Why I prefer to use a ticket office and obtain a physical ticket

[The Ham]

I do think a lot of people are seeing online-purchased eTicket vs station-purchased physical ticket as a binary thing. In reality it won't be; you will be able to purchase most tickets from whichever of these you prefer.

As now, most stations will have TVMs; and some (though probably fewer than today) will have booking offices. Eventually they will all issue barcode tickets, rather than CCST (orange magstripe tickets) - but they will still be physical tickets. Techincally they will be Paper Roll Tickets (PRT). I appreciate that some forum members don't like these, but they will help to reduce costs in several ways, as well as being recyclable. Where (as now) stations don't have either a TVM or a booking office, then you will be able to buy a physical barcode ticket on the train. No-one is going to be forced to have a phone or internet access to buy a ticket!

For those people who are comfortable buying online, and using the barcode ticket on their phone (or a print out of the barcode ticket) to travel with, then this will (of course) continue to be an option. All products (ticket types) and all routes will soon be available in this way. Technically these will be either eTickets or (mostly for seasons) sTickets - but in both cases they will be barcode tickets. You don't have to do this though - you remain free to go to a station and buy your tickets there. As some members have observed, buying online and using a phone is now by far the most popular method of ticket fulfilment for customers.

People will also be able to use contactless pay as you go on a wider part of the network; and ITSO smartcards for almost any journey / ticket type.

I expect that ticket on departure (ToD) will be dead within a few years. The old self-print tickets format is being discontinued (in a couple of months). And hopefully m-tickets will be discontinued as a format in a couple of years.

Indeed, and given that rail travel (even allowing for the recent drop) is now about as busy as it's been at any time before the last decade.

As such, without the increase of ticket sales options this wouldn't be possible.

Now some would like this to be only via ticket offices, however given the way the ready of the world has been going with online sales and mobile technology then it's no surprise that the railways have followed suit.

A really handy thing, if we are going to have a single ticketing site and account, would be to be able to log into your account at a TVM and print. You'd then be able to get a copy of your ticket even if you'd had everything stolen.

I've previously suggested that you should be able to present your back card at a TVM and be able to access most common journeys, print pre booked tickets, etc. Being able to print e-tickets could be a useful feature to add to that list.

That could allow you to book a ticket which you can both store on your phone but also have a physical copy which you collect from the station if you so wish (which could even be a station not at the start of your trip, although you'd only be using the e-ticket until you could collect it).

 

[yorkie]

That may be the case but I've only ever personally seen it once. If it becomes more common in the areas that I travel in I may find that my preference alters towards e-tickets (more likely I'll just carry my wallet more often to keep them fresh in).

I believe Avanti and LNER have switched already, and probably others too.

Currently my choice is credit card stock, digital ticket, or printed version of an e-ticket

In that order? I'm not sure what you mean by digital ticket. This sounds like more a preference of the form factor of ticket rather than anything else.

. None of the ticket offices I use, or the guards ticket machines on the trains I use, produce bog roll tickets. I am well aware of the pros and cons of each, I don't need to hear why my decision is a bad one.

This is a discussion forum, so you will get views or facts posted which you already know as that's just the nature of discussion.

 

[DelayRepay]

I only started using e-tickets by accident (booking error on my part) but since I did I have never looked back. I now use them for any journey where they're available. I think they're much more secure - the ability to hold copies on multiple devices and print multiple copies means they're not likely to get lost.

One benefit I have not seen mentioned is that ticket barriers cannot 'eat' your e-ticket. Handy if you need it to make a delay repay claim.

 

[Philip]

The sooner these are available online, the better.


There is no reason why you can't print an e-ticket to have a physical copy as a backup.


If you lose it or it becomes defaced, you have no backup.


You can show an e-ticket on any device; you can either bring a spare battery or a printed copy.

e-tickets have redundancy; paper tickets do not.


They generally don't and that needs to change.


If it is easier to buy from a ticket office, why do so few people do that these days?

