Fare Machines Changes

I recently used a fare machine to purchase tickets and noticed an unpleasant change:

When using a credit card, they now require your zip code.

However, what could have been only a minor inconvenience became many times more annoying when the following was revealed: You can't use the physical number layout to enter the code, you have to use the touch screen.

Naturally, everybody goes to the physical number layout, enters their number, and then has to do it again on the screen, thus making a slow process even slower.

But wait, it gets worse!

The numbers are oriented in the oddest manner. 1-5 on the left, 6-0 on the right, with massive spacing. This isn't standard anywhere. Why on earth do this? Who thought this was normal?

Naturally, the machine I used had a defective touch screen, so pushing 0 gave me a 4, and pushing 9 gave me a 5 and so on, meaning I wanted to clear the entry and try my luck again....

BUT WAIT THERES MORE.

At the bottom of the screen, on the left it says clear, on the right it says cancel. So after typing the number wrong, I pushed cancel to clear it, as I had just tried 0 and it didn't work and the button was right below it.

And the machine IMMEDIATELY goes to "touch screen to start". Ive never seen one of these fare machines be so responsive! They usually chug along, but with lightning speed it booted me out. Not to the previous payment screen, not to the ticket type screen, but all the way back to zero!

And yes, clear deletes the entire number, not just the last one typed.

I'm sorry but what on earth were they thinking with this atrocious design?

If it's any consolation, I bet the zip code requirement came from the credit card company. I've used different credit cards at the same gas station and sometimes they don't ask me for zip code. Either the attendant sometimes remembers me or different credit card companies have different security requirements.
Ironically, I'm on hold now on hold waiting for my credit card's tech support on virtual account numbers. These formerly nifty things were randomly generated credit card numbers good for a few hours or days for only 1 online merchant at a time. A while ago though they added a feature that required me to have them phone me an identification code to enter online before they'd generate the virtual account number. The menu had
Call me at xxx-1234
call me at xxx-5678
Text me at xxx-0000
1234 are my phone's last 4 characters, 5678 . I'm guessing 0000 is a placeholder. The phone messages are at least a minute long, beginning of course with the world famous "mark el dos ... blah blah, make sure you enter this number... here's the number you need to enter ... Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch ... xxxxxxx x goodbye".
Now this wonderful piece of security theater means that nobody can hack my account and get these restricted use virtual account numbers. On the other hand any waiter or convenience store clerk in the galaxy who's ever had my card can use my REAL credit card info online with absolutely no further security measures stopping them.

Sorry for the lengthy rant, but I have nothing better to do while on hold. By the way, tech support got back to me. They say they've added text messages, but now the screen offers only a phone call to my now defunct landline "I do apologize, changes take 15 business days".
I'm dying but I can't take the time to right "aaaarghhhh". Thank goodness I wasn't trying to do this 30 seconds before train time at an ATM in bright sunlight.

While we're at it, has anybody ever had any luck with the ticket machine remembering anything that seems like the prompt "insert and quickly remove your credit card to retrieve preferences"? That kind of hints to me that the system should offer to let you repeat your last few transactions, but I've never seen any ticket machine do so. Maybe I don't use them often enough, something like once every 6 months, but I think there was at least one time recently when I bought tickets twice in one week, got that same "retrieve preferences" message, but got no indication that it remembered my last purchase.

trollyFoamer wrote:If it's any consolation, I bet the zip code requirement came from the credit card company. I've used different credit cards at the same gas station and sometimes they don't ask me for zip code. Either the attendant sometimes remembers me or different credit card companies have different security requirements.

While we're at it, has anybody ever had any luck with the ticket machine remembering anything that seems like the prompt "insert and quickly remove your credit card to retrieve preferences"? That kind of hints to me that the system should offer to let you repeat your last few transactions, but I've never seen any ticket machine do so. Maybe I don't use them often enough, something like once every 6 months, but I think there was at least one time recently when I bought tickets twice in one week, got that same "retrieve preferences" message, but got no indication that it remembered my last purchase.

Im sure the requirement was forced by the credit card company, but the implementation could not have been any worse. It almost seems like theyre intentionally crippling the machines so people use the MyTix app.

I use the machines frequently with the same card and have never seen the text you are describing.

Sounds like they've done the same thing that the MTA does with their TVMs as far as requiring a zip code. I haven't had the pleasure of dealing with this on NJ Transit yet but the MTA ones seem to work pretty well.

