Oyster rolled out further around London.
 

I've just come back from Hong Kong where the Octopus card is everything that the Oyster should have been. You can use it on the Metro, trams, buses, ferries, rail and funicular lines. You can even use it as virtual cash in shops. Best of all is that you can just walk up to any public transport counter hand over $150 and off you go. You can then top up at machines in all the metro and rail stations or do it directly off your credit card whenever it has run down.

Considering the Oyster card was based on the Octopus card, it baffles me how they managed to fudge the implementation so badly.

Its obvious that our integrated ticketing system has to be named after a sea animal.

How about a Cod?

Clownfish?

Introducing: The Flounder card :D

Or the false network catfish card?

the metrocard in NY I always thought was easy to use and if you need one you can always get another ... for nothing.

The Hong Kong one puts the initial cost onto your card as credit.

There are two reasons why I thought it was better than the London one. It works on all forms of public transport. You don't have to fill out any personal details to get it, you just hand over the cash. As worthy an idea as Oyster is, it is over-complicated.

I must admit that I liked the fact you could use it to pay for goods in shops in Hong Kong too.

Many people have indeed questioned why TfL appeared to take a very well developed concept "Octopus" turn it into "Oyster" and almost destroy the essential simplicity of it.

However one aspect of the debate which is only now coming to public notice is the amount of data which is available to the UK Security Services on the travellin patterns of Oyster holders.
Another odd piece of info was how relatively quickly people registered their Oysters thus laying bare far more detailed info about themselves than their preference for Bus over Tube etc.
It no secret that TfL and inter alia the UK Govt plan is for Oyster to be a source of highly accurate real-time information on travel patterns and therefore allow them to react or plan for the changes in such patterns before trouble arises.

It all good stuff on paper (or chip) BUT there are increasing concerns on just how much information is being harvested and with what purpose in mind .....Paranoia.com ?? ;)