I have noticed that you seem to have an anti-ticket office staff (or perhaps even an anti-rail staff in general) agenda and it's rather unconstructive.

 

[sor]

Avoiding the “everyone over 60 can’t possibly use a computer” stuff.

My main concern with the push to “digitise“ is specifically around railcards where so called “digital” railcards don’t seem to have forced an update to the rules to account for the issues that can arise with them. I don’t think it’s right that you must have a working, charged phone as accidents do happen. There’s very little leniency, other than the once a year thing where they make it sound as if they’re doing you a massive favour, and in the meantime you go through all the faff and fuss and worry as is seen in the other forum. And for what? So the rail industry can save money on sending out a physical card?

Seems more sensible to me to push some of this back into the rail side, eg requiring you to enter the railcard number when you purchase the ticket, and then if the guard/RPI wants to see the railcard they can scan the ticket and see the railcard on their handheld reader alongside the ticket info. No need then for users to carry around anything at all.

Or at least bring railcards into the e-ticket era where I can print it out if I wish, instead of relying on an app which has failed for me in the past (the railcard disappeared from the app right when an RPI wanted to check it. Force closing the app brought it back)

(I’m slightly biased here as I currently hold a 26-30 which of course has never had a physical option)

 

[jfollows]

Seems more sensible to me to push some of this back into the rail side, eg requiring you to enter the railcard number when you purchase the ticket, and then if the guard/RPI wants to see the railcard they can scan the ticket and see the railcard on their handheld reader alongside the ticket info. No need then for users to carry around anything at all.

Or at least bring railcards into the e-ticket era where I can print it out if I wish.

(I’m slightly biased here as I currently hold a 26-30 which of course has never had a physical option)

Unfortunately that's really bad for people, like me, who have bought a railcard at the same time as a discounted ticket; I allowed my Two Together railcard to expire because of Covid-19 and only bought a new one when I wanted to travel again. Making me have one at the time of purchase would have been annoying and inconvenient for me. Maybe it was always intended that railcards were needed at time of purchase - it always used to be and continues to be when buying tickets in person - but it's been normal for a while now that buying tickets online doesn't require this, so at the very least going back to doing so would be reversing a "loophole".

I do make a point of displaying my railcard without being asked when I'm on a train, because it's clearly a requirement then.

Digital railcards have, unfortunately, had a number of implementation problems not of the user's causing, but I hope none of them have affected you.

I agree with the tenor of what you're saying, though - if all the stupid errors on the digital side can be fixed then what you propose could be done I guess. Personally I wouldn't trust the implementation of the technology given the poor track record, but on e-tickets rather than railcards (of which I hold two in plastic) I've yet to encounter a problem, however I only tend to use them for simple advance tickets with Avanti.

EDIT And my issue with purchasing tickets and railcards at the same time could be fixed, even with a plastic railcard, if the purchase created an identifying token which could immediately be used as verification for the discounted ticket purchase, so it's not an insoluble problem anyway.

 

[Lucan]

TSB were one of the first banks to offer on-line banking for personal accounts, and I was told I was the first person in their south-west region to take it up.

However, I am finding on-line purchasing increasingly frustrating. It used to be easy - you just entered your debit or credit card details. But in the last few years there are ever-increasing numbers of hoops to jump through just to make a simple purchase, like verification codes or the merchant forgetting your password (and claiming you forgot it) apparently because you have not bought anything for 3 months. Then there have been issues with my address because I live on a road without a name and although I can make one up the merchant's computer won't accept it because it is not recognised.

I have just spent an hour on my PC trying to place an order (only £20) for some hardware items from a company I have used for the last 10 years. Suddenly, for the first time, they want me to verify myself, but the phone number that have for me has changed (that phone was stolen a few weeks ago) and the alternative verification email they are supposed to send me is not getting through. I could scream right now.

