Some machines have been starting to appear on platforms across the rail network.
They are HOP ticket machines and will be used to top up HOP cards as well as issue paper tickets and this is what each of the various parts of it are for.
My understanding is that there will be at least one machine per platform which means that at stations with side platforms there will be two although I have heard that not all machines will have all of the features like Eftpos. What this means is that at some stations like my local one, almost no one that gets on and heads further west so it shouldn’t be a big deal if it doesn’t have the Eftpos facilities.
I guess the biggest concern with these is that they are going to damaged pretty quickly by idiots so I hope there is a plan to keep them maintained to a high level, and I especially hope that the touch screen has some tough glass on it. As for when they will come into use, that is still the great unknown but I am hearing rumours that it could be as soon as the middle of August.
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Mid August would be great. However given all the missed deadlines I will only believe it the day they start working.
While keen for the system to go live, why do these machines look so darn ugly? The tag on/off posts at the ferry terminal look terrible too!
I would rather they function than look good! Train stations aren’t places for art.
Yes because we all know that if something is well designed then it’ll never work. No company ever became the the most successful one in the world by bothering with design quality…. oh wait
We should have things that look good and function well. It is a similar argument to how the new EMUs should look aesthetically pleasing on the exterior. It is essential we don’t have ugly objects that stick out like a sore thumb amongst all the upgraded train stations which have had a lot of money, time and effort invested in them.
There are plenty of examples around the world where train stations are just that – places for art. Look at the Stockholm metro for instance. But as Patrick points out for something to work well it needs to be designed well – I never really understand why people think the two aren’t intertwined. We had devices that played mp3s before iPods came along, it was the fact that Apple combined a well designed, elegant interface and shell to this function that made that device the success it is today.
But in any case these units look pretty much like the same chunky devices you see in metros all over the world so it’s clearly an off the shelf product that Thales is deploying here.
“I guess the biggest concern with these is that they are going to damaged pretty quickly by idiots so I hope there is a plan to keep them maintained to a high level”
These look to be the same machines as are used for the Manchester Metrolink (Thales was the contractor there too). There didn’t seem to be too much of a problem except for scratching the screen (but they still fully functional). So I think they are fairly robustly designed.
I’d say their likely to be fitted with decals all over to look a bit more flash.
These machines will get damaged very, very quickly as unlike England where this design originates, there is not a rail culture here in NZ and thus unless a blue box cover with a lockable roller door on the front, is put on them, they are toast basically.
I find it hard to believe that the design of these things originates in the UK. I’ve used plenty of automatic ticket/Oyster card machines in the UK and while they’re certainly not exactly elegant I can’t recall any of them coming close to this in the ugly stakes; maybe it’s just the paint job? All in all though I guess its consistent with AT’s defective design profile.
I wasnt going to mention it but now that you have raised the issue of the machine’s design Christopher, ergonomically, both the ticket dispensing tray and the change dispensing tray are too low down. Not good for grey power types to pick up their ticket / collect their change nor are they that easy for people in wheelchairs to use as you have reach down the side of the chair to get at those slots. The slots need to be raised another 10-15 centimeters to be ergonomically manageable.
The ticket output should actually not be in the form of a tray but be a slot with a flashing light above it, immediately below the cash note slot. This is the case in Japan / Korea and is a very useful part of the ticket machines there, as single or multiple tickets are half held in the slot by the machine, to prevent them being blown away by wind or if the tickets are not retrieved within x number of seconds, they are automatically drawn back inside the machine, where I believe they are then subsequently redispensed as new tickets.
I agree Rob. in Japan everything is at a height which for the average person is easy to get their ticket and change. This is designed like a coke vending machine where you have to bend down to get your ticket and change. As Rob said, the little bowl in Japan really makes it easy to get those coins without scrambling! It also facilitates faster transactions if the ticket comes out at a slot right in front of you rather than everyone having to bend down. That ticket outlet tray is indeed too low and in the wrong place. I wish I had brought up this point at the CBT meeting with Thales reps last year. I was really hoping we would get the same ticket machine design as in Japan.
This model is almost identical to the Manchester Metrolink machines.
Actually I am wrong – I misremembered the Metrolink ones. They are similar, I think.
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/4/5896241-Ticket_Machine_Manchester.jpg
There are definitely haters on this site today! Monday fever maybe??
