New DART ticket-reading machines - 2-way?!

ixoy

A few DART stations now appear to be running the new ticket-reading machines, including the one I use in Blackrock. For those of you who haven't seen them, it reads your ticket now as you exit as well as you enter, which is fair enough to stop ticket dodgers..

What I don't understand is them making each machine two-way. This resulted yesterday in a number of people (myself included) being unable to use a machine to get onto the platform because all four machines were being used by people exiting. People missed their train and there were a number of PO'ed people at this new system.
Surely it's a simple matter to program them to have 2 for exiting, 2 for entering, in much the same way as it is in every other single country where I've seen a check for exiting. What they have is ridiculous and incredibly inefficient at rush hour. Well done CIE *slow clap*

monkey tennis

ixoy wrote:

What I don't understand is them making each machine two-way. This resulted yesterday in a number of people (myself included) being unable to use a machine to get onto the platform because all four machines were being used by people exiting.

Pretty dumb alright. Any other country I've been to that uses this kind of system has machines that can be set either to in or out (not both at the same time).

loyatemu

monkey tennis wrote:

Pretty dumb alright. Any other country I've been to that uses this kind of system has machines that can be set either to in or out (not both at the same time).

the Dart machines can be setup this way too and generally are (with green arrows and red X's to indicate which way they're operating). Don't know why the ones in blackrock would be setup differently

godtabh

Thing could've just broken down that day.

Are these going in all of the new dart station?

John R

ixoy wrote:

Surely it's a simple matter to program them to have 2 for exiting, 2 for entering, in much the same way as it is in every other single country where I've seen a check for exiting. What they have is ridiculous and incredibly inefficient at rush hour. Well done CIE *slow clap*

Agreed, even with low numbers using you would have two people trying to use the same gate at the same time.

I was at Blackrock last week and the barriers were not yet operational, I can only assume they have started using them and have not yet realised the stupidity of having them 2-way. There are a lot of thick people around.

You should have tried to correct them, maybe it would have sped up the learning process.

dowlingm

In Toronto it's a combo - some in, some out, some in/out.

SF1

Never again am I getting off in Clontarf station. They got the new machines in Duran the summer. I had paid for a ticket at the other station but for some crazy reason I crumpled it up into my pocket. So when I got off the train & went into the station I got me ticket put it into the machine. It threw it back at me. So after about ten shots of straightening it out I had enough so I squeezed up beside the machine. I'd swear that the station worked was look at me on the cctv.
Then yesterday I saw them putting the evil b@st@rds into Tara Street:mad: :mad: :mad: .
Dart you have lost another customer.

loyatemu

or maybe you could just not crumple up your ticket?

John R

SF1 wrote:

Never again am I getting off in Clontarf station. They got the new machines in Duran the summer. I had paid for a ticket at the other station but for some crazy reason I crumpled it up into my pocket. So when I got off the train & went into the station I got me ticket put it into the machine. It threw it back at me. So after about ten shots of straightening it out I had enough so I squeezed up beside the machine. I'd swear that the station worked was look at me on the cctv.
Then yesterday I saw them putting the evil b@st@rds into Tara Street:mad: :mad: :mad: .
Dart you have lost another customer.

Imagine, the cheek of them expecting you to keep a ticket in readable condition for a whole ten minutes. :rolleyes:

What is it with the moaners here? For every reasonable complaint like the OP's issue there are a half-dozen childish rants.

monument

Why exactly isn’t the Dart using a barrier free system?

dead air

SF1 wrote:

Never again am I getting off in Clontarf station. They got the new machines in Duran the summer. I had paid for a ticket at the other station but for some crazy reason I crumpled it up into my pocket. So when I got off the train & went into the station I got me ticket put it into the machine. It threw it back at me. So after about ten shots of straightening it out I had enough so I squeezed up beside the machine. I'd swear that the station worked was look at me on the cctv.
Then yesterday I saw them putting the evil b@st@rds into Tara Street:mad: :mad: :mad: .
Dart you have lost another customer.

Entered Clontarf Road station a while ago using the new machines. When I reached the platform I had just missed a DART and noticed that there wasn't another for 25 mins. So I decided to leave the station and walk down to get a bus instead, only the ticket machine wouldn't let me leave because my ticket had just being validated :mad:

ixoy

I well believe these machines could be set one-way judging by the directional lights on the exterior, but they still haven't been. Fortunately I've managed to avoid the deadlock leaving but I noticed that this morning people enterting, to go to work, had to contend with people exiting. The CIE employees really just stood by and watched.

dead air wrote:

Entered Clontarf Road station a while ago using the new machines. When I reached the platform I had just missed a DART and noticed that there wasn't another for 25 mins. So I decided to leave the station and walk down to get a bus instead, only the ticket machine wouldn't let me leave because my ticket had just being validated :mad:

Another interesting problem but one I suspect may occur elsewhere where they have automated checks. Was there noone around to help you out?

OTK

monument wrote:

Why exactly isn’t the Dart using a barrier free system?

because they tried that on the luas and it didn't work.

monument

?

John R

monument wrote:

Why exactly isn’t the Dart using a barrier free system?

Because the rail network relies on fare revenue to pay for it's running.

Barrier free access means lots of people fare evading.

And yes, there is a huge amount of fare evasion on Luas. The RPA have the figures, they had an independent survey carried out.

dead air

ixoy wrote:

...Another interesting problem but one I suspect may occur elsewhere where they have automated checks. Was there noone around to help you out?

Unfortunately not, luckily enough though another passenger kindly let me run through when he used his ticket from the other side.

monument

John R wrote:

Because the rail network relies on fare revenue to pay for it's running.

Barrier free access means lots of people fare evading.

That’s a bit simplistic TBH.


The minority of fare evaders should not have such a negative impact on the majority of public transport users.

The elderly and disabled people are of course the main people it affects, but the inconvenience it causes to other passengers also has to be taken into account. It’s just another thing that makes public transport that bit more unattractive.

As the RPA are pushing ahead with the same system for Metro, I don’t think your example of Luas stands up to scrutiny. But if there is a problem with the set up used for Luas it should be fixed.

There are examples of barrier-free systems worldwide, here’s a good one…

No barriers, few fare evaders - Los Angeles Metro Blue Line
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n11_v193/ai_12907567

This is also interesting…
"The benefits that would accrue from a lower fare evasion rate would be exceeded significantly by the cost of obtaining this lower rate. Analysis showed that the least expensive alternative would cost the MTA $18.54 for each potential fare dollar recovered over a 10-year period."
http://pubsindex.trb.org/document/view/default.asp?lbid=671525