ScotRail M tickets

[Scotrail88]

ScotRail have updated their app today abs including m tickets

been a long way behind others but not moved into 21st century.
Not been at a gateline for awhile so must have been loads of upgrades recently

 

[TheAlbanach_]

Noticed some qr code readers at the 13/18 gates at Edinburgh Waverley.
It’s a shame they’re not e-tickets, far superior to m tickets. You can put them in apple wallet/google (whatever it is), and print them off.

 

[py_megapixel]

Are they actually M-tickets, or E-tickets? I thought the industry had agreed to move away from M-tickets (and rightly so - they're an awful format, and I'll never buy one if I can possibly help it).

For those not aware, the difference is that M-tickets are locked into an app, while for an E-tickets you can show the ticket in whatever form you like, either in an app, in a digital wallet, as a PDF on whatever device, or even printed out.

 

[jfollows]

Scotrail's information about its "New ScotRail App" (https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/free-scotrail-app) implies strongly that these are m-tickets and require the App, and if your phone breaks then "tough".

 

[HBP]

Are they actually M-tickets, or E-tickets?

M-tickets

 

[py_megapixel]

M-tickets

Ugh... Talk about a backwards step!

 

[Scotrail88]

it’s not ideal but given it was paper or smartcard (temperamental at best) then it’s a step forward at the moment.

better than what was in place!

 

[py_megapixel]

it’s not ideal but given it was paper or smartcard (temperamental at best) then it’s a step forward at the moment.

better than what was in place!

I'm not sure I quite understand how it's better than paper.

For me the advantage of e-tickets is the versatility, which you completely lose with an m-ticket!

 

[Wallsendmag]

Wow how 20th century

 

[Furrball]

And no option for paper tickets through the app

A scan through twitter seems to indicate that the app has been released in a somewhat incomplete state too

 

[Wallsendmag]

And no option for paper tickets through the app

A scan through twitter seems to indicate that the app has been released in a somewhat incomplete state too

You don’t get the print option with mTickets

 

[Furrball]

Not printing mTickets...

There is no option for booking and then collecting old school paper tickets

 

[trei2k]

I think we call can agree that SR have messed up here.

However, now that SR routes are barcode enabled, can I purchase an eTicket (rather than an mTicket) from an alternative retailer?

 

[Wallsendmag]

I think we call can agree that SR have messed up here.

However, now that SR routes are barcode enabled, can I purchase an eTicket (rather than an mTicket) from an alternative retailer?

Theres been an agreement to sell eTicket for cross border journeys for a while now.

 

[Furrball]

Basically they have released an app that you would not even say was in beta form!

All the missing functionality will come in a later release!

 

[johncrossley]

I think we call can agree that SR have messed up here.

However, now that SR routes are barcode enabled, can I purchase an eTicket (rather than an mTicket) from an alternative retailer?

I just tried to buy an internal Scotland ticket from the EMR app and that will only offer a mobile ticket, rather than eTicket.

 

[yorkie]

it’s not ideal but given it was paper or smartcard (temperamental at best) then it’s a step forward at the moment.

better than what was in place!

As a supporter of e-tickets, I strongly disagree that m-tickets are in any way a step forward over paper tickets. One of the main reasons I support e-tickets is because of their versatility; you lose all of that with an m-ticket. I refuse to purchase m-tickets and I would encourage others to refuse to purchase them too.

Scotrail need to issue proper e-tickets.

I think we call can agree that SR have messed up here.

However, now that SR routes are barcode enabled, can I purchase an eTicket (rather than an mTicket) from an alternative retailer?

Only if the fare setter has enabled e-tickets as a valid fulfilment method

So if Scotrail is the fare setter, they can choose not to allow e-tickets for any given fare.

Of course, they should not be allowed to restrict in this manner, but that's another story...

 

[jfollows]

As a supporter of e-tickets, I strongly disagree that m-tickets are in any way a step forward over paper tickets. One of the main reasons I support e-tickets is because of their versatility; you lose all of that with an m-ticket. I refuse to purchase m-tickets and I would encourage others to refuse to purchase them too.

Scotrail need to issue proper e-tickets.

It's totally ludicrous and backward-looking for Scotrail to have done this, five years ago it was bad but understandable but today it's just bad. I think we're all agreeing violently on this point!

