Bye-Bye Punch Cards: The End of the Line for Mechanical Ticket Machines in Public Transit - Westfalentarif Leads the Charge
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Rant alert!
The glory days of manually stamping tickets are well and truly numbered, and that's not all that's pissing off commuters. Westfalentarif, one of the four transport associations in North Rhine-Westphalia, is taking a bold step in making transit more convenient. They've announced a major sweep of the mechanical ticket punchers that blight buses and trams across the region. But, here's the kicker, this shift is happening everywhere!
Westfalentarif is calling it quits on selling tickets that you have to bloody validate before setting foot on a vehicle from August 1st. By November 1st, those pesky validation machines in buses, trains, and at stations will be deactivated, and ultimately removed. Up until the cutoff date, you can still use tickets that require validation, but after that… they're as good as a wet noodle.
VRR: One Foot in the Past, One Foot in the Future
Initially, the VRR aims to enable cashless payments in all vehicles, not just the existing methods. The goal is to complete this transition by early 2027 across all VRR transport companies. Tickets will eventually only be sold digitally, doing away with the old-fashioned paper tickets that you scrape with a shoddy little stamp.
In most countries with digital ticketing, you can pay directly with debit and credit cards, as well as mobile payment methods like Google Pay or Apple Pay. Inspections are as easy as waving your phone at a reader, and proof of travel authorization is a breeze.
Rhein-Sieg Stuck in the Past, for Now
Currently, tickets that still require validation will continue to be sold in Rhein-Sieg. The region is in talks about a tariff reform with Aachener Verkehrsverbund AVV, which is scheduled for implementation next year.
AVV: Heading in the Right Direction
The AVV might not be there yet, but they're looking at the future. The bus company ASEAG no longer offers unvalidated tickets and doesn’t install validators in new vehicles. However, validators in the old vehicles will remain for the time being.
Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV) and its Associates:
In the AVV region, WestVerkehr in the district of Heinsberg and Rurtalbus in the district of Düren still offer unvalidated tickets. The Zweckverband go.Rheinland still provides validators at train stations.
Westfalentarif: Cost Savings and Clarity Ahead
The Westfalentarif has declared that there will only be tickets with validity from purchase or with a fixed start date or time from August onwards. For occasional travelers, they offer a few options for bus and train travel, including the smartphone tariff eezy.nrw, the daily ticket 24, and the single ticket without a validator field. Tickets can be purchased at ticket machines, customer centers, in buses and trains, the online shop of the transport companies, and via app.
Westfalentarif hopes to save costs thanks to the elimination of the labor-intensive maintenance of validators. Additionally, they aim to simplify the "tariff jungle," making it a less confusing experience for commuters. Validators will remain at train stations in the transition area to neighboring transport associations. The multi-journey ticket and the single ticket with the so-called validator field will be discontinued in many places, except in Bocholt, Unna, and Paderborn.
- The shift away from mechanical ticket machines in public transit, led by Westfalentarif, also involves a transformation in the community's transportation policy, aiming to embrace more digital and cashless solutions for ticket sales by early 2027.
- As various transport associations, such as the AVV, move towards digital ticketing, the emphasis on vocational training in the finance and technology industries becomes increasingly significant to ensure the smooth transition and the development of efficient, modern transportation systems.
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