Northern trialling PRT tickets from ticket machines

[Haywain]

When I buy an e-ticket on the LNER app I use the app to show it. Am I the only person who does ?

I put them in the Google Wallet.

 

[northwichcat]

I prefer to put it into my Apple Wallet so I don't have to faff around opening apps - it just appears on the front screen and displays with one tap.

If rail tickets are the only thing stored on your phone that you'll need then it doesn't make much difference if you save them to an Apple/Google wallet or not. If you're going on holiday and also have boarding passes and other tickets you'll need, then it makes sense to store them in a central location. Although, I found last year some Spanish e-tickets can't be downloaded to Apple/Google and they force you to use PassWallet. I actually found PassWallet can turn a Jet2 pdf boarding pass into a digital one.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If rail tickets are the only thing stored on your phone that you'll need then it doesn't make much difference if you save them to an Apple/Google wallet or not.

It does - you get them with one tap, you don't need to unlock your phone and go into the app to get them.

 

[northwichcat]

It does - you get them with one tap, you don't need to unlock your phone and go into the app to get them.

If your phone has facial recognition it can unlock itself, unless you've disabled the feature. Plus many passengers have their phone open anyway when on board ticket inspections occur.

If you've got split tickets there's a press or scroll required to move to another ticket, whether you're using a wallet, app or pdf.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If your phone has facial recognition it can unlock itself, unless you've disabled the feature. Plus many passengers have their phone open anyway when on board ticket inspections occur.

But then you have to switch apps.

If you've got split tickets there's a press or scroll required to move to another ticket, whether you're using a wallet, app or pdf.

A quick swipe to the right does that.

Nobody's forcing you to do it, but why not simply accept that some of us prefer that option?

 

[Haywain]

Nobody's forcing you to do it, but why not simply accept that some of us prefer that option?

It’s OK, somebody will be along in a minute to mention flat batteries…

 

[northwichcat]

But then you have to switch apps.

I'm trying to work out what kind of magic phone you have that results in your ticket appearing when the inspector comes along without you pressing anything, and even if you're using another app at the time.

Whether or not it's easy to access your 'wallet' it must either require you doing something to access it, or your ticket would always display on the screen for the whole day (which would be annoying and run down the battery).

 

[MrJeeves]

I'm trying to work out what kind of magic phone you have that results in your ticket appearing when the inspector comes along without you pressing anything, and even if you're using another app at the time

On Android, tickets added to Google Wallet show as a persistent notification, so just one swipe down and a tap away -- very convenient to access from anywhere really.

 

[northwichcat]

On Android, tickets added to Google Wallet show as a persistent notification, so just one swipe down and a tap away -- very convenient to access from anywhere really.

It's two presses like I thought. If you have any app open on the right screen, it's also two presses to switch to and from it.

 

[johntea]

Talking of phones and the comments of potentially chucking away a bit of paper in the wallet - is it valid simply to take a photo of the paper ticket on your phone and just bring that up to be scanned?

 

[MrJeeves]

Talking of phones and the comments of potentially chucking away a bit of paper in the wallet - is it valid simply to take a photo of the paper ticket on your phone and just bring that up to be scanned?

As long as the barcode can be scanned, theoretically it should be inspectable.

When I got a West Mids Daytripper sadly issued on PRT, I just took a picture of the Aztec and set it as my lock screen background for the day

It's two presses like I thought.

Where's the second tap coming from?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm trying to work out what kind of magic phone you have that results in your ticket appearing when the inspector comes along without you pressing anything, and even if you're using another app at the time.

Whether or not it's easy to access your 'wallet' it must either require you doing something to access it, or your ticket would always display on the screen for the whole day (which would be annoying and run down the battery).

An iPhone 15 Pro. Which does actually have an always on screen - it's perfectly possible with OLED.

Lift phone, one tap. That's it.

 

[northwichcat]

Where's the second tap coming from?

You touch the screen twice to bring up the ticket. It's the same if you already have the app open on the ticket or on a pdf, and are in a different app. You can press the square button in the bottom corner then scroll to the open ticket.

 

[J-2739]

Something thicker and from the same supplier as the GA trial.

Indeed, it seems said GA trial of the PRTs has ended at Cambridge, and the machines are now printing out the CCSTs.

I personally welcome this reversal; the paper roll tickets were a nightmare in terms of litter, and used to clog up the ticket machines with the receipts. I suspect people are more likely to take with them the brightly coloured CCST, rather than scrappy bits of paper.

I manage to fit PRT tickets into my National Rail ticket/railcard wallet with just a simple fold. My money wallet already carries "huge sheets" of paper plastic. It really isn't the problem you want to make it.

Sounds like a hassle to me.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Indeed, it seems said GA trial of the PRTs has ended at Cambridge, and the machines are now printing out the CCSTs.

I personally welcome this reversal; the paper roll tickets were a nightmare in terms of litter, and used to clog up the ticket machines with the receipts. I suspect people are more likely to take with them the brightly coloured CCST, rather than scrappy bits of paper.


Sounds like a hassle to me.

Shouldn't have ended yet.
Edit just seen what could be the reason why.

 

[Haywain]

Sounds like a hassle to me.

Folding a piece of paper is a hassle?

 

[Starmill]

I used one of the new TPE machines at Manchester Airport to buy a Blackrod to Chorley ticket yesterday and it was issued to CCST.

 

[J-2739]

Folding a piece of paper is a hassle?

Well, more of a hassle than not having to in the first place.

 

[Starmill]

I used one of the new TPE machines at Manchester Airport to buy a Blackrod to Chorley ticket yesterday and it was issued to CCST.

I should clarify that this was the type of machine that issues etickets rather than white receipt roll tickets, for any difference this may make (I'm not sure I can immediately think of one, other than possibly shoddy printer quality, given you only get one copy of the eticket and don't seem to be able to get it digitally fulfilled like you can at an Avanti ticket office).