Orange and cream tickets

[PoeticPaul]

I am going to Elstree from Bristol Parkway and I had to print tickets off instead of having an e-ticket with a barcode. I used Trainline app.

I printed the tickets they were the orange and cream ones. I haven’t seen those since the 90s. Im just concerned how they work without a barcode. Do they scan at all?

Also I need to get the Elizabeth line will they work on there? I’ve asked several stations and companies but they just said ask Trainline who redirects me to them.

 

[Deerfold]

I am going to Elstree from Bristol Parkway and I had to print tickets off instead of having an e-ticket with a barcode. I used Trainline app. I printed the tickets they were the orange and cream ones. I haven’t seen those since the 90s. Im just concerned how they work without a barcode. Do they scan at all? Also I need to get the Elizabeth line will they work on there? I’ve asked several stations and companies but they just said ask Trainline who redirects me to them.

Do you mean you got the tickets from a ticket machine after Trainline gave you a code?

 

[W-on-Sea]

That's fine, if I understand you correctly (you collected and printed tickets from a ticket machine) they should work the gates - the magnetic strip is the relevant thing here, not a Aztec barcode.

Admittedly the gates at Paddington Elizabeth Line can be a bit temperamental with through tickets, but if that is the case, show them to staff and they will let you through.

 

[jfollows]

This ticket has to be a paper ticket because it includes travel on London Underground which can not (currently) read Aztec codes on e-tickets. You can not scan them but they will work fine in ticket gates including at London Underground stations.
PS Technically the e-tickets use Aztec codes rather than QR codes, it’s not important but more accurate to refer to the former, as we have done.

 

[Adam Williams]

I think this thread illustrates quite well that paper credit-card size tickets are increasingly an alien concept to vast swathes of customers who understandably expect to be able to travel using digital barcoded tickets in 2023 and are well-used to this fulfillment method. It's often an unpleasant shock when passengers find out they need to manually print out their tickets due to the current state of acceptance in London, or due to poor data - and I've spent my fair share of time explaining how these magstripe tickets work to panicking customers.

Against this backdrop, it's crazy to me that some of the termini in London still haven't been properly fitted with barcode readers on all gatelines!

 

[Hadders]

Just last weekend I was passing through Euston Underground station and notices a person trying to enter through the barrier using a barcode ticket on her phone. I don't know the details of the ticket but she had an expectation that her ticket was valid.

Then, yet again upon arrival back at Stevenage, I noticed staff dealing with passengers who had arrived and were trying to exit the station using conatctless. This must be the most common ticketing issue at Stevenage these days. The sooner contactless is implemented here the better!

 

[PoeticPaul]

Do you mean you got the tickets from a ticket machine after Trainline gave you a code?

Yes that’s correct

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2023 ==

I am starting from an over ground station . I am worried they won’t work there because they have been upgraded to the barcode scanner barrier. I don’t want to waste time worrying that I can’t get the train sorry I’m very anxious. I guess there should be someone near the barrier who can help.

 

[alistairlees]

Yes that’s correct

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2023 ==

I am starting from an over ground station . I am worried they won’t work there because they have been upgraded to the barcode scanner barrier. I don’t want to waste time worrying that I can’t get the train sorry I’m very anxious. I guess there should be someone near the barrier who can help.

They will work fine. The gates have had the ability to scan barcode tickets added, but they will still accept CCST tickets (the orange and cream ones you describe) which need to be put, face up, through the slot on the right hand side of the gate.

eTickets use Aztec, not QR, barcodes.

 

[Ken X]

Yes that’s correct

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2023 ==

I am starting from an over ground station . I am worried they won’t work there because they have been upgraded to the barcode scanner barrier. I don’t want to waste time worrying that I can’t get the train sorry I’m very anxious. I guess there should be someone near the barrier who can help.

Seconded.

I travelled from Horsham to London on Wednesday and the good old orange and cream Travelcard worked fine in the slot as always. Did notice a big yellow pad but have no idea what its for. Coming back there was an announcement that contactless stopped at Gatwick or Three Bridges so I am assuming this pad is for something else. Must do more research.

 

[jnjkerbin]

I travelled from Horsham to London on Wednesday and the good old orange and cream Travelcard worked fine in the slot as always. Did notice a big yellow pad but have no idea what its for. Coming back there was an announcement that contactless stopped at Gatwick or Three Bridges so I am assuming this pad is for something else. Must do more research.

The Key

 

[Snow1964]

Their are gates that take both types, slot for magnetic stripe, and scanners for codes.

There are also lots of journeys where gates are different both ends, one end will take scanned tickets, other end won't. There is effectively a long transition period

 

[fandroid]

Seconded.

I travelled from Horsham to London on Wednesday and the good old orange and cream Travelcard worked fine in the slot as always. Did notice a big yellow pad but have no idea what its for. Coming back there was an announcement that contactless stopped at Gatwick or Three Bridges so I am assuming this pad is for something else. Must do more research.

Those big yellow pads have been around on Southern and Southwestern for quite a long time! So long, in fact, that they now look really dated. I think that their main original purpose was to allow season tickets to be held on Smartcards. Paper season tickets wear out!

 

[PeterC]

Just last weekend I was passing through Euston Underground station and notices a person trying to enter through the barrier using a barcode ticket on her phone. I don't know the details of the ticket but she had an expectation that her ticket was valid.

Then, yet again upon arrival back at Stevenage, I noticed staff dealing with passengers who had arrived and were trying to exit the station using conatctless. This must be the most common ticketing issue at Stevenage these days. The sooner contactless is implemented here the better!

I have seen people touching mag stripe tickets on Oyster readers and trying to push plastic cards through the paper ticket slots. However easy you try to make things somebody will get it wrong.

 

[zero]

I have seen people touching mag stripe tickets on Oyster readers and trying to push plastic cards through the paper ticket slots. However easy you try to make things somebody will get it wrong.

I have seen someone waving a CCST over the barcode reader with the magstripe facing down. And (a long time ago) someone trying to put a £5 note into the CCST slot - they were not drunk.

The first time I went to Stockholm I didn't know you just walked out of the metro stations.

Various politicians around the world have embarrassed themselves when trying to pay for goods or public trnasport too.