E-Tickets availability?

[Wallsendmag]

Curious... is that massive hurdle on the horizon hinted at in the excerpt from the Tickeing & Revenue Update (TRU149) quoted upthread by Edvid?

Not in the excerpt but it is the project mentioned

 

[Edvid]

TRU151 (March 2024, page 16) extract on TfL progress w.r.t. handheld barcode readers:

BARCODE TICKETING UPDATE

It hasn't been very long since our last update in TRU150, but we are pleased to tell you that we now seem to be inching forward towards the start of a trial of handheld barcode reading equipment within the next few months.

The TfL Tech & Data team are currently engaged in discussions with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) who are due to fund the trial with the aim to commence a trial by early May and hopefully run for a period of 3 months.

At the moment RDG are engaging with a number of prospective suppliers of handheld reading equipment and software and we are hopeful of being able to test more than one potential solution at our designated trial stations. This should then assist us in developing our final requirements and enable comparison between different solutions that are available.

By mid-April, we hopefully will be able to confirm timescales and arrangements for the forthcoming trial. In the meantime, we will be considering how best to deliver staff briefings at the stations affected, as well as firm up arrangements for the issue and control of devices, and the support arrangements for the repair / replacement of units during the trial.

 

[Edvid]

A couple of extracts from TfL's TRU152 (April 2024) this time.

Page 7:

NR PAPER TICKETS

The format of some tickets issued for travel on national rail is changing. Following a recent update, the appearance of barcode tickets issued on paper roll stock by certain devices on Greater Anglia will now be issued on plain white ticket stock, rather than the normal orange ticket stock.

Standard orange ticket stock will continue to be used by other existing systems.

Controls are in place to prevent a ticket from being issued in this format where it is not allowed (e.g. a London area Travelcard or cross-London journey).

The revised stock will have the same visual information as a magstripe ticket, but with a 2D barcode on the right-hand side for inspection purposes and to permit access through NR gates fitted with barcode readers.

The reverse of the white ticket stock includes reference to the National Rail Conditions of Travel and (optionally) an ID barcode.

One of the benefits of using white paper means that a ticket can be recycled after it has been used for travel.

Although not valid for LU journeys, they may be seen at Stratford where Greater Anglia services serve the station and at Liverpool Street where inter-availability between LU and NR services means that NR ticket holders can use the Central line to travel between Stratford and Liverpool Street.

For some reason their example image of such a ticket (which I've extracted from the PDF) includes a QR code. All paper roll tickets issued by Greater Anglia have Aztec codes, do they not?



Page 17:

BARCODE TICKETING

We are pleased to report that since our last article on this topic, considerable progress has been made towards the supply of barcode reading equipment for LU staff at locations where NR platforms are within our gateline, as an interim solution until we can eventually get barcode readers installed and integrated on our gates. Barcode tickets have become an increasing problem, as TOCs continue to move away from magnetic stripe ticketing.

An initial pilot covering 10 sites and funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has been agreed and we have recently reviewed submissions from three potential suppliers who already provide equipment to other Train Operating Companies (TOCs) around the country. This does mean that we will be able to benefit from a solution that has already been extensively tested within the industry.

The successful provider is due to be confirmed shortly and it is hoped that we will be able to commence the trial of this equipment towards the end of May. The 10 sites selected will be split into two batches of 5 to ease the implementation and allow the T&R team to support the deployment more easily.

The solution selected, involves the use of a small handheld barcode scanner which will display a coloured response when a barcode ticket is scanned:
* Green - Indicates that the ticket is valid and has been accepted
* Amber - Indicates that the ticket requires further checking (e.g. a concession ticket where a supporting railcard is required)
* Red - Indicates the barcode as being invalid

This unit is linked by Bluetooth to a mobile phone, which provides the user with more detailed information on the ticket if required.

The device also allows the user to flag rejected tickets to the RDG back-office, so details of any rejected ticket will be recorded and during the trial will hopefully provide us with information both on the number of valid barcode tickets used, but also on instances of tickets being presented that are not valid at the station.

Apart from checking the validity of a barcode, the system also ensures that use of a ticket is recorded and prevents both multiple use of a ticket or the customer being able to subsequently claim a refund on an unscanned ticket.

A number of "train the trainer" sessions will be held prior to the delivery of the equipment and there will be additional support provided at the sites following "go-live" to help staff become familiar with the equipment and its use. Full details will be supplied to the stations involved once we have confirmed start dates for the deployment.

Anyone know if the pilot is underway now? Confirmation of funding is welcome nonetheless.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Maybe they didn't want a valid barcode on an example.

 

[OscarH]

Maybe they didn't want a valid barcode on an example.

