Why can't we have an "Oyster Card" equivalent for all UK railway routes

[benjidog]

Let me say first of all that I do not condone avoidance of paying fares. There will always be a few people that try it on and they deserve no sympathy as they are freeloaders sponging off the rest of us.

However, recent developments on clamping down on people who get on trains without a ticket so they don't miss their train are out of order. Most people who get on trains without tickets do so because of the inefficiency of the ticket offices and lack of automatic ticket vending machines. And even where there are machines, they do not seem to offer all the possible fares - for some reason it seems to be the cheap ones that are not available.

In London you can buy an Oyster Card and preload it with cash. You then swipe it when you enter a station, and again when you leave at your destination. The computer system then debits the cheapest journey cost against your card balance. Net result is fewer queues and fair prices.

So my question is why can't we have the same type of system for the UK railway network instead the current antiquated one we have now? Would it not be in everyone's interest or is this just a deliberate rip-off?

Regards,

Brian

[GWR9600]

Because that would mean that rail companies wouldnt be able to milk the passenger to line their shareholders pockets.

[swisstrains]

Originally Posted by benjidog

..........................In London you can buy an Oyster Card and preload it with cash. You then swipe it when you enter a station, and again when you leave at your destination. The computer system then debits the cheapest journey cost against your card balance. Net result is fewer queues and fair prices.
So my question is why can't we have the same type of system for the UK railway network instead the current antiquated one we have now? Would it not be in everyone's interest or is this just a deliberate rip-off?......................

Sounds like a great idea to me.
It would be interesting to hear what each Train Operating Company had to say about it.

[Tonga]

The wise comments in #1 are only equalled by the sound logic of #2

Well done gentlemen.