To catch a train I need to go to the station physically anyway, so I might as well buy the ticket there if that remains possible. If most people are getting tickets on-line, that's fine, the queue will be short, and it's a quicker transaction than on-line. As for losing a paper ticket, I've had enough paper tickets over the years to have acquired the knack of not losing them ... not so a phone it seems.

 

[AM9]

As for losing a paper ticket, I've had enough paper tickets over the years to have acquired the knack of not losing them ... not so a phone it seems.

Be careful saying that, - one of the reformers here will be along and say that you were 'lucky', (presumably because holding on to a piece of card the same size as their credit cards is so difficult for them).

 

[Bletchleyite]

The fact that someone uses the internet all the time, and has been using - and sometimes programming - computers for 50+ years, and likes many aspects of technology, and has a scientific background, does not mean that they'll be someone who likes on-line purchasing or electronic tickets or using mobile phones. Possibly because of my experience of technology and its political and social context (not despite my background), I don't carry a mobile phone, I don't do financial transactions on-line, I don't have cards with contactless facilities, and if I'm not allowed to pay for something in cash when I want to then I take my business elsewhere.

Which is your choice, but businesses don't have to provide for that choice.

 

[malc-c]

Interesting debate. You can't generalise something like this as being a generation thing. My 81 year old mother-in-law uses an ipad to order food shopping, chat with family and most of her bills are paid via direct debit. Unfortunately she's not well enough to travel so have no idea what her preferences would be with regards to purchasing a ticket, but I'm guessing she would give on-line purchasing a go. But a majority of her generation are still a cash only, technology free breed. Some of her friends still convert prices into pounds shillings and penny's and only recently replaced an old dial telephone with a "modern" push button phone.

I don't travel much on trains, possibly half a dozen times a year, and most of the time it's only a few stops up the line, so tend to purchase a ticket at the station via the kiosk, and typically pay cash, or contactless payment on the day. However recently I had to book a ticket for a family member who whilst she had her phone, found the process awkward on a small screen, and so asked if I could book it for her and then print off the ticket. I booked via train line website, printed off the ticket and the transaction email that was also proof of purchase / receipt to put her mind at rest. She booked the outward bound ticket by going to the station, paying cash and got a physical ticket, and she's 55.

We can't stop the progression of technology, and there will be a time where everything is done on line with the tickets being sent to a mobile device. How soon that happens is anyone's guess. One thing that does concern le is how much trust we put into these pocket computers (can't really call them phones as hardly anyone uses them for voice communications these days ). My eldest daughter uses hers to manage everything in her life, and you should have seen the frustration and worry when one day her iphone failed to turn on. It only endorsed my concerns with regards to how much we rely on these devices. I've no idea what happens when someone with an e-ticket can't show the ticket as the phone is dead or faulty (I won't say has a flat battery as I'm sure charging points are available so that wouldn't be an issue). Granted similar issues could happen with a physical ticket or even a printed e-ticket in that it gets lost or torn etc.

At the moment we have all the options covered. Those who prefer to walk into a station and buy a ticket from a human being, and those who purchase online with electronic delivery. So everyone should be happy

 

[Bletchleyite]

I find much of this discussion puzzling. I don't tell others here how they should buy their train tickets - if I think their judgement is wrong, I mostly keep my disapproval to myself. But some people seem to feel threatened if others of us haven't chosen to go down the same path as they have. I wonder whether some people are so uncertain of their own choices, or realise that they haven't thought through the logic of their position, that they feel compelled to have a go at people who've made a different choice. Why do some people get so agitated if others prefer something different? Why don't they accept that people might have their reasons...?

What I am unhappy with is paying my money for your old fashioned life choices. Cash processing is expensive and fraught with risk of theft. Are you happy to pay extra to fully cover the cost of the sale of paper tickets for cash from a booking office? If so I am happy for their provision to continue.

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I have just spent an hour on my PC trying to place an order (only £20) for some hardware items from a company I have used for the last 10 years. Suddenly, for the first time, they want me to verify myself, but the phone number that have for me has changed (that phone was stolen a few weeks ago) and the alternative verification email they are supposed to send me is not getting through. I could scream right now.

