New ticket barriers have now been installed at Wightlink’s Fastcat terminals in Ryde and Portsmouth – with hopes that they will be up and running next week. Wightlink has invested half a million pounds in the technology to make foot passenger journeys easier and provide a direct link to rail ticketing systems. The gates will be able to recognise rail tickets with barcodes or QR codes, as well as Wightlink paper tickets, passes and online tickets on smartphones. The barriers – or ticket gates – are not yet operational so members of staff are still manually scanning passengers’ tickets. Even when the system is up and running, customers using rail tickets with magnetic strips, as well as adults travelling with children, will need their tickets to be scanned manually by port staff. Once operational, the barriers will act the same as boarding a mainline train on the mainland. Keith Greenfield, Wightlink’s Chief Executive, says:
“We are always looking at how to improve how our customers travel through our ports and these gates will make it easier for people with a combined rail and FastCat e-ticket.”
So how does that work for us older generation that want to turn up, pay and go?
They are making it difficult for the elderly.
It won’t, the deep state is insidiously trying to cancel you out.
Respectfully, may I ask you how you define the older generation please?
Only: smart phones are 20 years old.
QR codes were invented in the 90’s.
Most households have owned a PC since the early 2000’s.
Keeping the above in mind; Unless you are in your 80’s/90’s there is really no excuse for not being able to understand/ adapt to the technology involved.
Well you turn up, pay and then go…? If it’s really that confusing maybe need to stay home.
Seem to manage to comment on regular island echo posts just fine, add it to the list of pointless things to complain about. Or go outside and learn about how the world works 🙂
o joy, more technical kit to go wrong
These are actually covert drug detectors, to stop islanders flooding the mainland with smack
still need a member of staff to let those through with tickets having a magnetic strip. so no cost saving there
Pretty sure they’ve already confirmed it will accept through tickets from trains etc?
They work until your booking isn’t recognised.
Cheaper Ferry Fares would have been more welcome.
Bring back the old days.
A person in an office and purchase your ticket using CASH
This is all about Control, they will know everyones total movements
Welcome to C H I N A
im on young but even i hate paying on my smart phone, not everything works on smartphone you’re NEVER garanteed wifi another way to stop people from gaining access to the mainland
You don’t need wifi or even data to use your card on your phone…
Just another excuse to cancel the ferry “sorry ticket gates are down”
I’m sure there will be staff shortages, so the gates won’t be manned, so ferries will be cancelled.
no it won’t – it will take exactly the same amount of time to pass through the barrier, as it does currently when a staff member bleeps the ticket – this is about cutting staff, nothing more, nothing less.
£500:000 for 4 barriers?
Sure about this?
Good old wightlink always looking for ways to make our lives easier!
Looking at their location, it seems that you will no longer be able to use the WCs or purchase a coffee/snack when you disembark at Portsmouth as they are located on the other side of the barriers!., who’s smart decision was that?
Just waiting for cancellations due to ticket machines not working⁸