Endtime_Survivors
Member
I recently chatted with a friend who lives in Australia. Apparently, in Sydney, it is no longer possible to buy bus fare with cash, at all. They use something called the "opal" card, which is similar to the "oyster" card in the UK.
Apparently it's still possible to use cash for tickets on the train but the price for using cash has actually increased (I suspect as a means of herding people toward the cashless system). For example, a journey on the train which costs $2.50 with the Opal card costs $14.00 using cash!
I think something similar has happened in London, where it's no longer possible to use cash on the city buses themselves, but it is still possible to use cash for bus tickets at the stations.
He believes all this cashless society stuff will eventually lead to tap-and-pay microchips in the hand (or forehead) so he's made a personal decision to start preparing now by not using such services even though he doesn't see those things (like the Opal card) in themselves as the Mark. He's rejecting these systems now because he views it as a way of preparing for when the Mark does come, and the inconvenience that will come with rejecting it.
Apparently it's still possible to use cash for tickets on the train but the price for using cash has actually increased (I suspect as a means of herding people toward the cashless system). For example, a journey on the train which costs $2.50 with the Opal card costs $14.00 using cash!
I think something similar has happened in London, where it's no longer possible to use cash on the city buses themselves, but it is still possible to use cash for bus tickets at the stations.
He believes all this cashless society stuff will eventually lead to tap-and-pay microchips in the hand (or forehead) so he's made a personal decision to start preparing now by not using such services even though he doesn't see those things (like the Opal card) in themselves as the Mark. He's rejecting these systems now because he views it as a way of preparing for when the Mark does come, and the inconvenience that will come with rejecting it.