FACT OR FICTION
JUST THE TICKET
Technology is changing the way people pay for goods and services, and businesses are having to adapt. What does that mean for ARL and our Ticket Vending Machines? Mark Cooper, retail systems strategy and compliance manager, sorts the fact from the fiction
About 600,000 people use our retail systems every day
FACT: We have around 17m Oyster and contactless taps on gates and validators in every rail period, and while contactless is now the most popular way to pay – reducing the number of people making purchases at stations – we still complete around 440,000 transactions through our TVMs and ticket offices each period too!
Our systems are unreliable
FICTION: While we certainly have faults and issues to deal with, all of our retail systems are running at 99 per cent availability or above, on average, and in this financial year we’ve had no complaints in the Overground fares and retailing category so far!
Oyster is going to be withdrawn
FICTION: At present there are no plans to move away from Oyster. While contactless is now the most common way for customers to pay, the Oyster system works for tourists who cannot use contactless. It sits behind Zip cards and Freedom passes, and it remains the best option for enough Londoners that we don’t expect the blue cards to disappear any time soon!
Our TVMs are going to be removed
FACT: Or partly fact at least! The Worldline TVMs are approaching the end of their design life and will be removed over the next 18 months. We’re working on designing a new machine alongside our colleagues at the Elizabeth line to make sure we have the capacity we need as this happens.
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