Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 03:15 19 Mar 2024
- Potholes leave nations' roads at 'breaking point'
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 tomorrow - WWRUG AGM
23/03/24 - Trains restart - Minehead
02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber

No 'On This Day' events reported for 19th Mar

Train RunningDelayed
02:24 Reading to London Paddington
PollsOpen and recent polls
Open to 25/03 16:00 Easter Escape - to where?
Closed 2024-03-16 Should our rail network go cashless
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 19, 2024, 03:28:15 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[99] Where would you recommend for an Easter Escape?
[99] More travels ... more looking at how others do it ...
[95] M25 motorway issue: a most illuminating Twitter thread.
[80] Briefing on forthcoming changes - from GWR on 14.3.2024
[51] Europeran Rail Timetable
[51] Improvements at three Berkshire stations
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: smart cards for Bristol area  (Read 1755 times)
infoman
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1278


View Profile
« on: August 15, 2022, 16:59:50 »

https://news.gwr.com/news/gwr-to-launch-new-pay-as-you-go-smartcard-for-wider-bristol-area
Logged
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4451


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2022, 18:05:34 »

Why does it stop at Chippenham?
Logged
Bmblbzzz
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4256


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2022, 18:56:46 »

Is this using the same smartcard readers that have been at stations, with no discernible purpose, for several years?
Logged

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
stuving
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7148


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2022, 20:10:14 »

Is this using the same Touch smartcards that have been around for several years?

GWR (Great Western Railway) have left this bafflingly unclear. I suspect it is the same object, just linked to a payment card and enabled for this Bristol scheme. But there are no words or links (at least not yet) about the Bristol scheme on the Smart ticketing pages, though the specific GWR pay-as-you-go pages is a daughter page of the Touch smartcard page.

The launch page does say:
Quote
Train tickets and season tickets can also be stored on your smartcard with pay-as-you-go, except a Flexi Season ticket. GWR advises that a Flexi Season ticket is not used in combination with pay-as-you-go and customers should obtain a separate smartcard for these products.

That implies it's the same card - so why not say so directly? I guess the issue with Flexi-seasons is the back office can't tell if you wanted to use it that day or not.
Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12330


View Profile Email
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2022, 20:25:51 »

Errr….it refers to

Quote
The GWR (Great Western Railway) touch smartcard will be available to use across the west of England area

Twice on that page….
Logged
stuving
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7148


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2022, 23:41:01 »

Errr….it refers to

Quote
The GWR (Great Western Railway) touch smartcard will be available to use across the west of England area

Twice on that page….

But it was introduced in the heading - and several other times - as "the new pay-as-you-go GWR touch smartcard". Saying it's "available to use across the west of England area" is still rather vague until you know what it can be used for. It's implying a common function with the old GWR touch smartcards, which is what I think needs to be spelled out.

It says the new card can hold other rail tickets, which sounds like it can do anything an old card can.

The instructions for getting one suggest that for Bristol PAYG (Pay as you go) it has to be a new card, an old one won't do it.
Quote
Get ready and pre-order your free GWR smartcard now
Coming soon in late August 2022, get your GWR touch smartcard now and we’ll let you know when you can start enjoying pay-as-you-go travel with GWR.
  • register for an account or login if you already have one
  • go to ‘Manage smartcards’ within your account and choose ‘Apply for a smartcard’ from the drop-down menu
  • fill out the form and submit your order
  • you should usually receive your free smartcard within five working days

So are there two distinct cards? Or is this "new card" really a new feature of the existing cards?
Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12330


View Profile Email
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2022, 10:21:56 »

That very much sounds to me that they have upgraded the chip in the Touch card to store a pre-pay method. So a new card is required to enable usage of that function. If you only want to store tickets, there isn’t a need to order afresh as that is what old cards already do.
Logged
stuving
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7148


View Profile
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2022, 10:44:08 »

That very much sounds to me that they have upgraded the chip in the Touch card to store a pre-pay method. So a new card is required to enable usage of that function. If you only want to store tickets, there isn’t a need to order afresh as that is what old cards already do.

Exactly. My point was that, for someone who holds an existing GWR (Great Western Railway) touch smartcard, they have suggested that it won't work for this new feature so a new one is needed. But then again, maybe not, as the new cards can do what the old ones can.

So why not just say which it is? It would naturally form part of the "how to sign up" section: "If you have an existing GWR touch smartcard, it can/cannot be upgraded for the Bristol pay-as-you-go service."

I do sometimes get the impression that training in customer relations (or whatever the taught subject is called) is a bit light on "does it make sense from all your different customers' viewpoints".
Logged
plymothian
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 822


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2022, 13:07:53 »

PAYG (Pay as you go) will work with existing cards.

You just need to apply to have the ABT (Account Based Ticketing) product loaded on to your card.
Logged

Please be aware that only the first 4 words of this post will be platformed on this message board.
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12330


View Profile Email
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2022, 13:41:44 »

And how is that done without returning it to have the chip updated? That may be exactly why it would be easier simply to reissue the card?
Logged
Phantom
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 483



View Profile
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2022, 14:27:35 »

Followed the link and description given, no page showing tabs mentioned

Tweeted GWRhelp as per their help page..... no reply
Oh well
Logged
plymothian
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 822


View Profile
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2022, 18:48:17 »

And how is that done without returning it to have the chip updated? That may be exactly why it would be easier simply to reissue the card?

Smartcards don't work like that, there is no 'chip' as such, they simply store up to 5 products at a time, one of which will be an ABT product potentially alongside a season ticket, flexi season and a walk up ticket.

The ABT ticket captures the touchs in and out, which is then processed back office at the end of the day and a debit request sent to your payment card.  ABT does not store payment directly, it acts as a middleman.

To add the ABT product to an exist smartcard is the same as loading any other ticket.
Logged

Please be aware that only the first 4 words of this post will be platformed on this message board.
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12330


View Profile Email
« Reply #12 on: August 16, 2022, 18:54:23 »

Which is by touching in at a ticket barrier.

How do you send the ABT to the ticket barrier? Ordering it online? That means some form of update within your account to effect that? Surely its far simpler to order a card with it pre-loaded?
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page