Basic Mathematics 101

[Guest]

[Sharon]

I have noticed quite a bit lately how people seem to be playing with figures more and more for their own ends.  I know this is nothing new but one set of sums has made me rather cross (yes understatement of the year).  Now I also know there are an awful lot of very smart people on the Shack so I was hoping they could maybe come up with some formula to justify this type of mathematical nonsense.

London bus and tube fares are going up again. We have been told they are being raised by 4% above inflation.  Now our current rate of inflation is 2.3% but just to make things easy lets pretend it is 6% ie fares will rise by 10%.  So if that is the case can someone tell me how the Government came up with this:-

Current bus fare £1.50
New Bus fare £2.00

One stop on the tube £3.00
New fare for the tube £4.00

So if a Shacker can come up with the calculation that fits this please let me know, the wittier the better

[Morningangel-Iola]

Aren't they going up by a third about 33%   

[Sharon]

Aren't they going up by a third about 33%  

Ah Dawn, that is logical math  .  What I need is some far fetched calculation that doesn't make me feel that I am being taken for a mug.

[Morningangel-Iola]

Well on the 32nd of the month when the moon is in its fifth phase, and jupiter is.......

[Sharon]

    So you do know how they calculated them 

[Roz]

I don't see how they figure that maths either, although like Dawn I'm pretty sure that it can be justified with polynomial detrending of the lunar cycle through the resulting tidal levels... *cough cough*

One stop on the tube £3.00
New fare for the tube £4.00

Wow - get yourself an Oyster card!!

I did when I last saw that it was £3 a journey, I was living in London only 5 years ago and back then it was possible to buy books of 'carte' tickets for £1 journeys, so there's usually a way around their single fare extortion.

[Sharon]

Thanks Roz I have an Oyster card but that doesn't change the fact that London bus fares have risen from 70p to £2.00 in under 3 years.  Or that I have to pay more (even with my Oyster card) because I travel to work between 7am and 9am.  Oh and as a warning to other Oyster users if the swipe machine isn't working on the underground when you leave the station it changes your card to a pay as you go so you get charged more.

But seriously Roz can you figure out how this is 4% above inflation, unless there is some sort of conspiracy to hide the fact that UK inflation is running at 20%.

[Morningangel-Iola]

Maybe they have counterbalanced it off of house prices 

[HPfamily]

Well on the 32nd of the month when the moon is in its fifth phase, and jupiter is.......

   
You made me cry from laughing!!! 

[Roz]

Well that's true. London house prices are pegged to rise 25% in the next 4 years, so add that to the number you first thought of and BINGO - you have 'an explanation'.

[Morningangel-Iola]

If only wages went up accordingly