Oyster-style card for Bristol buses within a year

“@Tiny_Steve - Thanks and I totally agree. At 30 cm, the letters on Bristol buses' destination displays are large. Most are clear. If someone cant see those, then it will be in their best interests to get eyes checked.

The inability to read a timetable or route map baffles me. Also, the practice of stopping a no 42 bus to ask when the 49 is due. Most bus stops have some information, In its absence, a phone call to traveline might help. I know Bristol hasn't yet got 24 hour travel information by phone, but their websites are available and I have found them accurate.

@nathanw1 - a smart card seems the better way forward. For example, I have 2 tickets on my oystercard. One is a zones 1-4 season ticket giving unlimited travel on all transport except river services, where the fare is discounted by 33 per cent. I usually buy a monthly ticket. I also have a pay-as you go ticket for infrequent journeys from zones 5-9. Both tickets are bought online.

The pay-as-you- go is set to automatically add £20 when the balance falls below £8. This happens when I touch the card at tube or rail stations, a bus or tram card reader. For the season ticket, I specify at which station I want the card topped-up. Usually, it will be at the beginning of the journey, I have seldom experienced difficulties. When the season ticket has failed to renew for some reason, the fare has been deducted from the pay-as-you-go ticket. I have then claimed a refund from the season ticket.

Bristol has only 3 modes of public transport, including ferries, compared to the capital's soon to be 7, when the cable car system starts operating - http://tinyurl.com/bsmoy8g I feel it would be straight-forward to set up a smart card system similar to London's in Bristol. Given its scale, it would be a fraction of the cost and easily manageable.”

“I'm puzzled why most drivers seem to want to know the destination of passengers carrying Diamond Travelcards. As I understand it, the bus companies receive the same flat fee from the council whatever the length of a journey, so the destination is of no consequence. It's yet another way to slow down boarding, especially when the passengers concerned often to repeat their destination because drive can't hear them properly.”

“Tim Kent seems to be winning the battle of ideas.

He is not just a man who is driven by a coherent political philosophy, he is also pragmatic.

This is on both policy and the superb casework he does in his Ward as the people of Whitchurch Park have often commented on.

If he is not running for Mayor he has to be major player in any future administration.”

“Personally I do not see the need for smartcards. What is wrong with a monthly pass that they currently provide. I do not need to make sure that has enough credit on, which I can see causing problems. What happens if you do not have enough credit on your smartcard and the its early morning or late night and shops are closed?

Also, I think you are all forgetting that where people are involved, you get idiots.

Do you really believe that smartcards will quicken the pace? People fumbling around for cash etc will just be found fumbling around for their smartcard in future and still delay you.

smartcards wont stop pensioners crowding bus stops at 0830 in the morning asking if it is 9am yet.”

“@airhellair

All very good suggestions. I love it when gets on a bus and asks the driver , "Do you go to the centre?"

If I was the driver, I'd reply, "hang on, just let me see what it says in foot-high letters on the front of my bus. Oh, apparently I do. Wait a sec, let me double check on that timetable you've been standing next to at the bus stop for the last ten minutes".”

“Kate F, while I agree with you that you cant always blame passengers for slow boarding, most of the time, it is because of them. Bristol is particularly bad. Majority of people, irrespective of gender, always seem to take ages. Hardly anyone has the fare ready. I know First increase fares at least once a year, but you can find out this information before you travel. Although routes change periodically, most stay the same for a long time. So, is there a need to ask where a bus is going? Bristol's buses, unlike other cities, have good route information displays, showing intermediate points. In London, for example, which pioneered this, buses now tend to display only the ultimate destination.

It's a shortcoming that First dont have a farechart on their websites. I always ring and find out what it's likely to cost. Most of the time their customer service people are helpful. When I travel in other cities, I usually find out fares, frequencies and all that before I travel, instead of waiting till I get there.

The point about single doors is a good one. Most of the capital's buses have 2. The new 'borismaster', has 3. - http://tinyurl.com/7vqktvu

Having said that, some buses in outer london have one door. As a regular user of these, I have seldom encountered passenger congestion. Partly, it's because 99 per cent use an oyster card. Also, most people actually seem to know where the bus is going, so don't need to stop and ask - http://tinyurl.com/7elosvh

My feeling is that, for a smart card system to be successful, it has to be cheaper than paying cash. Also, off-bus ticketing will help. Bristol is not short of shops anywhere; there's no reason why you coudn't buy tickets before you travel. If there is a no-cash operation within 6-8km of the city, that is likely to speed things up, too. Given the price of technology, would it be that expensive to have machines at bus stops where you could buy tickets? - http://tinyurl.com/7co3ykb”

“No amount of tinkering around the edges with intiatives such as the Oyster card or leather seats and Wi-Fi can disguise the fact that the services run by First Bus will remain poor with unreliable timetables and exhorbitantly priced tickets eg it's now £1.70 single to go 3 stops from Union Street to City Road which is around a half mile journey. Tim Kent and the council needs to get real and deal with First Bus in a robust manner - better still get rid altogether. I certainly would not be tempted back onto the bus on the strength of an Oyster card and only use it when I have heavy shopping bought in Broadmead otherwise it's the car or m/cycle. First Bus whine and moan about loss of revenue and increased fuel costs (this is now falling) but they are, by and large, the architects of their own 'misfortune' riding rough-shod over the travelling public for so long. Finally Tim Kent says all we'll have to worry about is destination. Bit blase that me thinks - price, reliability and timetables matter hugely to passengers.”

“Bad news I rather pay by cash.”

“@Kbillies – "Lets have a truce my friend. I will you no ill."


I will if you will; on one condition . . .

You must stop posting absurd, inflammatory one-liners about how well any/all of the LibDems are doing, either individually, as Bristol City Council or as a party. In return I will stop posting FACTS about them to balance your biased, inaccurate statements.

I see you've decided to disregard my deal-making offer!”

“To minimise delays in London it is not possible to pay by cash on buses on many busy routes, will the same be done in Bristol?”