Recently, I was on the verge of buying a weekly season ticket when I stumbled upon the photocard requirement. I recall having one from the pre-pandemic era, but I can't remember where I put it. While Trainline does offer a photocard service, it’s not as straightforward as uploading a photo; they need a passport-sized photo, similar to ticket offices.
In this digital era, where we’ve been uploading photos for passports and driving licenses for years, this process feels outdated. It’s also something I hadn't considered when the ticket office closures were proposed. Are there more modern approaches being used anywhere on the network?
I’ve thoughts of a few ideas that could modernise this process, varying in implementation costs:
Given the likely decline in passport photo booths as their need diminishes, and potential government plans to reduce ticket office hours (scrapped for now but likely to come back one day), I suspect that this will have to be considered at some point in the future. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any other suggestions or knows of any digital implementations either in the UK or elsewhere.
In this digital era, where we’ve been uploading photos for passports and driving licenses for years, this process feels outdated. It’s also something I hadn't considered when the ticket office closures were proposed. Are there more modern approaches being used anywhere on the network?
I’ve thoughts of a few ideas that could modernise this process, varying in implementation costs:
- Use the existing railcard infrastructure and create a "National Rail Photo Card" type of railcard. Users could upload their photo, download onto the railcard app, and display it with security measures so the photo couldn't be altered.
- Either develop a new app specifically for this or integrate into the existing National Rail app. This app would function similarly to the above but not be within the railcard system
- Implement advanced Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) equipped with webcams at key stations. These could capture the user’s photo during the ticket purchase process, using AI to ensure image quality.
- Equip ticket desks with webcams linked to the Ticket Issuing System (TIS), allowing staff to capture photos for railcards on the spot.
Given the likely decline in passport photo booths as their need diminishes, and potential government plans to reduce ticket office hours (scrapped for now but likely to come back one day), I suspect that this will have to be considered at some point in the future. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any other suggestions or knows of any digital implementations either in the UK or elsewhere.