Improving Card Tap Compliance

Incomplete journeys (where passengers forget or are otherwise unable to touch their card on a ticket validator at beginning or end of journey) are an issue for passengers and operators alike, leading to passenger frustration, revenue loss and additional administration costs for the operator. This project addresses this issue by taking a human-centred approach in designing and implementing an innovative reminder system which will prompt individual passengers who are identified being at risk of having missed a tap. Improved passenger experience will be an immediate benefit of this system, however, indirect benefits such as increased uptake of smart ticketing and capacity improvements are also foreseen. Having gained an understanding of the reasons behind incomplete journeys, the project will design and test user interface concepts and then deploy and test the most compelling candidates into a live station for an extended pilot. We will gather feedback throughout the pilot duration and work in an agile way to improve the concept in a quick but controlled fashion. Combining cutting edge vision based tracking technologies with existing validator systems and novel feedback mechanisms the project outcomes will be applicable in a much wider scope, in particular around innovation in gateline technology and future ticket detection systems.