15 March, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It’s funny, but someone told me that a single cash fare on the London Underground (Zone 1) now costs £4. And I told them there is no way in hell that any city on earth would have the chutzpah to charge people the equivalent of $8/6€ to ride the metro system — a single journey, one-way. In New York City or Paris, you could take a cab for that price. I’m sure – absolutely sure – that if any such fare increases were proposed, people would have taken to the streets en masse to protest what is essentially a crime against the citizenry – and a big middle finger to tourists. Even though one has the option of buying a card to receive a substantially reduced fare (though it’s not very convenient for visitors), the mere symbolism of charging £4 to ride public transport – the purpose of which is to provide accessible and affordable transportation to all people – would be so distasteful that the public would not stand for it.
That’s the last time I listen to that person. What were they smoking?
Anglofille said @ 2:31 pm | london & uk |
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oh, dear… the world has turned since you were last here!
i won’t start in on my rant here (particularly after the journeys i had today…) but it’s an obscene joke on the people of london, who have no choice if they want to still get to work.
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btw… my latest rant on it is here if you’re interested…
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It’s true, they do. And often pay the full price as well, the fools.
London is great but it sure isn’t cheap to get places…train fares are outrageous as well… -
I’ll second that. Just spent the week-end in London and was rather shocked at the price of a ticket. No wonder it is one of the most expensive places in the world!
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I don’t understand why people just accept this? It really is criminal. The people of London deserve better than this, especially considering how flawed the Tube system is. I remember huge protests in NYC when the fare was increased by something like 50 cents! This fare increase is equivalent to $2 — the whole price of a ticket in New York! I’m guessing this is all the mayor’s doing — he seems to have unchecked power. If the mayor of New York tried to raise the subway fare by $2, there’d probably be riots.
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…so I generally walk instead
