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From: ron@ron.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Some notes on the UK phone system
Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0106m01@vector.UUCP>
Date: 23 Mar 89 15:32:48 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 106, message 1 of 7

The advantage to the phone cards is that you don't have to waddle around
with a pocket full of coins on the off-chance that you might decide to
make a public call today.  You don't have to sit there and push them
into the slot.  We've got the same thing here at the University for the
photocopiers in the library.  If I go there and find an article that I
want to copy, I just pop this card into the machine and it just debits
the copies as I go.  Several mass transit systems here have the same
thing (Washington and San Francisco amongh others).  Rather than having
to carry change, or find an open token booth, you just zip the card into
the turnstile.  For the person who makes frequent use of these things,
the cards are an incredible convenience over coins or tokens.  For those
who don't, you can always revert to the hard money (except on the subways
where they force you to buy the card anyway).

-Ron