Smart Card-only ticket gates

[181]

(This is of some relevance to ticketing, but I'm putting it under Infrastructure because barriers are part of infrastructure).

Has anyone here come across card-only gates in ticket barriers? Are they intentional, or just a way of keeping partly failed gates in partial service?

The other day I got off a train at Glasgow Queen Street and tried to exit through the gate next to the wide gate at the west end of the barrier line. I found that it wouldn't accept my ticket, and then noticed that the display said 'cards only' -- presumably it was only accepting smartcards. Both the person in front of me and the one behind had the same problem.

If (as I initially assumed) it's a deliberate policy to have some gates that only accept smartcards, then I can see that it might enable smartcard holders to get through marginally more quickly, but even if everyone goes straight to the correct type of gate I'm not convinced that it would increase the average passenger flow through the gateline, and in the absence of very obvious signage it will cause congestion as people try to use card-only gates with paper tickets.

If (as it's now occurred to me might be more likely) it's just that the mechanism for dealing with paper tickets had failed in that particular gate, I can see the argument that keeping it available for a subset of passengers is better than closing it, but if for much of the time it's blocked by people trying unsuccessfully to use it, is there much point?

 

[causton]

The latter is what I assume has happened.

Considering the same gates are used in London and presumably the software has been designed at least partly with this in mind, where it would be Tickets / Oyster or "Oyster Only" - a lot of people will still be able to use a gate that is temporarily not accepting paper tickets!

 

[greaterwest]

The ticket barrier will go "smartcard only" automatically if there is a ticket jam or other fault with the ticket transporter. It appears it the gate in question may have been faulty, the attendant would be made aware in the control unit or otherwise by a passenger.

 

[Abpj17]

The ticket barrier will go "smartcard only" automatically if there is a ticket jam or other fault with the ticket transporter. It appears it the gate in question may have been faulty, the attendant would be made aware in the control unit or otherwise by a passenger.

Interesting - it's seems pretty common in London.

 

[Bantamzen]

I've seen gates at Leeds display 'Card Only' on a number of occasions. Conversely I've also seen handwritten notes stating 'Tickets only', so I guess these are just issues related to the various bits of technology failing rather than any deliberate policy.

 

[moogal]

Interesting - it's seems pretty common in London.

I've seen it done seemingly-deliberately at several tube stations - they actually tape over the ticket slot so any non-Oyster/contactless have to go via the wide gate, where a member of staff checks tickets manually. I've often wondered if it's so they can look out for dodgy tickets...

 

[181]

I can see that in a place where smartcard holders make up a large proportion of passengers it would make sense as a way of keeping a gate open if its ticket-handling mechanism has failed.

I've seen it done seemingly-deliberately at several tube stations - they actually tape over the ticket slot so any non-Oyster/contactless have to go via the wide gate, where a member of staff checks tickets manually.

Do they make it obvious so people with paper tickets can head straight for the wide gates rather than approaching the normal ones and having to divert at the last minute?

 

[moogal]

I can see that in a place where smartcard holders make up a large proportion of passengers it would make sense as a way of keeping a gate open if its ticket-handling mechanism has failed.



Do they make it obvious so people with paper tickets can head straight for the wide gates rather than approaching the normal ones and having to divert at the last minute?

Not really - at Shepherd's Bush the ticket slots are taped over with black and yellow hazard tape and there's a member of staff stood by the wide gate. It usually seems to be in place in the morning when the flow of people exiting the station is (slightly) lower compared to the evening, so it's not like trying to do it at somewhere like Victoria or London Bridge.

 

[Hophead]

Not really - at Shepherd's Bush the ticket slots are taped over with black and yellow hazard tape and there's a member of staff stood by the wide gate. It usually seems to be in place in the morning when the flow of people exiting the station is (slightly) lower compared to the evening, so it's not like trying to do it at somewhere like Victoria or London Bridge.

Although the black & yellow tape thing does also happen at Victoria. Passengers exiting just have to work out for themselves why one gate seems a little less busy and ease their way into the queue for the adjacent one.