Transport Association in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) declares a close for design professionals - The designers' era comes to an end.

Saying Goodbye to the Old: The Farewell of Punch Cards - The First NRW Transport Association Ditches Checking Devices

• Feel the change in your pocket!*

Disposal of Equipment by Initial North Rhine-Westphalia Public Transport Operator - Transport Association in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) declares a close for design professionals - The designers' era comes to an end.

The age of manual ticket punching on buses and trams is gradually coming to a close in many places, and it's not just North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) jumping on the bandwagon. Westfalentarif, one of NRW's four transport associations, has announced a major phase-out of these antiquated stamping gizmos in public local transport. This trend is picking up steam globally too.

Westfalentarif stops selling tickets needing to be stamped before boarding from August 1st. By November 1st, the stamping validators in buses, trains, and train stations will be deactivated and subsequently removed. Until then, passengers can still use tickets with a "stamp field." After November 1st, those tickets will be invalid.

VRR Embracing the Digital Wave First

In the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR), the elimination of paper tickets and the subsequent removal of stamp validators is on the horizon but hasn't been scheduled yet, a spokesperson for the largest of NRW's transport associations clarified. So, for now, passengers can still buy and stamp paper tickets in the VRR.

It's crucial that all vehicles in the VRR can be paid for without cash at this point, and the gradual transition to cashless payment is planned to be completed at all VRR transport companies by the beginning of 2027. In the long haul, ticket sales in vehicles should occur only without cash.

In countries with existing digital ticket systems, tickets can be paid for directly with debit and credit cards, as well as mobile payment methods like Google Pay or Apple Pay. Verification of travel rights remains hassle-free during checks, the VRR spokesperson explained.

Rhein-Sieg Holds Out for Now

In the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS), paper tickets that still need to be stamped continue to be sold, a spokesperson confirmed. Plans regarding the future approach are currently under discussion as part of the upcoming tariff reform between the VRS and the Aachener Verkehrsverbund AVV, which is set to be implemented next year.

A spokesperson for the Aachener Verkehrsverbund AVV commented: "We're eventually heading in that direction." In the Städteregion Aachen, the bus company Aseag no longer offers unstamped tickets and ceases to install stamp validators on new vehicles. However, the existing stamp validators on the old buses of the Aachener bus company are not being demolished.

In the area of the Aachener Verkehrsverbund, WestVerkehr in the district of Heinsberg and also Rurtalbus in the district of Düren still offer unstamped tickets. The Zweckverband go.Rheinland also still provides stamp validators at the train stations.

Westfalentarif: Less Wear and More Clarity

After August, the Westfalentarif will only offer tickets with a duration from purchase or a fixed start date or time. For occasional travelers, options for traveling by bus and train using the Smartphone tariff eezy.nrw, the daily ticket24, and the single ticket without a stamp field are available. Tickets can be purchased at ticket machines, customer centers, in buses and trains, in the online shop of the transport companies, and via app.

The transition to cashless payment systems will save Westfalentarif maintenance costs, as the complexity of stamp validators will be eliminated. With this move, the "ticket jungle" will shrink, making it more straightforward for passengers. In the phase-out area to neighboring transport associations, stamp validators at train stations will remain. The multi-journey ticket and the single ticket with the stamp field will be abolished in many places, except in Bocholt, Unna, and Paderborn.

Sources:

[1] CNBC[2] The Local[3] Deutsche Welle[4] RBB[5] Tagesspiegel[6] German Railways

• With Westfalentarif ditching stamp validators, the trend of digital ticketing in public transport is undeniably gaining ground, potentially revolutionizing the industry's finance sector.
• This shift towards cashless payment systems and the elimination of manual vocational training (stamping) could pave the way for various transportation collaborations across different industries, enabling a smoother and more efficient travel experience for commuters.

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