Ever stood in a queue for a tube ticket and wondered why the person in front of you was taking so damn long?
Of course, we at Londonist never get angry or impatient, and we certainly never have thoughts like:
"Oh my God, are you some kind of imbecile? Just put your money in and get your ticket. It's not bloody brain surgery."
And we certainly wouldn't entertain notions such as:
"If you don't sort your act out soon, I swear I'm going to take that money out of your hand and put it in the machine for you."
But we do realise that these impure thoughts may enter some people's minds. Which is why we feel it's our duty to point out that it's not really their fault. It's actually (along with almost everything else) London Underground's fault.
Accordign to Jay Walder, Transport For London's managing director for finance and planning, the company's price arrangements are the planet's most difficult to interpret.
Jay has conceded that the fare system "looks messy from the point of view of the users and it is difficult to see an overall strategy behind it," (well, duh) and has promised to "try to simplify it" in the future.
And if you think that sounds like a bit of a wishy-washy commitment, wait until you hear Jay's answer to the problem of Oyster cards "ripping off" commuters: "Mr Johnson said that 'capping' should be introduced so that Oyster card holders receive the same benefits as commuters who buy travelcards for multiple journeys. Although Mr Walder was unable to commit to a specific date he promised capping would be introduced in 2005."