Why would you not in reporting the phone stolen ask for another SIM with the same number rather than go through the rigmarole of telling everyone (bank, retailers etc included) a new one?

You have reported it, haven't you?

To catch a train I need to go to the station physically anyway, so I might as well buy the ticket there if that remains possible. If most people are getting tickets on-line, that's fine, the queue will be short, and it's a quicker transaction than on-line. As for losing a paper ticket, I've had enough paper tickets over the years to have acquired the knack of not losing them ... not so a phone it seems.

Use a TVM. While they will reduce in number due to fewer people using them, they aren't planned to go away entirely.

 

[AM9]

Which is your choice, but businesses don't have to provide for that choice.

They do however have to provide 'essential services' for those that can't avail themselves of modern online transactions and have to rely on the time honoured medium, cash, - either through physical/mental disability or lack of funds to invest in the necessary technology and training.

 

[Watershed]

What I am unhappy with is paying my money for your old fashioned life choices. Cash processing is expensive and fraught with risk of theft. Are you happy to pay extra to fully cover the cost of the sale of paper tickets for cash from a booking office? If so I am happy for their provision to continue.

What about those who, through a disability for instance, are unable to easily use online apps? If you continue down that line of reasoning you'd charge passengers extra for wheelchair assistance...

 

[jfollows]

I'm not "so against using new technology" - that's the whole point! But I choose what I use and what I don't use, rather than just using it (or just not using it) unthinkingly in a blanket way. I treat new tech the same way as I judge "old tech", and many other facets of society and commerce, when deciding whether (on moral, financial, ethical, political, convenience, egalitarian, social, environmental, privacy, security, and other grounds) to decide to use it or not.

I agree with you, like you I've been working with "technology" all my working life, but I don't make choices based primarily on an understanding of the technology options, my preference is more personal and less technological, it's just what I like and prefer.
I remember once being in the middle of implementing the then-largest UK supercomputer about 20 years ago (3 Tflop/s on the Linpack benchmark, it was in the top ten in the world at the time on this basis!), and someone in the machine room asked me a question about our mobile phones. My answer was that I didn't know, I really didn't know a lot about them, on the other hand if his question was about the supercomputer I'd be more than happy to answer.

EDIT And I still don't like "interacting" with my mobile phone very much, I find it cumbersome and clunky, not that I don't ever use it for sure, but I much prefer using a "real" computer like I'm using now. So my personal preference remains one of not wanting to use or rely on my phone for train tickets, and I'll carry on with that preference probably for as long as I live, although I expect I'll have to switch to using my phone and its successors at some point.

 

[AM9]

Use a TVM. While they will reduce in number due to fewer people using them, they aren't planned to go away entirely.

That sounds like the sort of reassurance that BT gave about telephone boxes when mobile phone ownership reduced their profits from them. How many mugs are going tobelieve the same sort of argument about the ability to use the only form of transaction that they have, i.e. cash, when making essential rail journeys.

 

[Bletchleyite]

They do however have to provide 'essential services' for those that can't avail themselves of modern online transactions and have to rely on the time honoured medium, cash, - either through physical/mental disability or lack of funds to invest in the necessary technology and training.

No, they have no obligation to do that.

What about those who, through a disability for instance, are unable to easily use online apps? If you continue down that line of reasoning you'd charge passengers extra for wheelchair assistance...

There are so few people who cannot use TVMs (again, these are not going away) but who travel alone, that it is probably cheaper to give them totally free travel as TfL does.

Note I say cannot. We have no moral nor legal obligation to provide for those who follow particular moral views on payment methods and facilities; those people have a right to choose to only pay a person in cash, but also must accept that that will mean some products and services are unavailable to them.

Similarly to the above I find "cash only" a grossly annoying anachronism (and likely a sign of tax fraud or money laundering) but I have to choose in that case to pay cash or not use the business.

