Amtrak Conductors Adopting iPhones to Verify Tickets

[mcarvin]

I ride the Keystone line (primarily a commuter line from NYC to PHL to Harrisburg PA) for work just about every day. My conductors got their devices a couple weeks ago. They're frustrated. Before the scanners, one of our conductors could cover about 2 cars' worth of passengers in maybe 8-10 minutes. Admittedly, being a commuter line, this gets easy because they start to know the names and faces of the commuters.

After the devices were introduced, a conductor's now covering about 1-1.5 cars' of passengers between stops. Sometimes it works on the first try, other times they'll try and scan tickets 3, 4, 5 times before giving up.

If I were doing a field research exercise with these conductors, I'm pretty sure my report wouldn't look too favorably on the scanners. Higher task time-to-complete, higher error rate leading to higher passenger miss rate (and possibly increased fares in the future), ergonomically questionable...many issues.

 

[Doctor Q]

With the new system, passengers will be able to print tickets or load a special bar code on their smartphone screens for conductors to scan, and conductors will be able to keep track of passengers on board, Amtrak said.

This will work, and probably be reliable enough in practice, but I'd still like to point out that having one smart device pass data to another smart device by converting it to a barcode and back is rather twentieth century. It's better than printing the data and scanning the paper, and a lot better than, say, converting it to analog audio, recording it with a microphone, and sampling it to re-digitize the data, but it still seems like a rather low-bandwidth protocol for this purpose.

For one thing, it's not very flexible if they want to add more data to the data transfer, e.g., let smart phone users key in special requirements they have for their train trip, to be automatically passed to the conductor.

Isn't there a better choice than having an iPhone scan a barcode displayed on another iPhone's screen?

 

[charles4515]

I wonder why they can't use iPod Touches, as they are way cheaper than iPhones, and I'm sure they could use an onboard WiFi network to keep them connected with the train's computer system.

Train's computer system.....LOL

 

[Nungster]

The fact that such a simple App requires iOS 4.0 or later is a fail in my book.

We're not talking about a game with a 3D engine or social networking requirements here.

Seriously crying about iOS 4.0? People QQ about the 4s being outdated since it is 8 months old and you're QQ about an OS that is even older?

 

[ikramerica]

Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) has online tickets with 3D barcode since May 2000 (!). They are using a device from Siemens that can print also tickets nationwide while you are in the train.

Ridiculous how they want to make you believe that this is an innovation.

Amtrak has SOME automation, too. But DB, Swiss Rail, etc. also still have to punch out tickets for some customers, including eurorail pass pax. And thus, unless it is a reservation compulsory train, they don't know how many pax are aboard.

Amtrak has a similar mix of reservation required and open routes. On the reservation required lines, they are pretty aware of how many pax are aboard, though I don't know how well it's monitored.

 

[charles4515]

Why rely on the forth hop central system that if it breaks down cuts effective communication, when for such a small price the company gets a direct line of communication with ever staff member on the train.

There is no train computer system and A, the onboard WiFi picks up from the cell networks, has limited bandwidth and B, onboard WiFi is not on all routes yet.

 

[NYR99]

I am a conductor for the Long Island Rail Road, and we have been testing out iPhones on trains for selling tickets on board. The main is advantage is that conductors would be able to accept payment via credit cards. Major problem though is network coverage. I believe the app we use could be designed much better though.

 

[wtmcghee]

I think this is great news. I take the train from DC to NYC some and they give you your return trip ticket with your departure ticket. I lost my return ticket on my last trip and had to buy a whole new ticket. Right now there is no way to know who is checked in and on the train so they can't reprint tickets. Having the ticket on your phone like air travel is convenient.

 

[charles4515]

I ride the Keystone line (primarily a commuter line from NYC to PHL to Harrisburg PA) for work just about every day. My conductors got their devices a couple weeks ago. They're frustrated. Before the scanners, one of our conductors could cover about 2 cars' worth of passengers in maybe 8-10 minutes. Admittedly, being a commuter line, this gets easy because they start to know the names and faces of the commuters.

After the devices were introduced, a conductor's now covering about 1-1.5 cars' of passengers between stops. Sometimes it works on the first try, other times they'll try and scan tickets 3, 4, 5 times before giving up.

If I were doing a field research exercise with these conductors, I'm pretty sure my report wouldn't look too favorably on the scanners. Higher task time-to-complete, higher error rate leading to higher passenger miss rate (and possibly increased fares in the future), ergonomically questionable...many issues.

Yes, right now it takes longer because there are two systems. The scanning has been added but the tickets still have to be punched and lifted. When it is e tickets later in the year then the punching and lifting will end so that should speed up the task time to complete. There are issues but that is why they did not go directly to the e tickets. To work out the issues and get the conductors trained and used to the scanners. It is a transitional practice period.

 

[Votekinky06]

What a slloooooowwww day in apple news....

 

[NYR99]

Also, I don't think anything will be faster at checking tickets than punching them.

 

[tmroper]

After the devices were introduced, a conductor's now covering about 1-1.5 cars' of passengers between stops. Sometimes it works on the first try, other times they'll try and scan tickets 3, 4, 5 times before giving up.

Now that sounds disruptive.

 

[mrsir2009]

Why rely on the forth hop central system that if it breaks down cuts effective communication, when for such a small price the company gets a direct line of communication with ever staff member on the train.

