My idea for 16-25 railcards to contain the pass hologram

[Qwerty133]

I think that the 16-25 railcard when bought online should be modified to include the holders date of birth and the pass hologram, so that it could be used as ID when buying age restricted products.
Not only would this benefit the holders of the card, many of whom don't have driving licences and don't really want to be taking their passport on a night out, but I'd imagine it could also reduce the number of lost/forgotten railcards as people tend to be more careful about official ID and the holder would need the railcard for more than just their journey by train.

 

[Fuzzytop]

It doesn't seem like a very good idea at all - mainly because the PASS standard requires accreditation, an approved design, and stringent age verification of the cardholder. These processes would push up the cost of the railcard.

Additionally, remember that railcards have a fixed expiry date. At present some of them even require a separate photocard. This would make validation on the door of the nighttime entertainments you suggest difficult and time-consuming. You'd risk causing resistance among security staff to the entire PASS scheme.

 

[Qwerty133]

It doesn't seem like a very good idea at all - mainly because the PASS standard requires accreditation, an approved design, and stringent age verification of the cardholder. These processes would push up the cost of the railcard.

Additionally, remember that railcards have a fixed expiry date. At present some of them even require a separate photocard. This would make validation on the door of the nighttime entertainments you suggest difficult and time-consuming. You'd risk causing resistance among security staff to the entire PASS scheme.

I obtained a provisional driving licence simply with a passport number, presumably anything good enough to obtain a driving licence is good enough to obtain other ID. Redesigning the card itself would be a one-time cost and to be honest looking at the default design for proof-of-age cards really shouldn't be too difficult.
As the post said it should only be for online issued cards that do not require a separate photocard, and a railcard contains significantly less information than a driving licence so validation should be at least as easy.

 

[D365]

Just buy yourself a provisional licence if you need some form of ID. £34 if you pay online, and it remains valid for ten years.

 

[BanburyBlue]

Interesting that you focus on 16-25 Railcards and not the others?

 

[GW43125]

Just buy yourself a provisional licence if you need some form of ID. £34 if you pay online, and it remains valid for ten years.

Very good point, esp. when you consider a railcard is £30.

 

[Qwerty133]

Interesting that you focus on 16-25 Railcards and not the others?

Only 16-25 and senior require proof of age to purchase, and very few people who fall into the second category ever require ID.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

Interesting that you focus on 16-25 Railcards and not the others?

Because he's talking about age verification, which is most likely to apply to young people?

 

[[.n]]

Not a bad idea, and the online version integrate the photo.

If anything could easily be adapted for this, then is probably the 18+ Student Oystercard, as this is valid for up to 3 years in any case, and is strictly validated. (I'm not so sure about the Apprentice version, as I have nothing to do with those).

 

[mirodo]

Because he's talking about age verification, which is most likely to apply to young people?

At the ripe old age of 42, I got ID'd while buying cigarettes last week. Despite my expression of incredulity, the guy serving me insisted on seeing some ID. Upon studying the driving licence I present to him, he exclaimed "Oh! You're the same age as my dad!"

i didn't know whether to laugh or cry...

 

[ainsworth74]

Only 16-25 and senior require proof of age to purchase, and very few people who fall into the second category ever require ID.

And of those only the 16-25 comes with a photocard.

 

[takno]

I obtained a provisional driving licence simply with a passport number, presumably anything good enough to obtain a driving licence is good enough to obtain other ID. Redesigning the card itself would be a one-time cost and to be honest looking at the default design for proof-of-age cards really shouldn't be too difficult.
As the post said it should only be for online issued cards that do not require a separate photocard, and a railcard contains significantly less information than a driving licence so validation should be at least as easy.

The DVLA and Passport Office have an agreement and systems in place to share pictures with each other. I'm personally not keen on extending that agreement to private rail companies, and they probably don't want to spend the money on the system.

 

[PeterC]

and very few people who fall into the second category ever require ID.

I often claim pensioner discounts but do feel a little offended when not asked for ID.

My duaghter was furious when asked for ID while buying a bottle of wine. If it really isn't possible to distinguish between a married lady in her 30s and a teenager perhaps a few DJs could be reinstated on ToTP repeats?

 

[takke]

I obtained a provisional driving licence simply with a passport number, presumably anything good enough to obtain a driving licence is good enough to obtain other ID. Redesigning the card itself would be a one-time cost and to be honest looking at the default design for proof-of-age cards really shouldn't be too difficult.
As the post said it should only be for online issued cards that do not require a separate photocard, and a railcard contains significantly less information than a driving licence so validation should be at least as easy.

If you have a passport, it's relatively easy to verify your age with the appropriate integration between the two systems. But not everyone even has a passport, never mind a UK one. You'd then end up with a two-tier Railcard system where some are acceptable as age verification and others are not, which would be undesirable for quick ID checking.

The other problem is that many railcards are of course issued at stations, just before a journey. Requiring people to have a passport to get a Railcard would be inconvenient for in-station purchases (most people don't carry their passport round with them - if they did, there wouldn't be any need for PASS ID cards). In any case, stations couldn't have the appropriate equipment for printing PASS cards, as this would be prohibitively expensive.

I think people need to separate the idea of proof of age from transport ticketing. They are two quite distinct functions and I think there is a case for wording along the lines of 'This is not a proof of age' for transport ticketing (including, e.g. 18+ Student Oyster cards, PTE 16-18 cards, Season photocards, etc.). Too many people verifying ID accept all sorts of things that anyone can have issued with any DOB as proof of age.

 

[Hadders]

My duaghter was furious when asked for ID while buying a bottle of wine. If it really isn't possible to distinguish between a married lady in her 30s and a teenager perhaps a few DJs could be reinstated on ToTP repeats?

It's frustrating but put yourselves in the position of the cashier for a moment. You have very little time to make an assessment of a persons age. Many teenagers (especially girls look far older than they actually are). Sometimes people in their late 20s or early 30s look far younger than they are too.

Challenge 25 is pretty universal across the retail industry. This means that if a person looks under 25 you must ask them for ID to prove they are old enough to buy the age-restricted product (usually 18). The thing is someone who is in their 30s can look under 25. Remember cashiers have very little time to make an assessment. Try it yourself - who would you ask?

Trading Standards and the Police operate test purchases. These days test purchases don't involve sending a child in wearing school uniform to see if they get served - I've had personal experience of test purchasers being dressed far older than their real age, the idea is to reflect the reality of how under-age people try to buy alcohol.

Getting it wrong can result in an £80 fixed penalty or court appearance for the member of staff. It can also lead to the store having its Premises License suspended or removed.

 

[matt_world2004]

Just buy yourself a provisional licence if you need some form of ID. £34 if you pay online, and it remains valid for ten years.

You can only legally hold a provisional driving licence if there is no legal reason that would prevent you from learning to drive. People with some disabilities cannot hold a provisjonal driving licence,

 

[takke]

You can only legally hold a provisional driving licence if there is no legal reason that would prevent you from learning to drive. People with some disabilities cannot hold a provisjonal driving licence,

This is a very good point, I didn't think of this until afterwards. Luckily there are alternatives such as a passport (impractical, I know) or one of the many PASS cards.