MISC | Automatic Fare Collection Gates In Your City's Metro

[Suburbanist]

The word "stamping" send me shrives. It is like I read something like "the check-in attendant in Schiphol WROTE on a letterhead paper boarding pass" or "the secretary started stroking the typewriter".

You can have a system without barriers, but it can't be worth of 21st century it use a 19th century technology (ink mechanical stamps) instead of RFID cards you just touch and go - which you can have regardless of gates. Anything that is not electronic in user interface should be modernized in transit: destination displays, clocks, schedule screens, travel information screens, anything. Paper and ink must be eradicated from transit systems.

[K_]

Originally Posted by Suburbanist

The word "stamping" send me shrives. It is like I read something like "the check-in attendant in Schiphol WROTE on a letterhead paper boarding pass" or "the secretary started stroking the typewriter".

You can have a system without barriers, but it can't be worth of 21st century it use a 19th century technology (ink mechanical stamps) instead of RFID cards you just touch and go - which you can have regardless of gates. Anything that is not electronic in user interface should be modernized in transit: destination displays, clocks, schedule screens, travel information screens, anything. Paper and ink must be eradicated from transit systems.

Why?

The big advantage of the old fashioned paper and ink system is that the passenger can easily check himself that everything is OK. That is essential in a honor system, as in such a system it's the passengers' responsability to make sure he/she has the right ticket.
With RFID how can I check once I'm in the vehicle that my card has been charged correctly?

Modernety just for its own sake is pointless.

[MKA123]

Here are some pictures of the ticket gates in the Stocholm metro and commuter rail:








(the gates in the picture above are under construction)

[cjb287]

Melbourne's system. It's called "Myki"


Most stations don't have gates but standalone scanners:
image hosted on flickr

Photo by Luke Hammond

Busier stations have gates:
image hosted on flickr

Photo by avlxyz

All train stations have the vending machines but so do select tram stops and bus interchanges:

image hosted on flickr

Photo by PTUA

[MKA123]

SL in Stockholm are now working on making their gates "one-direction-only", in aim of reduce "collisions" in the gates: http://sl.se/sv/Om-SL/Nyheter/Enkelriktning-i-sparren/ (in Swedish)

[Silly_Walks]

Originally Posted by MKA123

SL in Stockholm are now working on making their gates "one-direction-only", in aim of reduce "collisions" in the gates

Haha how could they not have seen that coming?

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by Silly_Walks

Haha how could they not have seen that coming?

To be honest I think it's stupid. Actually collisions were few and far between except at the largest stations and so instigating this across the whole system was such a stupid move. Now there are stations that only receive people occasionally where you have to walk to the end of the fare gate bank to get through even when the gates aren't in use by anyone else when before you could just go to any gate.

E.g my local station has 5 fare gates (3 normal gates, 1 disabled gate and one conductor operated gate for those that need to be stamped through). Two gates are now one way, the disabled gate is still both ways and the final gate is the other direction. Needless for a station right at the end of the line 20+km from T-Centralen.

[micro]

I guess the reason to do this is to make sure people from either direction can always pass. When gates are bidirectional, it can happen that a bunch of people comes from one side (especially after a train has arrived) and all the gates are blocked for people coming the other way.

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by micro

I guess the reason to do this is to make sure people from either direction can always pass. When gates are bidirectional, it can happen that a bunch of people comes from one side (especially after a train has arrived) and all the gates are blocked for people coming the other way.

The reasoning works at large stations, but not at small stations where collisions are rare. I agree they should have done this at the inner city stations ages ago, but when it comes to suburbs, I just get annoyed having to try to get through to a gate that I can use.

[micro]

Originally Posted by Svartmetall

when it comes to suburbs, I just get annoyed having to try to get through to a gate that I can use.

I the photo they seem clearly marked...

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by micro

I the photo they seem clearly marked...

I guess you should come here and use them. It's not about marking, it's about not being able to walk up to the first gate you find and having to walk along the gate bank (across other passengers if a train has just arrived) and go through the one barrier available to you that you are allowed to use. As in Stockholm you don't have to swipe out through the barrier those leaving the station can do so quickly. Those entering have a bit more trouble. I think if you ask people here (as I am not the only one complaining about this) they'll generally find it an inconvenience rather than feeling that they've made it more efficient.

I have used other systems (such as the London Underground) where they have clearly delineated areas where one can enter and leave, however, these gate banks tend to be much larger than one sees on the tunnelbana. It works well if you have lots of gates, it doesn't work if you only have 3 and you've closed off two of them to one particular direction.

[micro]

Okay, I had London in mind...

[k.k.jetcar]

Here in Sapporo during off-peak hours the gates are bi-directional, whoever gets to the gate first has the right of way- sometimes leads to competitive races During peak periods the gates are set to be majority uni-directional, based on the predominant passenger flow.

[Minato ku]

New fare gates