A $700 increase from an iPod Touch to an iPhone isn't a small price.

 

[Getitdone]

This is great news. As happy as I was to be able to scan a barcode from paper at the kiosk instead of having to use a credit card to get an actual paper ticket, it was 2 printouts too many. This new procedure should be much more efficient and more secure.

 

[japanime]

did you read the article?

I obviously had a brain fart. Sorry for completely misunderstanding the article.

 

[WardC]

I think it would be a good idea to print a backup of your ticket -- you never know when your battery could die. Imagine that, you have your e-ticket on your iPhone and your battery is dead -- now you can't board or ride the train.

 

[charlituna]

Why not iPod Touch? Do they really need the cellular connectivity?

Yes.

The information they are referencing would be on a central server so they would need a constant connection. And something tells me the trains aren't all hooked into wifi.

 

[charles4515]

I think it would be a good idea to print a backup of your ticket -- you never know when your battery could die. Imagine that, you have your e-ticket on your iPhone and your battery is dead -- now you can't board or ride the train.

It might be a good idea to print a backup but that would only be a problem when the e ticket server goes down. As a last resort your ticket can be accessed from the server by reservation number or name from the e ticketing app on the device.

 

[charles4515]

Yes.

The information they are referencing would be on a central server so they would need a constant connection. And something tells me the trains aren't all hooked into wifi.

All the trains don't have wi fi. But a constant connection is not needed. The e tickets are downloaded and stored to the device and the elift is stored and uploaded. But it needs to connect to update the server and get updates from the sever.

 

[ebrophy]

I think "disrupting" is the wrong word and unfair to Apple. They are not causing a disruption, the industries are using Apple's products by their own free choice. I think "pervading" is a better, more neutral word to describe what is happening.

I disagree. According to an online dictionary, an additional meaning of the word disrupt is

Drastically alter or destroy the structure of (something).

I do believe you would be hard pressed to convince us that the iPhone and its brethren have not drastically altered the structure of industries today. You may try if you desire.

 

[Rajani Isa]

Why not iPod Touch? Do they really need the cellular connectivity?

Probably for when no wifi is available. Especially if they start taking CCs via the devices.

Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) has online tickets with 3D barcode since May 2000 (!). They are using a device from Siemens that can print also tickets nationwide while you are in the train.

Ridiculous how they want to make you believe that this is an innovation.

3-D barcodes, really?

I think you mean 2-D, unless your tickets are engraved or holographic.

The traditional "bar" barcode is a 1-dimensional "object". The squares/circles/hexes are 2-dimensional.

Have you ever bought gasoline? Ya know the thing that is taxed 60-70 cents a gallon to pay for highway construction?

Yeah... thought so

Yeah, so via the tax on gas, the roads are subsidized, vs. making us pay each and every time we get on road.

The latter is a toll, not the former.

 

[michelepri]

Many are moving away from Iphone to Android

Because the Iphone requires very complex procedures to test or download software on Iphones without downloading it from Itunes or jailbreaking. It's simply not practical and not even very serious.

Are the amtrack people going to download upgrades from the App Store? Required to give a password each time and agree to the new service terms once in a while? Android would be a better choice. And cheaper too.

 

[rdlink]

I think it would be a good idea to print a backup of your ticket -- you never know when your battery could die. Imagine that, you have your e-ticket on your iPhone and your battery is dead -- now you can't board or ride the train.

Actually, I generally do know when my battery could die. And I keep a backup battery case available. And Amtrak trains have 110v power outlets.

----------

Why does Amtrak need saving? From what?

If you're talking about the fact that Amtrak accepts a subsidy:

We subsidize federal highways to the tune of $40-$50 billion per year.
We subsidize aviation to the tune of around $10 billion per year.
We subsidize Amtrak around $1.5 billion per year.

The reality is that every form of transportation in this country is subsidized. There's a reason that you don't pay a toll when you pull a car out of your driveway - you are driving on subsidized infrastructure.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is open to debate (and this isn't a political forum so I'm not going to go there), but we need to compare apples to apples. Greyhound couldn't generate a profit if it had to build the highways they run on or airlines wouldn't be in business if they had to build airports. But that's the standard people hold Amtrak to.

You'd never understand that, though, listening to a lot of pundits on TV. (If you want a good, informative read, try Anthony Pearl's New Departures: Rethinking passenger rail policy for the 21st century).

So how do you think passenger miles per $billion spent works out? How about economic impact per $billion spent? Yeah, me too. Other than the eastern seaboard corridor, tell me where Amtrak even comes close to covering their costs.

 

[Bonte]

Amtrak eTickets can currently be purchased within the app for 4 routes, with the entire Amtrak system rolling out the ticketing scheme during 2012.

And 30% for Apple with every eTicket?

 

[adrianweller]

There's an app for that!

Wake up in the morning to the alarm on your:
iPhone.
Check your email on your:
iPhone.
Book train tickets online with your:
iPhone.
Drive to the train station using Tom Tom on your:
iPhone.
Play a game while you're waiting on your:
iPhone.
Conductor checks your ticket, which is on your:
iPhone.
WITH AN:
IPHONE!!
Anyone get what I'm saying here?
This stuff is freakin' astounding.
It cannot be overstated (although I sure have a good go at it) how huge the impact of the iPhone/iPad is. I guess really I should say iOS devices.
I think though that the most astounding thing is that it is really just the beginning.