I think they will look slightly different once we have HOP stickers plastered all over them, and although we do have vandalism here, it’s not as bad as many other city, as long as they are maintained it’ll be good, and I have to say Auckland City has become much better at maintaining our assets recently.
I’m just happy that we are seeing progress, hopefully a sign we will be using them soon!
The operation of these and a proper ticketing system which you don’t need to carry cash can’t come soon enough. If they are operational in August, hopefully some positive pressure will apply to the rest of the ticketing ecosystem – a certain bus company with the lion’s share of services comes to mind right now.
It’s a transit ticket machine, not a Disneyland box office. Of course it’s going to be basic looking.
Remember this stuff is going in on a budget in a country where central government’s spending priorities lie very much elsewhere. I’m just glad they’re (finally!) turning up, basic boxy ticket machines are better than none at all.
Also the tag posts look as good as the city’s parking meters, what’s the problem?
For a comparison, pictures of Melbourne’s new Myki ticket machines without graphics just after they were installed (the one on the right, next to an old Metcard machine), and with the decals once they were in use. I do wonder why they went for a painted finish rather than stainless, that’s just asking to be etched.
these are just museum pieces! Bloody old kit from Thales who still thinks world is in 1980.
I note that the cash note slot and its surround on the new AKL ticket machines, is removable, thus a cash slot and a ticket dispensing slot just below it, could be put into each machine as part of the ongoing maintenance contract. The left hand ticket tray would thus then be used solely for dispensing purchase receipts.
This is a Vancouver Skytrain ticket machine,
hmm beginning to see a trend here…
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Skytrain_ticket_machine.jpg
How much better that stainless looks…..
This is a real nit pick, but I wonder why (on all machines it seems) they can put the note and coin slots next to each other. It’s a bit confusing to have the notes under the screen over by the transit card reader on the ‘ticket’ side of the machine, but the coins up above the eftpos card reader on the ‘payment’ side of the machine.
In Japan / Korea, the note and coin insertion slots are side by side at chest height and the notes, coins and ticket dispensers, just below them at waist height. The coin dispenser is particularly nifty as its shaped like a small protruding scoop so you can get your hand in to collect all your coin change in one movement.
Got the running bets at work already:
Which ticket machine will get nicked first?
Ranui or Te Mahia/Takanini
Absolute great confidence when that betting ring as already started 😛
However, boxy, blue and simple – sounds fine to me. Maybe they could do art-deco ones at Britomart 😀
Boxy, blue and simple is fine with me too. Agree with Ben that one or more of them will be damaged or stolen pretty soon. Either a protective structure will have to be put in place or hourly patrolling of stations after hours instituted, to prevent this.
I wish that the ergonomic issues of having the ticket and coin trays so low down on the box had been fully assessed / considered before the machine went into manufacture. Older people and those with injuries will have trouble bending down to get their tickets and change, the way the machine is designed now. I did suggest earlier that if the machine’s note slot insert can be swapped out for a note slot and ticket dispensing slot at some point in the future, that would fix that particular ergonomic issue. However, thinking through things further, simply putting the entire box in its current form, on a concrete pad to raise it up another 30 centimeters would fix both the ticket dispensing and coin change dispensing height problems.
From my experience these things are built like masonry water closets and very fimly bolted in place so I don’t think they’ll get stolen. Tagged, scratched and maybe smashed screens, but not stolen.
I inquired once about the height of the screen on the Myki modules linked above, as you can see they are very low (compare the touch screen height to the payphone on the wall just on the edge of the photo). The response was they had to be designed to comply with the reach envelopes of wheelchair bound users… and everyone else gets to bend down. I did start on about the intersect of the design envelopes of wheelchair users and 95th percentile standing adults etc, but the poor lass at the info booth could only say they had to be design for wheelchair users.
So raising them on a concrete plinth is probably off the cards in Auckland for similar reasons.
Some people need to seriously toughen up! God help us if some people need to bend down a few more centimeters to get their tickets! We’ve become such a cotton wool wrapped society sheesh. How do these people cope when theyget a coke from the coke machine etc? Rant over.
I have to squat to use a Myki machine in Melbourne. No “cotton wool” safety or comfort issue for me but it’s a little bit silly looking. My Dad on the other hand isn’t so flexible and would find it difficult to bend down and use a screen and cards and stuff. Heaven help my dear grandfather if he every tried, I fear he’d never get back up. If that counts as wrapping in cotton wool then yes I do want my elderly grandfather wrapped!
