London's 7-day Travelcard to be on Oyster only

Over the last while, the public transit system in London has been
phasing in a stored-value smart-card fare system called Oyster.
The same card can be used on one occasion as a Travelcard (pass)
and on another to store cash value (called "pre-pay", although
of course the use as a Travelcard is also prepaid) for one or
more single trips.

In fact, it can be used in both modes at once -- if you have a
Zone 1-2 Travelcard, say, and the appropriate amount of pre-pay cash
on the card, then you can travel from Zone 1 to Zone 4 and it'll
charge you the appropriate add-on fare for the Zone 3-4 part of
the trip. Another feature (called "capping") means that you don't
have to decide in advance whether to buy a 1-day Travelcard any
more; once you've paid the equivalent of a Travelcard fare in
single-ride fares, additional rides that day are free.

There may or may not be a 3-pound deposit to obtain an Oyster card,
depending on what sort of fare you're using it for. The deposit is
refunded if you return the card.

Anyway, that's all old news. The new news is that this system
is now working well enough that starting on September 25, 7-day
Travelcards will no longer be available in traditional form, but
only via the Oyster card. Here's the press release (long URL,
you may have to join the parts), with links to further information:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-cent...t.asp?prID=479

Disclaimer: I've only read about this myself, so far.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "When you're up to your ass in alligators, maybe
| you're in the wrong swamp." -- Bill Stewart

My text in this article is in the public domain.