On-board vehicle, off-board sale

The fares collection system may enable travel documents purchased off board [either at the stop or remotely] to be validated on-board the vehicle. The place and time of validation on board is dependent upon the validation system characteristics. Apart from ticket issuing machine and off-vehicle or on-vehicle validators, there are a range of simple processes used to validate tickets, including:

    •    hole punches [where a small hole is punched into the paper/card  ticket; this hole may have a specific shape, allowing for a limited number of different punches for different applications]
    •    hole pattern punching [where a number of holes are punched into the paper/card  ticket in a grid pattern; the setting of the pins in the punch can be varied in many ways so as to be unique to a specific vehicle]
    •    stamping devices [usually with unique number or code to identify the stamp source, which is stamped on to the ticket/card]
    •    date or time printing devices [which record the data on to the ticket/card]

The validation process should leave evidence for control purposes, and so be designed to avoid fraudulent use or the re-use of a previously validated ticket. Clearly, the more complex the validation equipment, the more effective it is in that regard. However such equipment requires regular maintenance, and the replenishment of consumables such as ink.
Moreover there may still be a need for operating discipline, as regular travelers may gather a set of pre-validated tickets unless the validation is changed routinely. It is common practice in the sector for the same vehicles to be allocated to the same route on a regular basis, and therefore passengers may only need a limited number of tickets to cover the identification of the vehicle being used for that trip unless these are regularly changed.

For stored-value ticket products, validator equipment can be mounted in a vehicle and used in the same manner as at stations. However the speed of processing, and equipment needs, give smart-cards a distinct advantage over magnetic-stripe tickets.