I recently had the pleasure of travelling around South Korea by train. Their aggressive high-speed plans mean that within three years, 95% of their population will be within a two-hour commute of one another.
One thing (among many) that struck me was the absence of ticket checks. At first I thought they must be an incredibly trusting nation. But then I realised that checks were being carried out very discreetly between each stop by simply comparing the seats occupied in each carriage with the train manager's PDA device seat map. Provide they tally, there's no need to speak to any passengers.
Because all journeys are given a compulsory seat reservation, and can easily be changed at a ticket counter, at a machine or on-board, and because travellers actually sit in their chosen seat, this system works very well. The joy of not being woken or disturbed by the train manager throughout the journey was a hugely welcome bonus.
I daresay fare evasion due to travelling without a ticket is virtually eliminated. Checks that passengers are eligible for any discounts appear to be done at the time of ticket collection, so I guess there is still the possibility that tickets could be passed from a person eligible for a discount to one who isn't; but since Korean Rail discounting appears to be age-related only, a train manager could always challenge someone who looks to be too young/old for their discount.
It would be wonderful if our TOCs could embrace similar modern ticketing practices on at least their long-distance routes.
One thing (among many) that struck me was the absence of ticket checks. At first I thought they must be an incredibly trusting nation. But then I realised that checks were being carried out very discreetly between each stop by simply comparing the seats occupied in each carriage with the train manager's PDA device seat map. Provide they tally, there's no need to speak to any passengers.
Because all journeys are given a compulsory seat reservation, and can easily be changed at a ticket counter, at a machine or on-board, and because travellers actually sit in their chosen seat, this system works very well. The joy of not being woken or disturbed by the train manager throughout the journey was a hugely welcome bonus.
I daresay fare evasion due to travelling without a ticket is virtually eliminated. Checks that passengers are eligible for any discounts appear to be done at the time of ticket collection, so I guess there is still the possibility that tickets could be passed from a person eligible for a discount to one who isn't; but since Korean Rail discounting appears to be age-related only, a train manager could always challenge someone who looks to be too young/old for their discount.
It would be wonderful if our TOCs could embrace similar modern ticketing practices on at least their long-distance routes.
