Bid Farewell to the Click-Clack - The Demise of Punch Cards in Transport: Westfalentarif Halts the Hustle
Public Transport Association in North Rhine-Westphalia Initiates Equipment Removal - Designers' Demise - Farewell to the NRW Transport Association
Buckle up, folks! Say goodbye to that familiar click-clack sound in buses and trams as Westfalentarif, one of the four transport associations in North Rhine-Westphalia, waves goodbye to these antiquated punch devices. But that's not all, this de-clutching trend is popping up everywhere.
From August 1st, Westfalentarif will stop offering tickets that require punching before travel. Come November 1st, those punches in buses, trains, and stations will be silenced and gradually dismantled. Still, till then, passengers can use tickets with a 'punching field'. Post that, they'll be as useful as a one-legged stool on a boat.
VRR's cashless dream still a work in progress
VRR, the largest transport association in NRW, hasn't fully switched off the punch yet, but their overarching strategy focuses on cashless payment solutions, still not specifically penciled down or planned. That means, for now, you can still buy and punch paper tickets in VRR.
The long-term vision involves cashless payment integration across all VRR vehicles. The mini-transformation nostalgia will gracefully end at all transport companies by 2027's beginning, making ticket sales vehicle-bound cashless only.
In countries with existing paperless ticket systems, payments can be made via debit/credit cards or mobile payment methods like Google Pay or Apple Pay. No worries about checks either.
Rhein-Sieg stays staunch with stamps
The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS) is sticking with the stamps for now, a spokesperson said. The future tactic is under discussion, considering the upcoming tariff reform between VRS and Aachener Verkehrsverbund AVV. The reform is scheduled for next year.
Ah, the Aachener Verkehrsverbund AVV! They, too, are heading toward the punch-free promised land. In the Städteregion Aachen, the bus company Aseag no longer dishes out unpunched tickets and refrains from installing punches in new vehicles. But the old punches in the Aachen bus company's vehicles will stay.
In AVV's jurisdiction, WestVerkehr in the district of Heinsberg and Rurtalbus in the district of Düren still offer unpunched tickets. The Zweckverband go.Rheinland also still provides punches at the train stations.
Westfalentarif: Money saved, clarity gained
The Verkehrsverbund Westfalentarif will only offer tickets with validity from the moment of purchase or a fixed start date/time from August onwards. For the occasional traveler, multiple options exist for bus and train travel with the Smartphone Tarif eezy.nrw, the TagesTicket24, and the single ticket without a punching field. Tickets can be procured at ticket machines, customer centers, in buses/trains, online, and via app.
Westfalentarif hopes to reap savings due to the elimination of validators' complex upkeep. Transparency for passengers will increase as well, clearing up the murky "tariff jungle". During the transition phase to neighboring transport associations, validators will remain at train stations. The multi-journey ticket and the single ticket with the so-called validator field will be nixed in many places, except in Bocholt, Unna, and Paderborn, a report suggested.
The transition to cashless payment solutions is prevailing not only in transport sectors but also in other industries, such as the community's vocational training programs. Financing and managing these programs could significantly benefit from digitalized payment systems, streamlining the payment process and reducing operational costs.
As the demand for skilled labor continues to rise, the transportation sector's commitment to abandoning punch cards will open up opportunities for vocational training institutions to provide students with hands-on experience in the latest technological advancements, allowing them to be better prepared for an evolving job market.
