Bus Usecrime
September 27th, 2004Two Tom Coates-related posts in a row…here’s a excellent deconstruction of how badly designed the UI is on those London bus ticket machines. I myself have been a victim of them in many ways, including the times I’ve accidentally selected the £1 child bus pass fare rather than the £1 adult single fare (quite easy to do when in a hurry). In fact they piss me off so much that I’m ranting on about them even though I now live 400 miles away from London. My own personal conspiracy theory is that they’ve been put in to be so annoying that everyone gives up and gets pre-paid Oystercards instead.
(This post will now inevitably draw a response from Hugh about how much better Lothian Buses are).
September 27th, 2004 at 16:21:36
It is remarkable, isn’t it, how much better Lothian Buses are? With their comprehensive routes and timetabling, their simple fare structure (paid to the driver) and general willingness to invest early and often (so having smartcard technology in place some 3 or 4 years ahead of “world city” London). Correct me if I’m wrong, but voted Best Bus Company of the Year not once but twice in recent years? My understanding is that when Margaret Hilda, in her peerless wisdom, forced deregulation and privatisation on the buses, Edinburgh Council set up Lothian Buses plc, with the council as main shareholder. They then were in a position to reinvest profits into all these new buses, rather than to shareholders. Very clever work by them, and one in the eye for the good Baroness (I was going to say “must have driven her mad” - but perhaps now rather insensitive, given that she is?)
However, Chris will be delighted to note that all is not /totally/ rosy in Lothian’s garden. They have introduced new buses with only one door, which makes the process of getting on and off rather slower and more crowded. In fact, you might even say this pisses me off so much that I’m ranting on about them even though I now live 400 miles away from Edinburgh.
Damn.