Research Analysis Design Development

Case Study: Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) Application

By RADD Solutions Limited

Overview

RADD Solutions Limited developed the Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) Application for a major Train Operator in the UK. The application was designed to monitor the operational status and availability of ticket vending machines at railway stations throughout the UK. The primary goal was to combat fare evasion by combatting “machine out of order" excuses used by fare dodgers with immediately available real-time information.

Problem Statement

The deployment and usage of ticket vending machines (TVMs) across the UK railway network have seen significant developments in recent years. These machines are an integral part of the railway infrastructure, helping to streamline the process of ticket purchasing for passengers. TVMs are a popular choice among passengers for buying tickets, with about a third of all passengers using them for their ticket purchases (Office of Rail and Road). Northern Rail has significantly expanded its network of TVMs, installing 621 new machines across 420 locations. This £17 million investment has modernised the ticket purchasing process, particularly at unstaffed stations (Northern News). As of recent reports, only about 12% of all rail tickets are now sold through ticket offices. This represents a sharp decline from the mid-1990s when more than 80% of tickets were sold at ticket offices (Rail Advent).

Before the TVM Application's implementation, there was not a mobile solution for railway staff to monitor the large network of ticket vending machines on the client’s network, and certainly not to identify the operational status of ticket machines in a particular station. Fare evasion, where the offender would cite out-of-service ticket machines as their reason for not purchasing tickets, was a significant issue. London Northwest Railway reported that ticketless travel and fare evasion cost taxpayers around £240 million annually (London Northwestern Railway). The need for a reliable and efficient system to oversee machine functionality and report issues in real-time was clear.

Solution Implementation

RADD Solutions delivered the TVM Application, a highly integrated tool designed to continuously monitor the status of ticket vending machines across various stations. The application communicates with the ticket machine vendor’s (FlowBird) diagnostic information and presents this information as traffic lights at the appropriate station.

Challenges Overcome

While this solution had not been implemented before, and certainly not for the purposes of Revenue Protection, the project was relatively straight forward after access to FlowBird’s centralised data had been agreed.

Business Benefits

Implementing the TVM Application has reduced fare evasion by ensuring that railway staff can immediately counter excuses involving unavailable ticket vending machines. This prevents the offender from requiring customer services or revenue protection resource to resolve the evasion and allows the matter to be dealt with immediately and efficiently.

Future Developments

We envisage enhancing the tool to display the status of other ticketing devices and integrating with other ticketing device vendors in the future.

Conclusion

The TVM Application ensures machines can be monitored when needed, and therefore the application has played a crucial role in reducing fare evasion and enhancing the efficiency of railway operations.

Application Screenshots

Figure 1 Main Home Landing Page