This one contains the text:

This a new white paper ticket produced by Greater Anglia trains it has a QR code on the front and space for a standard barcode on the reverse There is no magnetic strip

Though they could have put that text as an aztec I suppose, it's still a fun easter egg. I've seen quite the variety of methods to make sure there is no real ticket on examples, there doesn't seem to be a "standard" way

 

[DailyCommuter]

Anyone know if the pilot is underway now? Confirmation of funding is welcome nonetheless.

Elizabeth Line staff at Hayes & Harlington were scanning eTickets using a handheld scanner when I exited there recently.

 

[MrJeeves]

Guess I need to find out if their scanners accept Interrail tickets...

 

[Wallsendmag]

Guess I need to find out if their scanners accept Interrail tickets...

They will

 

[OscarH]

Presumably it's just one of the usual suspects as used by TOCs

 

[redreni]

It’s not all about eTickets though is it? We need CCST adding to RCS so we can start remov8ng flows/products

I can foresee trouble ahead...

CCSTs is currently the fallback option in a wide range of circumstances, though.

If some flows couldn't be fulfilled by e-ticket and others couldn't be fulfilled by CCST, there would surely be no alternative but to allow retailers to fulfil a booking partly by e-ticket and partly by CCST? I'm not sure if that's feasible or not, but I don't think it's particularly desirable.

If I'm splitting tickets I want them either as a PDF with one ticket per page, arranged in the order I'm going to use them, or I want a small pile of CCSTs which I can arrange in the order I'm going to use them and put in my wallet. I don't particularly want a mixture.

 

[Haywain]

Presumably it's just one of the usual suspects as used by TOCs

That would hardly be surprising.

 

[Edvid]

Now that the TfL barcode reader trial is finally underway, here's an extract from TRU153 (May/June 2024, page 9).

BARCODE READER TRIAL IS UNDERWAY

After a number of delays and frustratingly slow progress at times, the last few weeks have seen a great amount of progress made, towards the start of a trial of using handheld barcode scanners at some of our stations that are served by NR services.

Following a number of testing sessions at LU stations, where we were able to scan a range of customer tickets, the three-month trial finally started with Phase 1 on Monday 17 June at Stratford and Farringdon.

A PHASED INTRODUCTION

This will be extended to West Ham (from Thursday 20 June) and then to Moorgate and Liverpool Street, the following week. Staff at these locations will receive a briefing on the use of the scanner, which is being deployed as an interim solution ahead of our gates being fitted with barcode readers in the future.

The second phase of the trial will see it extended to five further stations as shown in the table below, which also includes the number of Barcode Ticket Readers (BTR) issued to each location.



WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE TRIAL

The aim of the trial is to provide gateline staff with a viable means to check and record the use of barcoded NR tickets. It will hopefully confirm that the equipment is a viable interim solution, which we can then deploy to other stations that are served by NR services and where we are likely to see increasing volumes of barcoded tickets, as Train Operators (TOCs) switch from magnetic ticketing to a barcode format.

[paragraph redacted]

Initial results are positive with over 2000 tickets being scanned at the two sites over the first two days. A vast majority of these have been successful scans, but we have already seen a number where tickets were out of date or not valid for the particular journey made. All of this data is being analysed and should greatly help the process of building a business case for accelerating the provision of barcode readers on the gates.

We also aim to address any issues we identify with the equipment / data as the trial progresses.

 

[Edvid]

Another update, from TRU154 (July/August 2024, page 19). It appears the trial wasn't extended to Old Street.

BARCODE SCANNER UPDATE

The trial of the use of handheld barcode scanners commenced on Monday 17 June, initially at Stratford and Farringdon. The trial has subsequently been extended to include West Ham, Moorgate, Liverpool Street, Highbury & Islington, Finsbury Park, Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road.

Since the start of the trial a very large number of scans have been undertaken at Farringdon and have helped to identify a number of issues with interpretation of the complex NR ticketing arrangements at the station. The device providers Team Technology have quickly reacted to upgrade software, in particular to reject London Terminals tickets which are not valid at Farringdon.

A further software upgrade is scheduled to start during week commencing 12 August, which will address an issue which has caused a number of short distance tickets with an origin or destination of "London Thameslink" to be rejected by the barcode scanners at Farringdon. This update will also address a further issue which has seen the same scans sent to the back-office multiple times when the mobile connection to the scanner is weak or is interrupted during transmission of data.

This upgrade was successfully applied to devices at Farringdon on Wednesday 14 August, as the change would have the greatest impact at that station. We then plan to progressively rollout the updated software to devices at the other trial sites in the following weeks.

Significant volumes of tickets have also been successfully scanned at Stratford with fewer complexities. Break of journey to visit Westfield has been an issue for quite a while and the scanners have generally coped with these.

Despite a request to join the trial, we have received no scan data from the devices issued at West Ham and initial feedback has been that staff are not seeing any barcode tickets and therefore not signing out the devices. Customer flows from c2c stations to West Ham should not be enabled for barcode ticketing, but based on feedback we were expecting to find some wrongly issued products. We are now considering withdrawing West Ham from the trial to better use the equipment elsewhere.

