YORCARD - (Sheffield Transport Smartcard) - Your views required

[sheffbag 230]

Finally... I thought I am the only one who feels this is yet another way of trying to find out our "habits" (Be it shopping, leisure and now travel etc).

 

I am starting to get very tired of this information gathering on everything we do, feel, want, think... And I am very scared that so many people feel all this is a good idea.

 

Annette - as i posted earlier, there is an anonymous Yorcard that you will be able to use that carries no personal details at all if that makes you feel more secure. If you have a specific concern that you would like addressing then please dont hesitate to get in touch either via pm but preferably through the Contact us page on the Yorcard website http://www.yorcard.com

 

Hope this helps alliviate your concerns about the project.

[Annette K 10]

Annette - as i posted earlier, there is an anonymous Yorcard that you will be able to use that carries no personal details at all if that makes you feel more secure. If you have a specific concern that you would like addressing then please dont hesitate to get in touch either via pm but preferably through the Contact us page on the Yorcard website http://www.yorcard.com

 

Hope this helps alliviate your concerns about the project.

 

I am sorry but this does nothing to alleviate my concerns. I cannot see any real benefit such a travel scheme would provide. And fine... if people think I am paranoid let them but such schemes will not stay anonymous. I am sick and tired of this information gathering. And all this is of course for our own security, our peace of mind bla bla bla.

 

The day will come where it will not be possible to hop on a bus without having to identify yourself. You'll not be able to buy a paper without having to identify yourself. At a certain supermarket I have already noticed a sign that if you look younger than 30 you will have to be able to id yourself in order to buy alcohol. This of course is also for our benefit so the 9 year olds stop drinking.

 

If I want to travel on the bus it has got nothing to do with you or anyone else!

 

And why all your questions for your market research? What difference does it make whether I am 16 or 60 and go on the bus in to town. What difference does it make whether I am unemployed, a landscape gardner or a company ower and I want to travel on the bus?

[RichJay 10]

And why all your questions for your market research? What difference does it make whether I am 16 or 60 and go on the bus in to town. What difference does it make whether I am unemployed, a landscape gardner or a company ower and I want to travel on the bus?

 

Questions like this are usually used in surveys to make sure that the population has been sampled properly. In other words they want views from a range of ages in the population not just 16 year olds.

 

Personally I think the cards are a good idea. I hate having to find change when getting on a bus and would much rather just swipe a card.

[Annette K 10]

Questions like this are usually used in surveys to make sure that the population has been sampled properly. In other words they want views from a range of ages in the population not just 16 year olds.

 

Personally I think the cards are a good idea. I hate having to find change when getting on a bus and would much rather just swipe a card.

 

Ok I know that... but surely how does sheffbag know if I am a male, 68 years of age and a pensioner or if I am a teenage girl who goes to school?

 

A forum like this cannot be used to gather realiable information. If his/ her market research is meant to be of any valuable information than this is not the way. General info, opinions, ideas yes but you cannot guarantee that personal information "volunteered" is correct.

[RichJay 10]

Lots of companies do market research over the internet.

[cv65user 10]

finanlly northens thoguht of a solution , yes its like oyster cards in london , pay as u go top up card that u swipe against a reader for northens that dont know ..

 

its good as some drivers dont even have change to give back out !!

[Paulmat 10]

Who is 'Northen'?

[sheffbag 230]

Ok I know that... but surely how does sheffbag know if I am a male, 68 years of age and a pensioner or if I am a teenage girl who goes to school?

 

A forum like this cannot be used to gather realiable information. If his/ her market research is meant to be of any valuable information than this is not the way. General info, opinions, ideas yes but you cannot guarantee that personal information "volunteered" is correct.

 

Annette - the questions were asked, as indicated on page 1, originally to help us form the basis of our marketing and research discussions and to request information on what social and age demographic were showing interest. We have enlisted the services of the country's top independant transport research organisation to conduct our market research but as indicated when the thread was first posted that we thank ALL views both positive and negative.

