The art of 'not getting it'
The Standard reports on the stand off between Transport for London (Livingstone's baby) and the railway operating companies over TfL's wretched Oyster card scheme. This has some relevance to me, as I use the the non-Oyster enabled overground rail lines as well as Oyster enabled trams, the tube etc, meaning that I will sometimes have to buy separate tickets to complete a journey. Not exactly a matter of life and death, frankly.
TfL is all for railroading the rail companies into installing Oyster readers across their networks and leading themselves into Livingstone's clutches, and has offered a financial incentive to do so. As public companies with duties to shareholders, the rail companies are quite rightly examining cost implications and the overall business case, and many are unconvinced. This, however, has displeased one Brian Cooke, a London Assembly appointee to Travelwatch, "the official watchdog organisation representing the interests of transport users in and around the capital". One can tell a lot about this organisation by the Aunt Sally of a poll it hosts on its front page: "Is public transport becoming too expensive for the public?", and 94% voted yes. Well knock me down with a feather, people would rather pay less for goods and services.
Reacting to the rail companies behaving as PLCs are supposed to do, he comments: "Many of the operators make millions in profit and passengers will find it hard to understand if they reject the Mayor's offer to help them set up the pay-as-you-go network". If Cooke was a common or garden quangocrat who had spent his entire life in the public sector I suppose I could just sigh and recognise that he was institutionally collectivist and therefore could not help himself. However, according to the TravelWatch site, "Until recently, he ran own travel agency business". So, Brian, how did you run your business? Did you do everything quangos asked you to do? Did you consider the bottom line of such actions, did you, shock horror, ever make a profit and then consider that such profit was a suitable plaything for third parties? I am simply dying to know.
And he also gives us mixed metaphor of the week, "It is essential we take this opportunity to form a level playing field out of what is a ticketing jungle".
TfL is all for railroading the rail companies into installing Oyster readers across their networks and leading themselves into Livingstone's clutches, and has offered a financial incentive to do so. As public companies with duties to shareholders, the rail companies are quite rightly examining cost implications and the overall business case, and many are unconvinced. This, however, has displeased one Brian Cooke, a London Assembly appointee to Travelwatch, "the official watchdog organisation representing the interests of transport users in and around the capital". One can tell a lot about this organisation by the Aunt Sally of a poll it hosts on its front page: "Is public transport becoming too expensive for the public?", and 94% voted yes. Well knock me down with a feather, people would rather pay less for goods and services.
Reacting to the rail companies behaving as PLCs are supposed to do, he comments: "Many of the operators make millions in profit and passengers will find it hard to understand if they reject the Mayor's offer to help them set up the pay-as-you-go network". If Cooke was a common or garden quangocrat who had spent his entire life in the public sector I suppose I could just sigh and recognise that he was institutionally collectivist and therefore could not help himself. However, according to the TravelWatch site, "Until recently, he ran own travel agency business". So, Brian, how did you run your business? Did you do everything quangos asked you to do? Did you consider the bottom line of such actions, did you, shock horror, ever make a profit and then consider that such profit was a suitable plaything for third parties? I am simply dying to know.
And he also gives us mixed metaphor of the week, "It is essential we take this opportunity to form a level playing field out of what is a ticketing jungle".
Labels: Art of not 'getting' it, Livingstone, Sane economics
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on Thursday, January 11, 2007 at 11:22 am.
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Interesting and I have much to say. Sadly it will have to wait for later..
Good Post C
Thank you. In your own good time Mr N.
I was't surprised by this to be honest. It's just the latest in a long line of bully boy techniques used by Ken, especially when it comes to Oyster.
It is an on-going landgrab, isn't it? I did a big post at ABK a while back about the prospect of Oyster machines in Brighton etc.....
I still don't do Oyster; howeverIt is starting to cost too much to avoid.
Not using oyster means you can always complete your journey by buying a travelcard.
More widely, I note the left are losing it more generally on "profits". In a bid to make sure no one has any they have asked corporates to fill pension pots, re-invest (as above) et al. The corporate tax take for the treasury is steeply declining as a result and Broon is overseeing a fiscal disaster.
Funny they can't do economics, eh?
I use a travelcard if I'm venturing out of the sunny uplands of Croydon, and they work just fine for me, with no worries about the profoundly sinister privacy implications of Oyster 'smart' cards.
If Mr N is going to be our candidate, he should be telling us how he'd sort out the current mess. It's beyond a joke.
Justin that was a gesture , you on the other hand would be an excellent candidate. Of course you don`t outrank me by quite so much anymore....did I mention.... ?
Did you know the police are using Oyster cards to track thousands of people`s journey`s. Well that information is relased to the Police and retained for months .
Hmmmmmmm?
"Justin that was a gesture..."
What a pity! My mate in the Monster Raving Loony Party was going to set up a Loonies for Newman group to campaign for you...
LOL.
More on tracking etc here.
good link C. My membership of the tin foil hat brigade proved right again.
Don't leave home without it....
I just get the bus now, fuck the tube.
The bus is free, hop on using the back door stand by the door and if you see an inspector jump off.
Thought all the Routemasters were out of service now?
newmania said... 11:54 AM
Interesting and I have much to say. Sadly it will have to wait for later..
Time's up; perhaps tomorrow?
I think he's been a bit busy at the ranch, but yes, come on N.
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