Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
There is a huge difference between mostly unused and unused.
Based on an unscientific study (we really need the statistics on TfL cash use, which shouldn't be that hard to come by but I haven't managed based on a quick search!), I'd estimate about 20 people an hour are currently making cash top-ups (or other cash transactions) at my mid-sized local station.
OK, fair point.
But I wouldn't say it's about who is making a cash transaction, it's about who has to make a cash transaction. Many will do it that way because they always have done even though they have a suitable payment card.
To use another example, I would be unsurprised if those using cash at Northern's unstaffed stations (via a Promise to Pay ticket) is now limited to:
1. Children (though there are alternatives like GoHenry cards etc) - and Oyster Zip provides for them in London
2. People who do not have a suitable payment card
3. Fare dodgers hoping that the fare will not be collected
4. People who are stubborn about it and want to protect cash acceptance
Those who would casually just use cash but aren't one of those 4 will, on being presented with a TVM that doesn't take cash, probably just take the path of least resistance which is to pay by card. Whereas if the TVM takes cash, some will just default to it because that's what they always did.
...I'm not sure that moving cash acceptance to visitors centres would save all that much, since it reduces (and not by 100%) the acceptance costs, but doesn't alter the secure collection and banking costs.
It would probably not save all that much to move cash from Euston booking office to Euston visitor centre (if there was one), no. Indeed, as you'd need to open one (it closed due to station work and wasn't replaced) it would cost more. The benefit of it would be simplicity, rather than needing to work out which stations took cash you'd know that all the visitor centres did.
What would really save (a lot of) money, though, would be reducing the number of stations that accept cash from 270 to about 10 (i.e. Heathrow plus the main London termini). And TBH they'd probably get away with it only being one TVM in each.