mTickets

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

Can anyone tell me anything useful about mTickets?

As far as I can tell, your booking application will tell you if they are available for your journey, but they haven't come up as an option for any of the journeys I've taken recently (BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-RDG^‡(resolve), MTP-BRI, MTP-KYN). So where are they available? Are they the kind of thing that only clever London-types, with their metrosexual haircuts and Music Maniac headphones would understand?

[ChrisB]

Do gwr offer them yet on any route?

[JayMac]

Advance Purchase available on many flows across GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) via their smartphone apps. Walk up fares are not available as m-tickets.

A screenshot attached showing availability. Small QR^▸ (QR Code - Quick Response code) code on stylised ticket shows that the particular fare is available as an m-ticket.

[chrisr_75]

I wish they'd manage to roll such a system out in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

I was recently in Sweden and you can purchase tickets online in the way we are all familiar with here, but the tickets and seat reservations can be sent via a text message (to most European mobile numbers) which the train guard then scans using a smartphone camera. All the usual less modern methods of ticket delivery were also possible. Worked for all tickets from flexible to reserved train only and right up until the last minute (no advance tickets in Sweden that I'm aware of).

Seemed like a well sorted out system to me, however the seat reservations are not displayed on the seats themselves, so there's always a bit of chaos at busy stops en route with people being asked to move! That aside, it all worked rather well I thought. Shame we don't have a similar system here that is network wide and covers all ticket types.

[bobm]

I would like the option of both.  I frequently buy tickets for elderly relatives/friends and an mTicket is not any use in those cases.

[chrisr_75]

I think that's where they've nailed it in Sweden, you can still collect/but from a ticket vending machine or buy from a ticket, but you've also got the convenience of the text message based system for those who choose to use it.

[Red Squirrel]

Walk up fares are not available as m-tickets.

Ah, that's what threw me - it's not about routes, it's about ticket types.

I wonder why they don't allow mTickets for walk-up fares? They would be dead handy on routes where there are no facilities for buying tickets until you reach the end of the journey.

I started looking at this after my brother-in-law told me he'd had an unpleasant run-in after boarding a train at Keynsham without a ticket. Keynsham's TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) is regularly vandalised, so he was unable to buy a ticket, but staff on the train basically called him a liar and threatened him with a penalty fare. It'd be nice to be able to avoid that kind of interaction!

[ChrisB]

If you have a smartphone (same one that would accept an mticket, do yourself a favour by taking a photo of the damaged TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) to protect oneself

[Bmblbzzz]

It doesn't necessarily have to be a smartphone to take a photo ^ nor to buy an mticket, if the system is like National Express coaches. The only problem with NEx system is you then have to sit on a coach for several hours!

[JayMac]

For GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) m-tickets you do need a smartphone. Your ticket purchases are stored in the app. Just prior to beginning your journey you need to activate the ticket. You must ensure you have sufficient charge on your phone to show your activated ticket at any time during your journey, including gatelines at departure/interchange/arrival stations.

[Bmblbzzz]

Ah, with NX they can simply send you a ticket as a text message, which you then show to the driver.

[chrisr_75]

Ah, with NX they can simply send you a ticket as a text message, which you then show to the driver.

Same as Swedish trains. Text message containing a series of alpha-numeric strings which are scanned by the guard on his/her (presumably company provided) smartphone.

No smartphone required to receive e-tickets. The way it should be imho.

[paul7575]

I think the main reason the various TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) only offer m-tickets, e-tickets or various printouts for Advance fares is that they can send info to the specific booked train's guard that allows him to know how many to expect to check.  Same as SWT^▸ (South West Trains) do with their 'megatrain' booking reference numbers.

If you allowed an m-ticket for any walk up fare, every guard on a number of possible trains would all need the same information, and there'd also need to be a watertight system to avoid duplication...

[LiskeardRich]

I've got m-boarding passes for upcoming EasyJet and Ryanair flights. Excellent ideas in my opinion. I hate having print at home boarding passes as inevitably I run out of ink, paper, or end up screwing my pass up.
I also only need to worry where my phone is rather than 8 sheets of paper for 4 flights for both me and my daughter.

[ChrisB]

And keeping your phone charged throughout!