ArrivaTrainsWales App/tickets

[aleph_0]

I've noticed that Arriva Trains Wales have recently launced an app selling tickets. More precisely, these tickets:
http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/mobilemultiflex/

Essentially, 12 single carnet tickets (6 tickets each way) that are activated via. mobile.

This seems like a good idea, in that it's a better system compared to the problems in FCC-land.

However, what's interesting, is that the app *only* sells the mobile tickets. It also doesn't apply railcard discounts (but it does ask for railcard information - it's the same standard interface all the other apps use).

I guess these apps aren't subject to many rules, but this does seem rather misleading. Even if they didn't want the app to sell actual tickets, it could still look up the walk-up fares, and inform the user of the price of the alternative, and direct them to machines/ticket office.

Is there anything productive that can be done, or is it better just not to worry?

 

[maniacmartin]

I wonder if there is anything to stop people only ´activating´ a ticket if they see a guard approaching them!

 

[aleph_0]

I wonder if there is anything to stop people only ´activating´ a ticket if they see a guard approaching them!

It's probable someone could get away with that at the moment, but it's a similar risk with a paper carnet (although it's easier to get noticed writing rather than tapping, and wet ink is a risk!).

In theory, the ticket should be unique and timestamped, so if a passenger from Barry activates the ticket just after Grangetown station, they could be caught. If ticket checks involved scanning the QR code, and that scan was fed back to the database, then one could work out where in the journey it was activated, and fraudulent patterns of behaviour detected.

I doubt ATW have invested in such systems at the moment - but I think there's room to develop good systems, especially if the industry works together.

 

[kieron]

I wonder if there is anything to stop people only ´activating´ a ticket if they see a guard approaching them!

Barriers at some key stations should help, as should the fact that unused tickets expire after 3 months. Most people would be reluctant to give a guard a 'phone which says something like 'Aber-Barry, 2:58:04 remaining' on it, anyway, even if there isn't much the guard can do about it.

 

[Chouette]

I wonder if there is anything to stop people only ´activating´ a ticket if they see a guard approaching them!

I was in the trial for this. The ticket is timestamped with time and date of purchase, time and date of activation, and current device time. The time of activation is repeated at the top of the ticket, above an animated digital clock showing the current device time. I always activated after getting on the train, though, as if the train didn't turn up, I would generally have missed whatever I was travelling for, and would want to go home instead!

And yes, this has a couple of times resulted in my activating it just as the guard walks up to me. Never caused a problem.