ToD is on its way out. No-one's going to be spending money changing stuff. ....
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Think TOD being phased out is at least a generation away yet unless the likes of Southeastern and TFL are forced to accept Etickets and paper roll tickets etc, and judging by my own and other people's communications with SE over the matter suggests it won't be anytime soon as they were adamant they have absolutely no intention of embracing them.
Definitely on the way out. TfL may be a problem in the short term but I think the advent of GBR will provide the unified approach the industry has been lacking for the past 25 years.
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The remaining TOCs that don't already will accept eTickets / barcode tickets shortly. Solutions for getting across London are being discussed. ToD will be gone in less than 5 years.
How can ToD ever be phased out ? It may now only be used for 15% of advance purchases and fall further with even more use of smartcards and bank cards but that is irrelevant. Likewise the TVM ticket format e.g. bog roll not magnetic strip card.
TVM's will always be required unless within all penalty fare areas manned booking offices open from the first to last departures return. Even outside a penalty fare area the provision to purchase during the journey would have to be guaranteed where the route enters a penalty fare area then even if not present to avoid free travel. So why remove the ToD option ?
Online purchasing can not be dependant on access to a printer. I wonder now how many homes have a PC but no printer then there are purchases away from home e.g. while at hotel.
As discussed numerous times the possession of a smartphone and the ability to use it can never become a condition of travel. Not least it would be discriminatory to the disabled. With ToD tickets can be bought for them and collected on their behalf either just before departure or in advance.
If there is an issue with ToD collection from the station TVM so long as the collection code is written down onboard collection without any card ought to be the backstop.