As far as the "retrieve preferences" option, I can confirm that this does indeed work, but the amount of time they store your last transaction is short, definitely not six months.

jamesinclair wrote:but the implementation could not have been any worse. It almost seems like theyre intentionally crippling the machines so people use the MyTix app.

I use the machines frequently with the same card and have never seen the text you are describing.

I suspect this is like most computer interface programming in that little thought is given to the user interface. Typically the details of the user interface are left out of the specification and are made up on the spot by the programmer implementing it.

I noticed it too, i prefer it . Its the same on the mta. I just wish they would fix the receipt option. The option to cancel and receipt are so close. Its impossible to do on the screen. It should be on the order screen to decline a receipt.

Steampowered wrote:I noticed it too, i prefer it . Its the same on the mta. I just wish they would fix the receipt option. The option to cancel and receipt are so close. Its impossible to do on the screen. It should be on the order screen to decline a receipt.

I have no problem using the zip code, but I seriously wish they would let us do it on the keypad. Typing it on the screen is a pest.

The numbers are oriented to line up with the buttons on the side of the screen (the ones no one ever notices, let alone uses). It might have to do with the ADA.

jamesinclair wrote:I recently used a fare machine to purchase tickets and noticed an unpleasant change:

When using a credit card, they now require your zip code.

However, what could have been only a minor inconvenience became many times more annoying when the following was revealed: You can't use the physical number layout to enter the code, you have to use the touch screen.

Naturally, everybody goes to the physical number layout, enters their number, and then has to do it again on the screen, thus making a slow process even slower.

But wait, it gets worse!

The numbers are oriented in the oddest manner. 1-5 on the left, 6-0 on the right, with massive spacing. This isn't standard anywhere. Why on earth do this? Who thought this was normal?

Naturally, the machine I used had a defective touch screen, so pushing 0 gave me a 4, and pushing 9 gave me a 5 and so on, meaning I wanted to clear the entry and try my luck again....

BUT WAIT THERES MORE.

At the bottom of the screen, on the left it says clear, on the right it says cancel. So after typing the number wrong, I pushed cancel to clear it, as I had just tried 0 and it didn't work and the button was right below it.
T in The
And the machine IMMEDIATELY goes to "touch screen to start". Ive never seen one of these fare machines be so responsive! They usually chug along, but with lightning speed it booted me out. Not to the previous payment screen, not to the ticket type screen, but all the way back to zero!

And yes, clear deletes the entire number, not just the last one typed.hteen hteen
hine use
I'm sorry but what on earth were they thinking with this atrocious design?

what's the number and location of the machine with the defective screen? I'll call it in, even though the thread is eighteen days old.
Transit has been loosing money on fraudulent machine use, and had to twist the arms of the credit card companies to get this zip code verification installed.

How much time will this add on to the purchasing of tickets, I have to wonder...

TrainPhotos wrote:How much time will this add on to the purchasing of tickets, I have to wonder...

30 seconds

morris&essex4ever wrote:

TrainPhotos wrote:How much time will this add on to the purchasing of tickets, I have to wonder...

30 seconds

I have purchased tickets all most as the train was pulling in many times. I guess I'm not doing that anymore...

morris&essex4ever wrote:

TrainPhotos wrote:How much time will this add on to the purchasing of tickets, I have to wonder...

30 seconds

That's being overly generous. It MIGHT take 15 seconds. I did it in 5 seconds today. it's 5 characters and enter how hard can that be.

TrainPhotos wrote:

morris&essex4ever wrote:

TrainPhotos wrote:How much time will this add on to the purchasing of tickets, I have to wonder...

30 seconds

I have purchased tickets all most as the train was pulling in many times. I guess I'm not doing that anymore...

Buy them on your phone on the train if need be.

ericr wrote:The numbers are oriented to line up with the buttons on the side of the screen (the ones no one ever notices, let alone uses). It might have to do with the ADA.

I tried this out this weekend. Youre right, those weird buttons do work for the zip codes and such. That is useful if the touch screen is defective.

However, I still want to use the kaypad.

philipmartin wrote: what's the number and location of the machine with the defective screen? I'll call it in, even though the thread is eighteen days old.
Transit has been loosing money on fraudulent machine use, and had to twist the arms of the credit card companies to get this zip code verification installed.

I would hope its been fixed by now. It was New Brunswick, street level.

That is unpleasant -- would be better if they provided a better on-screen layout like MTA does. Additionally, there are some machines (I think mostly bus) that helpfully ask you like three times if you want a receipt, even if you pick no on that main screen.