Thread by @garius

It's almost like the TOC/DfT commitment to overhauling the fare system is the same as always:

About finding ways to LOOK like they've changed without changing.

The reason you can't use a smartcard everywhere has always been because you'd then automatically pay the lowest fare.

https://twitter.com/BBCTomEdwards/status/1406910335534211078

And you paying the lowest fare has never, ever been in the interest of the Train Operating Companies or the DfT.

It's why travelcards, and then Oyster, were so revolutionary. They legitimately put Londoners first.

That this still isn't the norm everywhere is stunning.

What they want is to have their cakes and eat it. They want to be able to say:

"Well TECHNICALLY, if you bought the weekday canet with pro-user discount via our dedicated (but not on google) website, and only caught the 7:34am or 8:23 trains you'd be travelling with 20% off!!!"

Whilst also knowing that everyone is going to go:

"Fuck it. I'll buy a regular season ticket."

Because no sane individual is EVER going to be able to jump through the hoops required, every day, to actually benefit from that discount.

It's Dark UI design. But with train tickets

And again, that's why Smart Ticketing on the National Railway is so shit.

Because the fare system is an elaborate dance designed to benefit shareholders and the DfT, not travellers.

A dance so complex it's almost impossible for it to be accurately modelled digitally.

I'm honestly not sure what scares the TOCS/DfT more:

The fact that the fare system is SO COMPLEX you can't model it digitally, if your goal is to AUTOMATICALLY have the traveller pay the lowest fare at any given time.

OR...

That someone might one day manage to do so.