And I think you’ll find that vending machine design pays a heap of attention to detail to user ergonomics, because if people find it awkward or uncomfortable to use the’ll be less likely to come back for another purchase. You’ll notice that the latest generation of Coke machines have done away with the product flap right down at the bottom and now dispense the drink bottles upright at about waist height.
They dont look that low from what I can tell in the photo, defininately not low enough that you would have to squat or crouch for most people.
Wow, some people just can’t be pleased! I actually quite like the look of these machines. The public won’t give a fat rats what they look like, functionality is the most important thing anyway. The blue n white is consistent with Auckland train stations’ color scheme. Surprisingly in Sydney you rarely see them vandalized which is probably because theyre surrounded by cameras and are very heavy n sturdy like the Auckland ones. Believe me, vandalism is far worse here.
Well I do hope a camera is trained onto the ticket machine areas in AKL stations like it is in Sydney. Glad to hear the machines are bolted strongly enough to the platform to prevent theft. I do feel though, the unnecessary tagging, scratching and screen damage that will no doubt occur after-hours, can be easily prevented by properly covering the machine with a lockable roller door.
Given that rail ticket machines in many other countries outside Australia / NZ, have the ticket dispensing tray 10-20 centimeters further up the machine, that does tell you that the design of the machines there, have been well thought through – to accommodate users of varying height and mobility. Its a pity thus, that Australia and NZ continue to ignore such practical, functional standards.
This must be a very silly question because no one has commented on it, but why wouldn’t you put it in the station?
It is in the station as it sits on the platform next to the shelter, people who need to top up their HOP card or buy a paper ticket will go to the platform as normal then use the machine to do so.
If you meant to say why would you put it in the station then that is quite a different answer. Only two stations at this stage will have fare gates installed, Britomart and Newmarket, and the thinking behind that is the majority of passengers will be using those two stations so they will have to pass through the fare gates at one point in their journey. Manukau, New Lynn and the new Panmure station have apparently been designed to also allow for fare gates in the future but there is unlikely to be a need any time soon for much more than that.
The obvious thing from this picture is that the branding is missing.
Not sure, but maybe that’s being put on later on?
You say that like it’s a bad thing, Cameron. 🙂
I wonder how many of these machines they were will put at Britomart and Newmarket? Britomart especially, should have several. One thing I HATE is waiting in a long queue to buy a ticket when you’re train is almost ready to depart. It’s usually the worst on mondays. This will probably make more people buy weekly tickets/passes in Auckland which is probably a good thing.
They should have a couple by the main ticket office area, maybe one in the underground subway area (under Queen street), and one on the opposite side where the Westpac building is (anyone know if the part will be gated too?). Could someone do me a huge favour and comment on the britomart setup when it’s done 🙂 as I only get back about once a year nowdays.
I think I heard recently on this blog (maybe in one of Matt L’s posts?) that the ticket office area in Britomart is going to be redeveloped. I certainly hope that as with other larger stations overseas there will be several ticket machines, not just two or three. Thankfully, we will be able to go to the machines direct to get tickets/top ups etc. I was faced with the unfathomable situation in Delhi during the CWG that there were still massive queues despite having ticket gates and a metro system because you still had to go to a ticket window and get a token to put into the ticket gate!
Also hopefully there will be at least 3 or 4 ticket machines at the western entrance in Britomart as well.
Ideally we won’t have much ticketing at all, get most people onto the proper HOP and take care of all payment online.
No matter online capacity you’ll probably find that most people will top up using station based machines because, oddly enough – and I base this observation on my Oyster experience, it’s more convenient and actually a lot faster, due primarily to online security requirements versus a four number PIN.
I was at a CBT committee meeting sometime late last year where the Thales project staff gave a rundown of the project and answered various questions. i believe Matt L was there too from memory. One of the questions asked was about vandalism and the Thales staff advised the unit was at that time undergoing a number of different tests (I think they said they even had a guy with a sledgehammer trying to do his best!) to evaluate the unit’s ability to withstand punishment. They were pretty confident it would come through with flying colours!
Any reason why that yellow phone post is in the middle of the pedestrian tactile pavement markers?