable trains "The same with transport -- there's half a dozen ways to travel from say Edinburgh to London" That's not urban transport. > Why take the choice away? Because more operators means fewer trains/busses/trams per operator as the infrastructure is generally limited. So in urban areas shared ticketing is what customers prefer. In well run urban areas (like London) the competition comes from providers bidding to run the service, but the actual specification of the service including the conditions and ticketing, are done by the local authority. There are multiple bus operators in London, but most people don't realize that. The day to day choice comes down to choosing Bus vs Tube vs Bike vs Uber vs Taxi. In poorly run areas (like Manchester), the on-bus competition rarely exists, and when it does tickets aren't interchangable. > If given the choice of a 20% cheaper ticket but half the trains people would take the more frequent service. Some people would. You and I would, because we're highly paid IT professionals. Others wouldn't -- hence the reason that where direct commuting services do compete (say Milton Keynes to London), some buy flexible tickets, others buy "Virgin only" ones to save 15%.

3 ms·

> However I strongly suspect you're wrong -- people choose cheaper tickets all the time, they book specific trains in advance We are talking urban transit here

by the_mitsuhiko 8y ago

isostatic 8y ago
> We are talking urban transit here and not advance bookable trains "The same with transport -- there's half a dozen ways to travel from say Edinburgh to London" That's not urban transport. > Why take the choice away? Because more operators means fewer trains/busses/trams per operator as the infrastructure is generally limited. So in urban areas shared ticketing is what customers prefer. In well run urban areas (like London) the competition comes from providers bidding to run the service, but the actual specification of the service including the conditions and ticketing, are done by the local authority. There are multiple bus operators in London, but most people don't realize that. The day to day choice comes down to choosing Bus vs Tube vs Bike vs Uber vs Taxi. In poorly run areas (like Manchester), the on-bus competition rarely exists, and when it does tickets aren't interchangable. > If given the choice of a 20% cheaper ticket but half the trains people would take the more frequent service. Some people would. You and I would, because we're highly paid IT professionals. Others wouldn't -- hence the reason that where direct commuting services do compete (say Milton Keynes to London), some buy flexible tickets, others buy "Virgin only" ones to save 15%.