Till-Roll Paper Tickets: How Do They Look Like?

[Full Standing]

There are many discussions on till-roll paper tickets on the forum, e.g. the one on the issue with a faded barcode [1]. However, I never had one of these (all the TVMs in my area still issue magstripe ones). So I'm curious how they actually look like. Would anyone be willing to share a photo of such a ticket?

[1] https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/faded-barcode-all-line-rail-rover.289060/

 

[MrJeeves]

There are many discussions on till-roll paper tickets on the forum, e.g. the one on the issue with a faded barcode [1]. However, I never had one of these (all the TVMs in my area still issue magstripe ones). So I'm curious how they actually look like. Would anyone be willing to share a photo of such a ticket?

 

[davetheguard]

They've recently started issuing these things at my local station in Devon.

I can't say I'm a great fan as they don't fit in my CCST ticket wallet without folding.

Are all GWR stations swapping over to these? Other TOCs too?

 

[Hadders]

They wouldn’t be so bad if, when folded in half, they were the same size as a CCST.

 

[MrJeeves]

They wouldn’t be so bad if, when folded in half, they were the same size as a CCST.

There is an ongoing change that aims to "compress" the ticket to make it shorter, which should allow this.

 

[Hadders]

Very sensible.

I got a PRT ticket the other day from Stevenage ticket office (I had a RTV that was about to expire).

They should easily be able to make them a bit smaller, I think they’ve already been made smaller before as I seem to remember them being much longer when PRT first started.

 

[Jan Mayen]

View attachment 183491

I was wondering what a PRT should look like. I only have the very old (nearly 105 hours!) ALL LINE RAIL ROVER mentioned in #post 1, so couldn't remember

 

[mikeg]

Compressing the size would generally be a good idea if no information were to be lost. I furthermore suggest they make it a size where it can fit in a ticket wallet that conforms to some sort of pre existing standard and is thus readily available, this would avoid the faded barcode due to excessive handling issue.

 

[pedr]

There are also tickets printed onto plain white paper, slightly wider than the paper-roll tickets and closer to A7 in size and dimensions/aspect ratio. They have a barcode and the usual ticket information text. I think they're laser printed rather than thermal.

 

[KT550]

There are also tickets printed onto plain white paper, slightly wider than the paper-roll tickets and closer to A7 in size and dimensions/aspect ratio. They have a barcode and the usual ticket information text. I think they're laser printed rather than thermal.

Here's an example of the plain white tickets, available from some vending machines:

 

[Full Standing]

Thanks for the contributions!

View attachment 183491

This looks actually quite decent, compared to the plain white paper you get at supermarket tills, for instance.

Are all GWR stations swapping over to these? Other TOCs too?

The last time I went to a ticket machine was at Bath Spa (GWR managed if I'm not mistaken) on June 28, and I got a magstripe one.

Here's an example of the plain white tickets, available from some vending machines:

This one looks pretty cheap. Is the paper at least thicker than the one used for supermarket receipts?

This does bring a question to my mind: What happens if you buy a ticket with a Maltese cross (i.e. with cross London validity) online, but the ticket machine at the collection station does only have till roll tickets? Or do TVMs have both types of tickets, and magstripe ones are only issued when really needed?

 

[JonathanH]

Or do TVMs have both types of tickets, and magstripe ones are only issued when really needed?

The machines are equipped to sell both types of tickets, depending on how the flow is enabled, so for example the same machine will issue a London Travelcard on magstripe tickets, but a point to point single with barcode on a white paper ticket.

 

[MrJeeves]

This one looks pretty cheap. Is the paper at least thicker than the one used for supermarket receipts?

Ironically, I usually find the white paper ones are more durable and have a better print quality than the orange paper roll tickets.

 

[maniacmartin]

Why couldn't they have made the tickets have less padding in the first place given the comments during the initial trials? And why aren't all retailers forced to use the same till roll and layout? The inconsistancies just feels a bit amateur to me.

 

[Full Standing]

The machines are equipped to sell both types of tickets, depending on how the flow is enabled, so for example the same machine will issue a London Travelcard on magstripe tickets, but a point to point single with barcode on a white paper ticket.

Thanks for the explanation. Given this, it may be helpful to add to my post #11 (interesting part quoted below) that my ticket was a Bath Spa to Oxford Super Off-Peak with a cycle reservation, which should be fulfillable by a till-roll ticket? So if GWR changed their TVMs to issue till-roll tickets, as suggested in #3, this change must be have been extremely recent.

The last time I went to a ticket machine was at Bath Spa (GWR managed if I'm not mistaken) on June 28, and I got a magstripe one.

 

[MrJeeves]

Why couldn't they have made the tickets have less padding in the first place given the comments during the initial trials? And why aren't all retailers forced to use the same till roll and layout? The inconsistancies just feels a bit amateur to me.

Everyone uses the same printed layouts, just printed onto different types of paper.

 

[DelW]

I fold them into three with the code outward, and carry them tucked in behind the transparent window of my railcard wallet. That gives the advantage that I can scan them without taking them out of the wallet, which obviously doesn't work for magstripe CCST.

 

[barringtoncem]

I recently had a till roll ticket issued at Huntingdon Station for a journey to Peterborough, as the barriers now have the barcode readers.

The assistant mentioned that they have had them before TFL will be having them

 

[The exile]

So if GWR changed their TVMs to issue till-roll tickets, as suggested in #3, this change must be have been extremely recent.

Presumably any roll-out (sorry!) of hardware changes at tvms (like what they print on) is not something that can be done overnight (unlike a software patch, which could be). Unless you spent weeks / months enabling a change which was then activated overnight….

 

[Wallsendmag]

I recentley had a till roll ticket issued at Huntingdon Station for a journey to Peterborough as the barriers now have the barcode readers.

The assistant mentioned that they have had them before TFL will be having them

Peterborough has had readers on the barriers for 16 years or so

 

[barringtoncem]

Huntingdon has only recently had the Glass barcode readers, according to the barrier staff

 

[contrex]

They wouldn’t be so bad if, when folded in half, they were the same size as a CCST.

They fit in my ordinary wallet, in the section for banknotes. They fold in the middle when you close it