I biglietti per il treno di carta e mobile da sostituire con il monitoraggio GPS in una nuova prova di viaggio
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/gps-train-rail-tickets-contactless-b2817348.html#comments-area
di tylerthe-theatre
31 commenti
GPS tracking to use the train Id to use the internet. When did the UK become china?
Ah, yes, more mass surveillance and more tracking of the population.
Kill me now.
If you have to tap in snd out, like with oyster, where does the gps come in?
What if your battery is low?
What’s wrong with paper tickets? Simple, easy to use, doesn’t rely on flaky technology, you can still get home if you drop and break your phone, etc.
Also who thought the new QR tickets were a good idea? They’re too big to fit in a wallet. Bring back the credit-card sized ones.
And what happens when this goes wrong and loads of people end up being wrongly flagged for fare dodging?
I assume these systems are based on charging the “on the day” rate – so they wouldn’t be an answer to advanced charging or season tickets? That would seem to limit their usefulness across long journeys in particular?
Why though? What possible reason can they have for doing this?
On my station we have a system where you can scan a keycard, which can be stored on your phone, as you enter and leave a train station and then get charged the cheapest fare for your journey, like the London Underground.
Using GPS trackers sounds more invasive, more expensive, more likely to exclude people who do not own smart phones. I fail to see what the additional benefit is over a system that is already in use and works.
Tap in and tap out on an app a-la Oyster would be a game changer across the North of England (and the rest of it tbh). Especially if you could use it on the busses. But that would require it to work across several train and bus operators.
Tap in and tap out doesn’t need GPS tho? Why is GPS tracking needed?
Maybe the train driver should use GPS so we can track where the train is?
10 years ago, apps used to say where trains or buses were. Over time companies have reduced the functionality more and more. You used to be able to track them in real time at least in the counties.
It’s very frustrating seeing a train or bus is timed as 1 minute away then suddenly its departed but never came
It’s like they really don’t want people using public transport huh
>“Through these trials we’re doing just that, and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible.
By removing ways for you to do it?
Unless they abandon peak and off-peak and only retain super off-peak tickets, this isn’t going to help me, nor I suspect many others using walk-up fares. It’s not going to help anyone using advance fares.
I’d rather wait half an hour and save £50 on my ticket. I’m still going to have to know which trains are peak, off-peak and super off-peak.
The only people it will help are those who have never used a train before.
Main issue sounds like youd have no idea how much they are going to charge you in advance
The article suggests it’s because travel is complicated.
It’s not the journey that’s complicated, it’s the pricing that is baffling where if you buy on a Thursday at 2am, the price is different to 2pm, unless it’s a supersaver with a railcard, travelling on seat C26 on one specific route, unless you’re 27 years old where you need to wear a red coat to access the season discount but only if you’re name is Sean and it’s raining.
The swiss public transport service has a GPS tracker option for tickets on the app. It is honestly amazing, you just swipe it on to start, and off to end your journey. And it charges you for the most efficient ticket. If you take a return journey the same day it will take that into account and charge you for the cheapest between a return journey or a day ticket.
Honestly having seen how it can be done, the idea that in 2025 I would have to buy a paper ticket is kind of a joke.
Might be an idea to improve the actual train services first.
Why don’t they just have a QR code scanner in the train and cameras on every door (both ways) and station entrance/exits?
Bollocks, how am I gonna get by using the 16-17 saver railcard if I can’t hide it on my ticket
Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “The railway ticketing system is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century.
Erm it’s not the ticket system that’s too complicated. I think most people can work a paper ticket or an e-ticket. It’s more like the whole fare system that’s the complicated bit.
I always keep location off. Where I am is none of your fucking business and you can bet you’d need to turn off battery saving for it too. All this invasion of privacy to “save money”, yet we will just be rewarded with yet another increase next year.
Trains have been operating without having to track people for 221 years.
Well this is one way to reduce the use of split ticketing
> more convenient
Doesn’t clarify its more convenient for them
Lol check out the top comment from user “SMASH THE LEFT”…
>Here it comes, a digital prison is waiting for you.
I swear if people like this were in charge in the past we’d still be riding around on horses.
and that’s how the government gets access to all your movements and there is nothing you can do about it.
All we need is paper tickets with RFID in them like the Netherlands
This is the way it works in Switzerland and to be honest, it’s brilliant! You press a button to start your journey, you travel around as much as you want however you want in whatever forms of transport including crossing different transport types and at the end of the journey you press the button again to stop your journey. You get charged the best price for the traveling you’ve done automatically.
No barriers needed, no need to plan an exact route or day ahead of time, no trying to faff around with different combinations and different routes, no having to try to work out the cheapest way based on what you’re doing, just start and stop and enjoy!
Link to non cookie obsessed site: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cutting-edge-rail-ticket-technology-to-be-trialled-across-the-midlands-and-north
I’m assuming GBR has been looking at the best of the best in terms of train travel: SBB (Switzerland). Their app, which is probably the best in world, has this killer feature, which allows you to seamlessly pay for travel as you go, based on your GPS. It connects to every operator and form of transportation the county, including buses, tubes, trains, boats, etc. The fact that they are looking at SBB actually gives me hopes for GBR.
GPS is stupidly overkill and will drain everyones battery, why not just have the train broadcast the train number via bluetooth or something throughout the train and have the app pick that up, then you can link that back to a fare
We’ve allowed private companies to track us for years, soon everyone and their dog will be tracking us.
Meanwhile Scotland just abolished peak rail fares, saving people on average 50%. Something actually useful.