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That sounds like the sort of reassurance that BT gave about telephone boxes when mobile phone ownership reduced their profits from them. How many mugs are going tobelieve the same sort of argument about the ability to use the only form of transaction that they have, i.e. cash, when making essential rail journeys.

Cash is likely to go away over time, though probably not at the same rate across the country. As per another thread I created, the legislation behind Penalty Fares already allows for this, though the NRCoT presently protects the use of cash. I would predict it to likely be a South East commuter operation to be first to cease cash acceptance - given the prosperous places it services my bet would be Chiltern.

TVMs are unlikely to go away any time soon, though.

 

[Runningaround]

I'm not "so against using new technology" - that's the whole point! But I choose what I use and what I don't use, rather than just using it (or just not using it) unthinkingly in a blanket way. I treat new tech the same way as I judge "old tech", and many other facets of society and commerce, when deciding whether (on moral, financial, ethical, political, convenience, egalitarian, social, environmental, privacy, security, and other grounds) to decide to use it or not.

Whether or not buying a ticket online is simple is a matter of opinion, and varies from person to person. I happen to find just handing over money and being given a ticket - at a station or anywhere else where ticketing is relevant - the least hassle. And in any case I didn't suggest that "simplicity" is the key reason for my choices. And the idea that I should need to think about absurdities like getting a library to print me a back-up copy, and so on, is ridiculous and convoluted - it's precisely a case of technological changes adding complexity rather than reducing it. If I want a ticket, I walk up and buy it, and get on the train (or whatever the ticket is for) - for me that's the essence of simplicity.

A card being declined is not at all like having nothing in your wallet. Some people like to be sure whether they can pay for something before trying to ... many poor and vulnerable people find their poverty embarrassing and would rather like to know in advance whether they can afford something. I happen to know exactly what I have in my bank account, pretty much down to the last penny; but many people don't, and having the money they have available for their shopping physically in front of them is the least stressful way of keeping track.

I find much of this discussion puzzling. I don't tell others here how they should buy their train tickets - if I think their judgement is wrong, I mostly keep my disapproval to myself. But some people seem to feel threatened if others of us haven't chosen to go down the same path as they have. I wonder whether some people are so uncertain of their own choices, or realise that they haven't thought through the logic of their position, that they feel compelled to have a go at people who've made a different choice. Why do some people get so agitated if others prefer something different? Why don't they accept that people might have their reasons...?

You can check your balance at an ATM before shopping then work out how much shopping you can get, why is this any different to what cash is in your wallet that you've taken out of an ATM. The Card is just the same as cash the difference is you can cancel it if you lose it you cannot do that with cash, and in some cases will be refundable this system is far safer than cash, why would you be against a system that protects the money of those most vulnerable? And if they have a mobile they can even check their shopping bill as they go so as not to get to the till and find they haven't got the cash or have the card declined due to insufficient funds when this happens its far less embarrassing than not having enough cash as you can put it down to faulty technology rather than being skint.
Cash is disappearing, it's a drain on resources to produce think of all the power & metal needed to make 1p & 2p's, the ''cash in hand'' economy will suffer, but are finding ways round, surely it'll be better to get used to it while both exist rather than be thrown in when it ceases.

Same with train tickets, you can print them, you can save them to any device, you can access an email to show when needed, you don't need to queue and you won't be stuck at the counter digging for the change. If you have insufficient funds the transaction will fail and only you'll know and not the ticket clerk or the queue behind you.

 

[AM9]

No, they have no obligation to do that.



There are so few people who cannot use TVMs (again, these are not going away) but who travel alone, that it is probably cheaper to give them totally free travel as TfL does.

Note I say cannot. We have no moral nor legal obligation to provide for those who follow particular moral views on payment methods and facilities; those people have a right to choose to only pay a person in cash, but also must accept that that will mean some products and services are unavailable to them.

Ah, so it's a bit like poor communities losing their ATMs, after forcing them to have bank accounts. Either charge them more to use them or make them travel miles to a machine where less impovershed citizens have theirs which coincidenatlly are free to use. Oh what a caring and sharing society we are becoming!

