Posted 23 December 2023

Train ticket machine

The train ticket machine at our station is difficult to operate as often it won't recognise that you have pressed a button to make a selection and so you have to press it a few times before it will accept the instruction.

My husband struggles with it even more as it doesn't recognise his finger on the screen. Anyone used a stylus or something similar for these machines before and can recommend something that we can buy?
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  1. RoosterNo1's avatar
    In the days of hand sanitizer.... These things are covered in the bodily fluids of a million people, and a zillion viruii and bacteria..... Yuk
    Deedie's avatar
    Just like all those door handles that some inconsiderate person has put everywhere!
  2. KodaBear's avatar
    Any capacitive stylus should do the trick, but I don't imagine it will help much. If the touchscreen itself has gone bad then the stylus will only make it about as difficult as it is with your own fingers.

    Unfortunately it's a common thing, especially on outdoor touchscreens. Train ticket machines, car park ticket machines, electric car chargers, touchscreen ATMs and such. The screens start to fail and nobody makes an attempt to sort it. There's a car charger near me that's been like this for about 3 years now, and you genuinely have to force your thumb into the screen about 50 times before you get lucky and it recognises you touched it.

    In your case, I would be looking at other options like M-Tickets, E-Tickets, or buying on board if that's permitted at your station rather than trying to waste your own money buying things like a stylus which aren't likely to help much. And keep bothering the company who manage your local station until they fix it or install more machines.
    mutley1's avatar
    Author
    i think if you have dry fingers or cold fingers, these machines are more difficult to operate as they rely on heat from your fingers. My husband had to get another person at the station to help yesterday as the machine recognised their fingers better

    but yeah, the machines are in the open so they are open to the elements and when it is cold, your fingers get worse.
  3. Willy_Wonka's avatar
    Is your husband able to use apps on his phone?

    If he is then he can buy online.
  4. CourseFinder's avatar
    Trainline app, northern rail app (for me, depends where You live).
    Never use them machines on station... crappy and if U rushing, before they print a tickets out, your train is already gone...

    These days got a discount card on Trainline and always happy to buy thru them, never an issue and if train got cancelled etc livechat people are really helpful and easy refunds 😁👌
    mutley1's avatar
    Author
    if you buy online, do you not have to pick the ticket up from the station machine anyway? i did this before and you had to punch in numbers on the machine at the station to collect the ticket, then one time it didn't print the ticket when it said the ticket had been printed it was such a hassle, i stopped using it.

    that was with redspottedhanky.
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