 

I cant change how your details may be collected by other organisations, be it banks, councils or police cctv or what the future holds but if you wish to use Yorcard, which this post is about, then you can anonymously and if not, then we have to accept that everyone has a personal choice. We just want to offer an alternative that we feel will assist people with public transport.

[prettygood 10]

Annette - the questions were asked, as indicated on page 1, originally to help us form the basis of our marketing and research discussions and to request information on what social and age demographic were showing interest. We have enlisted the services of the country's top independant transport research organisation to conduct our market research but as indicated when the thread was first posted that we thank ALL views both positive and negative.

 

I cant change how your details may be collected by other organisations, be it banks, councils or police cctv or what the future holds but if you wish to use Yorcard, which this post is about, then you can anonymously and if not, then we have to accept that everyone has a personal choice. We just want to offer an alternative that we feel will assist people with public transport.

 

I've got two questions:

 

1) Will the fares be put up for non-YORCARD users? In London there is an active policy of non-Oyster card users having to pay higher fares than before. The cynic in me suggests this is part of an agenda to "force" everyone into having one of these cards. I don't mind fares being cheaper for YORCARD users, but I'd be pretty annoyed if fares were raised for non-YORCARD users.

 

2) Will it be compulsory to have a YORCARD if buying week or month savers for the buses? In London this is also the case with the Oyster card.

[sheffbag 230]

I've got two questions:

 

1) Will the fares be put up for non-YORCARD users? In London there is an active policy of non-Oyster card users having to pay higher fares than before. The cynic in me suggests this is part of an agenda to "force" everyone into having one of these cards. I don't mind fares being cheaper for YORCARD users, but I'd be pretty annoyed if fares were raised for non-YORCARD users.

 

2) Will it be compulsory to have a YORCARD if buying week or month savers for the buses? In London this is also the case with the Oyster card.

 

 

1) Fares are set by the operators. Oyster is a TFL project essentially who can set the prices and instruct the operators. Thats the key difference as its a fully commercial operation the card is operating in. There may, in future, be smartcard only tickets that are route specific but these will be set by the operator, not the project. Yorcard will have no bearing on non smartcard prices.

 

 

2) The Yorcard Pilot is a pilot scheme, there will be no compulsion to have the ticket on a Yorcard, you may purchase the products onto your card but there will be no compulsion to have one in order to obtain the products.

 

Any further questions please note I am away from the pc for the weekend but will pick any further enquiries or comments up on Monday, alternatively use the "contact us" page on the Yorcard website

 

 

http://www.yorcard.co.uk/default.asp?pageid=16&groupid=9

[Foggy Eyes 10]

As part of the pilot the project cannot offer this ticketing BUT it is one of the aims of the roll out. Everyone wishes to deliver best value ticketing (up to a certain point, we cant expect people to calculate a year's bus use up) and smartcards can assist greatly in this.

 

Thanks for your interest in Yorcard

 

Thanks for the reply. I think for Yorcard to be a success it HAS to be able to do this, otherwise many people will find themselves unable to use the facility because it will COST them money! This would be a great shame.

 

Good luck with it.

[jgharston 11]

Finally... I thought I am the only one who feels this is yet another way of trying to find out our "habits" (Be it shopping, leisure and now travel etc).

 

Your bank knows where you have been by the cash machines you've used.

 

Reading through the ITSO documents, I can't see any privacy problem greater than current paper-based passes. A non-concessionary ITSO card effectively just stores "I have ten pounds bought from Transport Authority X". When used for a fare, it changes to, say, "I have nine pounds twenty" and the bus ticket machine stores "I am owed 80p from Transport Authority X". Think of it as an electronic ten pund note, than gets smaller in value as you use it. (Paper money has your finger prints on it!!!)

 

A concessionary ITSO card has some additoinal information because the concession is personal to the holder, just like a paper concessionary card now. If you don't like the fact that a concessionary bs pass has you picture on it, and you don't like the fact that your bank knows what cash machines you use, then don't use a concessionary bs pass, and don't use cash machines.