Earlier this week Passenger Focus, the UK’s official rail watchdog, released their annual Spring Passenger Satisfaction Survey, and the press release focussed on some very interesting insights into the reasons why UK rail passengers shun automated ticket vending machines. At Masabi, Passenger Focus’s earlier research into ticket maching usability was a key influence in the [...]
There has to be a compelling user benefit, or significant user pain to persuade somebody to try a new technology.
There also has to be a compelling business benefit, (preferably with a year-one breakeven these days) for the service to ever get the marketing and promotion it needs.
On 28th October, the consultation period ends for the Department for Transport’s paper Developing a strategy for smart and integrated ticketing, which is effectively1 the latest round of defining the ITSO specification. ITSO was formed to build and maintain a specification for secure ‘end to end’ inter-operable ticketing transactions. Specifically they mean smartcard ticketing, although [...]