They still have to check tickets in trains because this only applies to one class of train, and they already are paying people to check tickets and can't/shouldn't fire them all for three months only to bring them all back
Most trains still need conductors even if they're not checking tickets. Having them check tickets when they're already there won't cost anything extra.
> Assuming you have to have at least one person working on the train anyway, for safety reasons if nothing else, having them also check tickets doesn't cost extra.
The trains are made of multiple cars without connecting doors, and the driver sits inside a locked cockpit. Tickets are currently checked by personnel that patrol the trains, which are the only staff that passengers see.
It's actually rare to have your ticket checked, but the fine is ~10x the price of the ticket, so it's still worth buying one.
> Assuming you have to have at least one person working on the train anyway, for safety reasons if nothing else, having them also check tickets doesn't cost extra.
That’s actually wrong, regional trains (where this ticket applies) usually have only the Lokführer driving the train, but no additional staff. Checking tickets is done purely by patrols checking trains randomly.
More countries should adopt the random checking model used in Germany: sometimes ticket inspectors board the train and check everyone's tickets. If you don't have one you get fined on the spot. It saves a lot of expensive and annoying ticket gates.
This is how it is in the UK. You will occasionally have a ticket inspection, and it's just a person wandering through the train asking to glance at peoples tickets. Sure, I wish I didn't have to reach into my pocket and pull out my ticket for 5 seconds - but never heard anyone complain about it, nor thought about it much myself.
This ticket only applies to regional trains. Regional trains usually have a staff of 1 (sitting in the locomotive, driving the train). Tickets are checked by random patrols, which don’t actually cost that much (in each given train at a given time you’ll have a chance of encountering them every few weeks at most).
Have you ever actually been on a train in the UK? Ticket inspectors will go on to do anyone that's ready and come back - they're not bemused by someone without their ticket ready. And people constantly also fumble for their tickets then present an old ticket, then the return instead of the outgoing one, then the seat reservation not the ticket etc.
My local station doesn't sell tickets. It has no office. I can buy an advance then drive miles to a totally different station to print them out or just buy it on my phone even on the way to the station and be done with it. I guarantee you buying from the ticket inspector is slower than showing them my phone.
Of course it does. it's a monthly ticket valid from first of the month until end of the month.
And even for the tickets without a date Why should the passenger be penalised when there are no working stamping machines in the train station? how is that the passenger problem?
Small time train networks love the crappy system they have now. It means theres a good chance people can get on trains without valid tickets and then get price gorged
> So they bolted some on, leaving an end result worse off than if they'd started with something simple and centralized.
I disagree.
> This setup does have the advantage that they can check tickets without needing a network connection
This is the most important reason why it is implemented this way. Checking happens on rowing handheld devices which have frequently no good internet connection. Even in the turnstiles where you would think they could afford a reliable connection if said connection goes down you can’t block the flow of people.
Reliability and speed of checking was clearly the most important features they optimised for. Security, in the sense that passengers can’t just mint tickets for themselces, is a close second.
The beauty is that every centralised reporting can be deffered. In case the centralised database is down, or the checker’s network is down, you just store the timestamp and the signed ticket data and report it once things are working again. The centralised system doesn’t even need to trust the checker computers. Railway company A cannot mint a ticket from railway company B. They don’t have the keys to do that. So they cannot fraudelently divert revenue from each other. Neither accidentally nor intentionally.
> but I'd guess there would be simpler ways to add that to a centralized system.
The infrastructure for selling tickets is already in place, the marginal cost of selling one extra ticket type is essentially zero,
don't have to check tickets in trains and reduce costs
Assuming you have to have at least one person working on the train anyway, for safety reasons if nothing else, having them also check tickets doesn't cost extra.
Dunno about France (OP gave no indication he was talking about a period ticket), but in the UK monthly tickets last a month from the time they begin (which is printed on the ticket at time of purchase). Most train tickets I've bought on the continent are undated - if you don't composte them then you could use them time and time again, which would be theft of service.
In the UK we have carnets which must be dated (albeit with a pen rather than a machine) before boarding the train. They give very little discount and users are often accused of fraud.
> Why should the passenger be penalised when there are no working stamping machines in the train station? how is that the passenger problem?
It's the passengers problem as they presumably can't board the train without a valid ticket. I'm not sure how competition or changing ownership would help, what you need are strong laws making the train company liable if it's not there.
Again in the UK we have "penalty fares", which are on the spot "fines" for "honest mistakes". Sadly the same doesn't apply to train companies, when they deny boarding despite a valid ticket, or you get threatened with legal action despite a valid ticket, you have to fight it, but they don't get fined.
Paper tickets are an absolute pain - I hate having to fumble around trying to find them, instead of just double clicking the power button and bringing up my Wallet.
I've only ever had it checked by the barriers, I can't remember the last time I saw a conductor checking tickets on a train.
The people responsible for checking tickets of the passengers. Their culture, patience, and refinement oftentimes is inadequate towards commuters who simply left the electronic card of paper ticket back home.
Just imagine if other forms of transport used the same ticketing system...
"I'm sorry sir, you can't get on the 09:03 Southbound Red Line express subway because you didn't check in 40 minutes before departure. Check in has now closed, so you'll have to buy a new ticket."
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