 

[TUC]

I have noticed that you seem to have an anti-ticket office staff (or perhaps even an anti-rail staff in general) agenda and it's rather unconstructive.

Why? What's wrong with asking a question about any role on whether or not it is still needed?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ah, so it's a bit like poor communities losing their ATMs, after forcing them to have bank accounts. Either charge them more to use them or make them travel miles to a machine where less impovershed citizens have theirs which coincidenatlly are free to use. Oh what a caring and sharing society we are becoming!

Just pay by card, or where available most banks allow free Post Office cash withdrawals.

If you want to keep track of how much you have to spend, write it on a piece of paper and put that in your wallet.

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Why? What's wrong with asking a question about any role on whether or not it is still needed?

Personally it is the consistent poor service (often gross laziness) I experience and hear of at booking offices that is a major part of why I am set in the view that they represent very poor value for money and should mostly be closed.

 

[TUC]

There are accessibility issues that the rail industry could address. For example, for visually impaired people, having to move between different apps for the ticket and for the railcard can be problematic. A system that automatically linked a ticket to a railcard on the same phone, so that both were displayed by clicking a single link, could be really helpful.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are accessibility issues that the rail industry could address. For example, for visually impaired people, having to move between different apps for the ticket and for the railcard can be problematic. A system that automatically linked a ticket to a railcard on the same phone, so that both were displayed by clicking a single link, could be really helpful.

To be honest everything about electronic Railcards is presently problematic. 26-30 users are stuck, but everyone else is best advised to order a plastic card version online. (Booking offices issue flimsier ticket office stock versions which aren't as good).

 

[AM9]

Just pay by card, or where available most banks allow free Post Office cash withdrawals.

If you want to keep track of how much you have to spend, write it on a piece of paper and put that in your wallet.

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Personally it is the consistent poor service (often gross laziness) I experience and hear of at booking offices that is a major part of why I am set in the view that they represent very poor value for money and should mostly be closed.

That's your opinion, but it doesn't really help those struggling to survive. I'm 'lucky' and don't have any financial issues (at the moment but who knows what tomorrow brings for any of us), but I do consider the issues other may have rather than go for the everyone must conform in the pursuit of reducing everybody else's costs (a euphemism for increasing profit).

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To be honest everything about electronic Railcards is presently problematic. 26-30 users are stuck, but everyone else is best advised to order a plastic card version online. (Booking offices issue flimsier ticket office stock versions which aren't as good).

I would agree that the printed railcards are infreior to the plastic ones. I will renew our Two Together Railcard for the last time this month as my wife will get a Senior card next year and it's too much trouble sending a photo for another 9 months reduced travel when the booking office renewal will suffice.
If there was an intent to improve the durability of the printed repeated use cards (Seasons, Railcards) it would be simple enough.

 

[Runningaround]

I only started using e-tickets by accident (booking error on my part) but since I did I have never looked back. I now use them for any journey where they're available. I think they're much more secure - the ability to hold copies on multiple devices and print multiple copies means they're not likely to get lost.

One benefit I have not seen mentioned is that ticket barriers cannot 'eat' your e-ticket. Handy if you need it to make a delay repay claim.

I used a CCT ticket to get to Barnets old ground when it was peeing down it deteriorated so much it was useless before the return. Taking it in and out of a ticket wallet, keeping it in your hand to get soaked or sticking it in a pocket and faffing around looking for it again doesn't make for efficient travel. The Bank Card is far more durable. The sooner the install barriers that accept Bog Roll and Mobile tickets that I can only currently buy without planning a week in advance to get CCT format in the post.

 

[TUC]

To be honest everything about electronic Railcards is presently problematic. 26-30 users are stuck, but everyone else is best advised to order a plastic card version online. (Booking offices issue flimsier ticket office stock versions which aren't as good).