There have also been very few scans completed at Liverpool Street, but significant numbers during the peak periods have been completed at Moorgate. Rotational rostering of staff on the Liverpool Street (Broadgate) gateline had presented an issue with signing readers in and out of the Station Office at Moorgate, but this has now been addressed by the introduction of an arrangement that allows the recording of the transfer of the reader between staff, without the need to return to the station office.

Analysis of scans from all sites will be used to build a business case for the provision of handheld devices and hopefully accelerate reader integration into LU gates. To help us do this, we need to hear your feedback about the pros and cons of the devices, and if you have taken part in this trial we would be grateful if you could take part in our survey. Please use your iPad camera to scan the barcode on the right and give us your insights.

 

[OscarH]

Customer flows from c2c stations to West Ham should not be enabled for barcode ticketing, but based on feedback we were expecting to find some wrongly issued products.

"wrongly issued products" is probably better written as "wrongly enabled products" the vast majority of the time :P

Still nice to see some progress in general

 

[WelshBluebird]

How long should it take for new stations to be enabled for etickets where the ToC already offer them for other flows on the same route? Specifically thinking of Ashley Down which at least right now only has the option for ToD.

 

[Adam Williams]

How long should it take for new stations to be enabled for etickets where the ToC already offer them for other flows on the same route? Specifically thinking of Ashley Down which at least right now only has the option for ToD.

Sometimes the pricing managers need a nudge. If you find examples like this and use the forum ticketing site (or even if you don't), the customer service team should be able to contact the TOC pricing managers on your behalf if you ask specifically for help in getting the flows enabled. Alternatively, starting a thread about it here and just waiting for somebody to notice it can be surprisingly effective

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Sep 2024 ==

Specifically thinking of Ashley Down which at least right now only has the option for ToD.

GWR have kindly agreed to look at this.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Flows can be easily enabled overnight

 

[Edvid]

Is TfL's barcode reader trial still live? The usual source of information (Ticketing & Revenue Update) remains on hold in the cyber attack aftermath.

 

[Edvid]

Travelled to/from Farringdon with Thameslink eTickets today, and on both occasions I was let through the gates with just a quick glance. So it seems the trial has concluded; what happens next remains to be seen.

 

[Haywain]

Travelled to/from Farringdon with Thameslink eTickets today, and on both occasions I was let through the gates with just a quick glance. So it seems the trial has concluded; what happens next remains to be seen.

What trial are you referring to?

 

[Edvid]

What trial are you referring to?

TfL's trial of handheld barcode (Aztec) readers.

 

[A S Leib]

Are there currently any rangers or rovers available as e-tickets (I think some of the Scottish ones are available as M-tickets), and are there any types of tickets only available as e- / M-tickets?

 

[MrJeeves]

are there any types of tickets only available as e- / M-tickets?

GWR's family advances are only available as E-Tickets.

 

[Haywain]

TfL's trial of handheld barcode (Aztec) readers.

Not relevant - eTickets have been available to London Thameslink and for their cross-London journeys for quite a while.

 

[Edvid]

Not relevant - eTickets have been available to London Thameslink and for their cross-London journeys for quite a while.

Actually it's entirely relevant since my focus is on the trial itself, as previous posts of mine on this very page make clear. My remark "what happens next remains to be seen" refers to TfL's next steps w.r.t. barcode readers on their gatelines and associated acceptance of eTickets at LU/NR interchanges in general (eventually).

I mentioned Thameslink simply because Farringdon is the easiest of the (former) trial locations for me to travel to and I wanted to see the process in action, as well as / or answer my own question from two weeks prior. I have used eTickets at other London Thameslink stations before.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Trials are still underway

 

[Haywain]

So it seems the trial has concluded; what happens next remains to be seen.

The fact that a ticket wasn't scanned doesn't prove anything. It could just have been a member of staff who, for whatever reason, wasn't using the handheld scanner.

 

[Edvid]

Indeed, it looks like that was the case. Seems like my spending a minute or two observing other passengers with eTickets and different gateline staff on both occasions in the Thameslink ticket hall specifically wasn't a complete representation of typical goings-on, then.

 

[Fiyero]

Were Great British Rail Sale tickets (to Waterloo with SWR if it makes a difference) restricted? I was on holiday so booked in a rush but notice both bookings I made are for paper tickets I need to collect rather than my usual barcodes. Sale is over now so I cannot try again to see if I was given the option. No big deal but I am intrigued.

 

[Adam Williams]

Were Great British Rail Sale tickets (to Waterloo with SWR if it makes a difference) restricted? I was on holiday so booked in a rush but notice both bookings I made are for paper tickets I need to collect rather than my usual barcodes. Sale is over now so I cannot try again to see if I was given the option. No big deal but I am intrigued.

Some of the TOCs forgot to enable E-Ticketability for their sale tickets....