I've seen plenty of ticket checks over the past couple of days - and my orange card tickets seem to be so much quicker to check than these hi-tec things with guards examining peoples phones etc.
... I could not believe it when a guard came around to check the ticket! ... as I am good with tech I got it up very quickly and he was quick. However, I agree the orange tickets are the best as you do not have to worry about failing tech in any way!
Thats why i stick to Paper Tickets, no need worry apart from Losing it .
It's also irritating that there isn't a standard "National Rail" e-ticket phone App, I'm not cluttering my phone up with operator Apps for an operator I hardly ever use!
Likewise, and not just New Street. My main problem though is having to hold an open phone in one hand while negotiating my way through a narrow barrier gate with a couple of carrier bags and a handbag. Sure I'm going to drop it and smash it one day.
IMO what is needed is a National Travel Ticket card that works in the same way as a contactless debit card. It can be loaded with rail and bus tickets bought either in advance online, at a ticket office, at a ticket machine, on a bus etc. I've never used Oyster but presume at the barriers it is reliable. I have had bus cards for Brighton area, Isle of Wight and Stagecoach Devon which have been reliable. Maybe there should be a nominal charge with paper / card tickets as the reserve for very occasional travellers.
The card would be linked to an account accessible on a website and a phone app to show what tickets are bought and loaded. For ' proof of purchase ' from a machine or ticket office the basic details would be on a paper receipt as now for a debit or credit card purchase. For online purchases there would be an email with a PDF attachment.
With the decline in season tickets as journey history would be recorded discounts would be given on a sliding scale depending on the number of journeys made over a month and a year. This could be in both for a specific route and different routes.
For the former blocks of say 10 or 20 tickets could be bought at a discount to the single ticket price. Further purchases of the same blocks would automatically get an additional discount. The major shortcoming is where neither the joining or alighting station has barriers and on train ticket checking does not take place for 99.9% of journeys.
If the card is lost from the linked account it can be replaced while since not used for anything else no issue like Oyster when a debit card is used rather than a separate Oyster card. Any phone / tablet is kept safe from both damage and ' snatch and run ' theft.