In what way are they problematic? I have an electronic railcard and have no difficulty. Why would I want to rely on piece of cardboard or plastic which I may or may not have with me at a given time and, if I chose to always have with me, would be just more clutter in my wallet?

I pay for my shopping in supermarkets by phone, my Clubcard and similar items are on my phone. I access my bank account by phone. If I use a bus my ticket is on my phone. Why would I uniquely want a piece of card or plastic for a railcard?

 

[jfollows]

In what way are they problematic? I have an electronic railcard and have no difficulty. Why would I want to rely on piece of cardboard or plastic which I may or may not have with me at a given time and, if I chose to always have with me, would be just more clutter in my wallet?

Problems have been reported here of the electronic railcard not working temporarily and of people being unable to renew their railcards without providing a photograph even though the railcard referred to didn't use a photograph, essentially there have been mistakes made which trickle down to the "app" to cause it to break temporarily - either your railcard wasn't affected or it was only at a time you weren't trying to use it. For better or for worse, I'd currently rather rely on a relatively sturdy piece of plastic in my wallet.

 

[malc-c]

Just to add to this why people like to speak to someone in person and purchase a ticket at the station, I just purchased a ticket for Wednesday via GN/Thameslink website. The process was fairly straight forward, until payment was complete and my e-ticket sent to the email address associated with my paypal account. The file format the ticket is sent as is a PKPASS format. Nothing on my windows 10 PC would open it natively so I've had to google the file format to find and install an application to open them and print off a hard copy. Seems this is aimed at Apple products, mainly iphones.... Why they simply couldn't email the e-ticket as a PDF the same way Trainline sent the tickets through the time mentioned in my post above I don't know. For some this experience is off putting and steers people away form purchasing online.

User error.... found the option in the email to open as pdf....!

 

[Runningaround]

TSB were one of the first banks to offer on-line banking for personal accounts, and I was told I was the first person in their south-west region to take it up.

However, I am finding on-line purchasing increasingly frustrating. It used to be easy - you just entered your debit or credit card details. But in the last few years there are ever-increasing numbers of hoops to jump through just to make a simple purchase, like verification codes or the merchant forgetting your password (and claiming you forgot it) apparently because you have not bought anything for 3 months. Then there have been issues with my address because I live on a road without a name and although I can make one up the merchant's computer won't accept it because it is not recognised.

I have just spent an hour on my PC trying to place an order (only £20) for some hardware items from a company I have used for the last 10 years. Suddenly, for the first time, they want me to verify myself, but the phone number that have for me has changed (that phone was stolen a few weeks ago) and the alternative verification email they are supposed to send me is not getting through. I could scream right now.

To catch a train I need to go to the station physically anyway, so I might as well buy the ticket there if that remains possible. If most people are getting tickets on-line, that's fine, the queue will be short, and it's a quicker transaction than on-line. As for losing a paper ticket, I've had enough paper tickets over the years to have acquired the knack of not losing them ... not so a phone it seems.

In other words they have put in a security function to verify its you and not your phone thief or someone who's nicked your cards. At least their are measures that technology has put in place to keep your money more secure. The technology is there, with you, you are using it to post this. If they stole your wallet stuffed with cash to buy a physical ticket or you'd bought the ticket already, you'd be far worse off than if your phone went blank.

 

[Runningaround]

There are accessibility issues that the rail industry could address. For example, for visually impaired people, having to move between different apps for the ticket and for the railcard can be problematic. A system that automatically linked a ticket to a railcard on the same phone, so that both were displayed by clicking a single link, could be really helpful.

Can the visually impaired see the writing on a physical ticket any better than using a device that has functions such as enlarging the screen, or having the text read out, the onus is on the passenger to check the tickets before they board how often has it been found that they've been sold the wrong one?
Technology has made ticket purchasing easier for all and is more accessible than a booking office and in my experience the online ticket office doesn't go to the toilet, close their window, read a newspaper or have a kip when the train you need is 10 minutes away.

 

[HORNIMANS]

Freedom of choice, not compulsion.