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The future of ticketing: ITSO?

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paul1609

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I'd love to know how anyone is going to fit an electronic, internet connected ticket reader to Sugar Loaf!
Doleham in East Sussex is probably more isolated than Sugar Loaf, has less trains and passengers.
It's had full TOD services for 5 years and an ITSO (Key) card reader for a year all via satellite.
 
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plugwash

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Current paper tickets are definitely due an update.
AIUI the main issue right now is a standoff between the mainline railway and TFL.

The mainline railway has introduced a new format for paper tickets known as "paper roll tickets" that are printed on thin paper with an aztec barcode. As a customer I hate the things but I acknowledge their advantages from the railway's point of view.

The problem for the mainline railway is that TFL have refused to accept barcode based tickets for underground/DLR travel, so any ticket that includes travel on the undergound/DLR can't be issued in this form. That creates an infrastructure problem. In a ticket office they can have multiple ticket printers but in smaller issuing locations such as self-service ticket machines and guards on trains multiple printers are less practical.

Some TOCs far from London have given their guards machines that only issue paper roll tickets. I have no idea if there is an official policy on what guards should do when a customer asks for a ticket they can't issue (when my family ran into the situation the gaurd on the northern train sold us tickets to London and told us to excess them on the train to london, which the train manager on the train to London somewhat-reluctantly did)

That isn't really an option for self-service ticket machines (with ToD) and guards on trains to/from London though, so they are still stuck issuing everything on traditional magstripe tickets.
 

Haywain

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and guards on trains to/from London though, so they are still stuck issuing everything on traditional magstripe tickets.
LNER guards can issue a cross-London ticket (or Travelcard etc) to be collected by ToD at Kings Cross. It's not a perfect solution but it's better than guards carrying a mag stripe printer.
 

plugwash

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Can they also be collected at other interchange locations (for example Stevenage)?
 

K.o.R

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Wallsendmag reminded me of the time I put a T&W Metro week ticket onto my parents' bus passes, which was a very neat little trick.

Not having to do anything beyond putting ticket on pad is the future I want. No lining up a barcode and no lining up a ticket into a slot.
 

HSTEd

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Well MiFARE cards are so cheap now you could issue one for every ticket without incurring significant cost.

Could print ticket information on it using scrubbable ink.
 

infobleep

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Some TOCs far from London have given their guards machines that only issue paper roll tickets. I have no idea if there is an official policy on what guards should do when a customer asks for a ticket they can't issue (when my family ran into the situation the gaurd on the northern train sold us tickets to London and told us to excess them on the train to london, which the train manager on the train to London somewhat-reluctantly did)
I wonder when things like this occur, should one take the name of the person who tells you to excess the fare later on and when the other person isn't so keen, tell them here is the name of the person who said to do this so you can follow it up with them.
 

jon0844

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Like this you mean ?

Yes, exactly.

And Cubic are slowly rolling out the barcode readers to gatelines around the UK to hopefully allow these to become the new standard.

The downside is of course that they're a little slower to scan and there's an education period where people work out how to scan them (and where the readers are), but there are so many benefits. [Edit; yes, there's the TfL issue mentioned above - but it seems there is a workaround for that]

Plus, as time goes on, the number of people using barcodes for busy commuter-style stations will more likely be using a smartcard or phone to travel anyway.
 

Wallsendmag

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Yes, exactly.

And Cubic are slowly rolling out the barcode readers to gatelines around the UK to hopefully allow these to become the new standard.

The downside is of course that they're a little slower to scan and there's an education period where people work out how to scan them (and where the readers are), but there are so many benefits. [Edit; yes, there's the TfL issue mentioned above - but it seems there is a workaround for that]

Plus, as time goes on, the number of people using barcodes for busy commuter-style stations will more likely be using a smartcard or phone to travel anyway.
LNER have barcode readers on 100% of their gatelines (not all Cubic other suppliers are available) and in the next couple of weeks every Travel Centre should be printing mainly to PRT with CCST/ITSO as a backup for the flows where PRT isn't applicable.
 

crablab

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LNER have barcode readers on 100% of their gatelines

I wish the gateline at Peterborough had ITSO/NFC readers - I understand this is the primary barrier (lol) to GTR extending their smartcard offerings to Peterborough (that and a lack of suitable ticket machines).
 

Wallsendmag

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I wish the gateline at Peterborough had ITSO/NFC readers - I understand this is the primary barrier (lol) to GTR extending their smartcard offerings to Peterborough (that and a lack of suitable ticket machines).
They do, just like all LNER gatelines!!!!! You can buy Smartcard seasons from Peterborough Travel Centre. You can collect Smartcard tickets purchased elsewhere from the Travel Centre, ToDler TVMs or at the gates themselves. I fail to see what's lacking ;)
 

island

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TIL, in which case, why question is where? :P

But that's excellent news! GTR have been saying for years they'd extend it to PBO...
On the glass type gates with orange ticket slots, the smartcard touch point is immediately above the ticket slot.
 

crablab

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On the glass type gates with orange ticket slots, the smartcard touch point is immediately above the ticket slot.
Ah, with the interesting moulding. I had assumed that was just a design feature...
 

crablab

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That's not very clear - I guess it's out of use on that gate.
Uh, I'm not sure if it is out of use from the photo but that's what it usually looks like.

Hence my surprise that the gates actually have an NFC reader in them!
 

Bletchleyite

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Uh, I'm not sure if it is out of use from the photo but that's what it usually looks like.

Hence my surprise that the gates actually have an NFC reader in them!

That little orange logo at the bottom is a railway smartcard logo, isn't it? I wonder if who was meant to stick it on stuck it in the wrong place?
 

Kilopylae

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FWIW I think barcode tickets are a step backwards given that they take a moment to scan. Even using an e-ticket on a mobile phone is slower than using an old magstripe ticket. In this age of NFC technology, there's really no excuse for making passengers scan a QR code at a ticket gate.
 

radamfi

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FWIW I think barcode tickets are a step backwards given that they take a moment to scan. Even using an e-ticket on a mobile phone is slower than using an old magstripe ticket. In this age of NFC technology, there's really no excuse for making passengers scan a QR code at a ticket gate.

They may take a fraction of second longer, but your journey might be an hour quicker because you didn't miss the train because of a long at the ticket machine.

But maybe there's a way of using the NFC function of suitably equipped phones to "scan" the QR code on a smartcard reader?
 
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Wallsendmag

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That's not very clear - I guess it's out of use on that gate.
Uh, I'm not sure if it is out of use from the photo but that's what it usually looks like.

Hence my surprise that the gates actually have an NFC reader in them!
It's a lot clearer in real life and that's the only place I could get the Smart S to stay attached. The reader itself is contoured.
 

david1212

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I have been linked to this thread following my post here and the response.

I was totally unaware of the existence of ITSO. I see nothing on the National Rail front page while the Tickets for Travel page only has it as the last item on the main box index finally linking to this Smart Tickets page.

While as I see limited for now far better publicity for the smartcard is needed.

Or...just have the ticket on your phone?

NO !!! nor a debit / credit card. See my original post on another thread.
 
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