Ascom EasyTicket

The Ascom EasyTicket is a railway ticket issuing system used in Britain, consisting of a series of self-service (passenger-operated) machines at railway stations. Having been introduced in 2003 on a trial basis by several Train Operating Companies (TOCs) at various stations, the system did not spread into common usage, and most machines have since been removed.

Ascom EasyTicket
System information
Full nameAscom EasyTicket TIS9000
Machine typeSelf-service machine
Type of ticket stockContinuous roll
ManufacturerAscom Transport Revenue
History
First introducedMarch 2003
Machine number range1001-1016
5001-5003
Window number rangeUpwards from 61
Machines in use7
Locations/Areas/Train Operating Companies
Current usersGatwick Express
Former usersSouthern
South West Trains
Central Trains
Arriva Trains Wales
Chiltern Railways
First Capital Connect

Company details

Ascom AG was created in 1987 through a merger between three major telecommunications companies in Switzerland, although its origins can ultimately be traced back to the establishment of the Swiss Federal Telegraph Workshops in 1852.[1] The Autelca AG division, which had been acquired in 1963 by one of Ascom AG's constituent companies, was involved in the manufacture of ticket vending machines (TVMs); it provided British Rail with the B8050 self-service machine, hundreds of which were installed at stations across Britain from 1989 onwards.

The EasyTicket system was developed while the Transport Revenue division, as it was then known, was still under Ascom's ownership; but as part of an attempt to focus on the telecommunications sector, the division was sold in August 2005 to Affiliated Computer Services, Inc for 130 million Swiss Francs.[2]

Origins

The company's first attempt to move on from the successful B8050 machine was the B8070, a small evolutionary upgrade initially developed and delivered in 1999. In the meantime, however, a more significant, revolutionary design solution was being sought: Ascom realised that the late-1980s B8050 technology was no longer suitable for the modern railway environment, given the increasing use of credit and other payment cards, the anticipated adoption of the Chip and PIN secure-payments system, new disability regulations and the effects privatisation had on fragmenting and expanding the fare structure on Britain's railways.

The EasyTicket system (official code number TIS9000)[3] was developed with these considerations in mind, and features:

  • Two different machine heights, with one having a specially lowered screen, coin/card slots and ticket dispenser suitable for wheelchair users
  • Touch-screen technology with a series of sub-menus
  • Instructions in six different languages, selectable at the start of the transaction process
  • Cash-and-card and card-only models

Installation programme

Machines began to be installed on a trial basis in March 2003, with a single machine (low-height, cash-and-card version) at Gatwick Airport station. More followed, as shown: (Train Operating Company names are those current at the time of installation)

Train Operating Company Location Machine Number Type Date Outcome of trial
Gatwick Express Gatwick Airport 1001 Cash and card March 2003 Still in situ; see below
South West Trains Haslemere 1008 Cash and card April 2003 Removed January 2004
South West Trains Wokingham 5001 Card only April 2003 Replaced by Shere FASTticket machine
Chiltern Railways London Marylebone 1012 Cash and card June 2003 Replaced by Shere FASTticket machine
South Central Trains East Croydon 1009 Cash and card August 2003 Replaced by Shere FASTticket machine
Central Trains Loughborough (Leics.) 1013 Cash and card August 2003 Replaced by Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress machine
South Central Trains Haywards Heath 5002 Card only September 2003 Replaced by Shere FASTticket machine
Thameslink King's Cross Thameslink 1010 Cash and card November 2003 Replaced by Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress machine
Thameslink Elstree & Borehamwood 1011 Cash and card December 2003 Replaced by Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress machine
South Central Trains East Croydon 5003 Card only 2004 Replaced by Shere FASTticket machine
Arriva Trains Wales Bridgend 1016 Cash and card May 2005 Replaced by Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress machine

Following the trial at Gatwick Airport, Gatwick Express, the Train Operating Company responsible for providing ticketing facilities at Gatwick Airport and London Victoria, elected to install an additional five at the former and one at the latter. There were previously six Ascom B8050 machines at Gatwick Airport, so this turned out to be a like-for-like replacement. The machine at London Victoria is close to the Gatwick Express ticket office windows on the dedicated Express platforms; there were two B8050 machines there until around 1991.

References
  1. "Ascom Equity Note - Brokerage Research document (see page 8)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2007.
  2. "ACS Investor Relations: ACS to Acquire Ascom's Transport Revenue Division; Expands Transit, Parking, and Toll Solutions in Government Services Market". Archived from the original on 31 July 2012.
  3. "Ascom launches new-generation TVMs - Fare Collection (International Railway Journal, Feb 2004)". International Railway Journal. 2004.
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