This is about the tube so none of what you've written here is relevent.
There are of course no "scanners for e-tickets" on the tube and there's no world where buying a physical ticket for a tube journey is faster than using contactless at the gate.
> There are of course no "scanners for e-tickets" on the tube and there's no world where buying a physical ticket for a tube journey is faster than using contactless at the gate.
The lack of scanners at Underground stations is a pain for cross-London journeys -- you can't get a ticket from say Milton Keynes to Tunbridge Wells on an e-ticket because it includes the cross-london element
That's a very fair criticism. They should at least make an eticket version of that route a few quid cheaper and make it clear the journey doesn't include the tube part.
What “TfL trains” are you using that aren’t part of the oyster system and accept QR e-tickets?
Also how is buying a paper ticket faster and easier than just tapping your card at the gate line? You can even wait till you know your train is going to arrive before tapping!
Both Oyster and National Rail tickets are valid on the Elizabeth Line, despite it being effectively part of the TfL network. Should National Rail introduce a smartcard? Probably - but they don't have one yet, so it's not unreasonable that parent would be frustrated by the unreliable QR code scanners.
16 zones limit would not have existed in the first place if they did not insist on keeping all the fare info on the card. Many fare systems do fine with online-only operation.
In my case:
A paper ticket is simpler and quicker to buy, and I can wait until I am reasonably convinced trains are running before buying.
Scanners for e-tickets don't work. Every day I see people fighting with them with their smartphones while I just wizz past.
Sometimes "old tech" just works.
(I use TfL trains but not tube so infrastructure is shared with other operators in standard train stations. It may work better in the tube)