 

[py_megapixel]

I'm agree with @Furrball, @yorkie and @jfollows that this is a bit of a farce.

ScotRail have decided to move in one fell swoop from ToD - which, for all its flaws, gives you the ticket on paper, and it doesn't get much more simple and versatile than that - to mTickets, a DRM*-encumbered format which has literally no viable way for a passenger to recover their tickets if the device they are tied to fails, and which locks you into an app which in this case seems to have been pushed to production in it the beta stage!

* Digital Rights Management, the name given to technical measures which restrict what the user can do with something digital they have purchased.

 

[Haywain]

Basically they have released an app that you would not even say was in beta form!

All the missing functionality will come in a later release!

It’s what’s known as an MVP - minimum viable product.

 

[py_megapixel]

It’s what’s known as an MVP - minimum viable product.

I think the 'V' might be a bit of a stretch!

 

[Bletchleyite]

It’s what’s known as an MVP - minimum viable product.

Amusingly and bizarrely MapMyRun's premium product is called that. This isn't exactly a marketing triumph for those of us who know what it means, as it's basically saying it was the bare minimum they could get away with charging for it!

I don't think this is a sensible approach to releasing stuff to the public as it rather taints the organisation.

If you're rushing something to market due to stiff competition it might be, but ScotRail would lose very little if anything by hanging fire for a bit.

 

[Haywain]

Amusingly and bizarrely MapMyRun's premium product is called that. This isn't exactly a marketing triumph for those of us who know what it means, as it's basically saying it was the bare minimum they could get away with charging for it!

I don't think this is a sensible approach to releasing stuff to the public as it rather taints the organisation.

If you're rushing something to market due to stiff competition it might be, but ScotRail would lose very little if anything by hanging fire for a bit.

Probably a contractual deadline to be met.

 

[johncrossley]

Edinburgh to Bathgate is still offered as a "Collect at Station" ticket on the LNER app and no mobile ticket option is available. But on the EMR app it only offers "Mobile" (mTicket) as the only option, no TOD.

 

[mattdickinson]

Edinburgh to Bathgate is still offered as a "Collect at Station" ticket on the LNER app and no mobile ticket option is available. But on the EMR app it only offers "Mobile" (mTicket) as the only option, no TOD.

The Chiltern app offers it on a smartcard.

 

[Haywain]

Edinburgh to Bathgate is still offered as a "Collect at Station" ticket on the LNER app and no mobile ticket option is available. But on the EMR app it only offers "Mobile" (mTicket) as the only option, no TOD.

LNER do not offer mTickets.

 

[Joe Paxton]

It’s what’s known as an MVP - minimum viable product.

Amusingly and bizarrely MapMyRun's premium product is called that. This isn't exactly a marketing triumph for those of us who know what it means, as it's basically saying it was the bare minimum they could get away with charging for it!

MVP is a common sporting expression from the other side of the Atlantic - it stands for Most Valuable Player.

 

[kez19]

I think we call can agree that SR have messed up here.

However, now that SR routes are barcode enabled, can I purchase an eTicket (rather than an mTicket) from an alternative retailer?

Give it another decade we will have reached the e-ticket range!, for me if I am honest, when I bought my ticket for LNER (on app), I wasn't sure how it work but glad now I can use it - seems simple but as this is Scotrail, I think even though in one way its a bit of step forward but I feel they have missed the boat completely! (have used Scotrail for trips to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh).

Scotrail were that keen shoving down peoples throats their "smartcard" whilst at the time some train operators were encouraging their apps (or at time was it m-tickets?), Scotrail needs to up its game and catch up as its falling short.

I should add however they did launch the Scotrail app but I believe it was just basic but with nothing like LNER or other operators had? So what would be the point in downloading it (saying this in past tense)

 

[Wallsendmag]

To be honest ScotRail are only dancing to the tune of TfS who seem to want to play by their own rules .

 

[OldBloke]

If I buy a paper ticket for Pitlochry to Stirling, for example, it can be used on both LNER and Scotrail services. This is not the case for tickets loaded on to a smartcard which, except for season tickets, are not accepted on LNER services. Does the same restriction applies to Scotrail mTickets?