Mag-stripe ticketing retains value for many travell ers
Nigel Harris’s in-depth interview with Rail Delivery Group Chief Executive Paul Plummer ( RAIL 820) was both informative and thought-provoking.
One snippet, in particular, caught my attention. Nigel reported that Plummer “conveyed quiet confidence” regarding the wish of RDG’s Managing Director of Customer Experience to see the end of mag-stripe ticketing “within a couple of years”. Nigel records this as being “a tall order” in his opinion, and well he might!
Just consider a few numbers: 36 million tourists visit the UK each year, some of whom just might want to travel by train; 20 million UK citizens do not own a smartphone; more than four million senior citizens do not have a smartphone, tablet or computer, and have neither the inclination, finance nor intention of ever buying one; and last but by no means least, what about the tens of millions of travellers who purchase tickets from the ever-growing numbers of ticket machines on our stations?
Barrie Doe can no doubt tell us how many million mag-stripe tickets are bought in a year. In my view, every single one of the above people require a physical manifestation of their authority to travel - presently this is the mag-stripe ticket.
What does RDG intend replace it with? Or is this a cunning plot to reduce congestion by creating another minority group to whom ‘Access for All’ is about to be denied?