Government-owned railroad service Amtrak is set to use Apple’s iPhone and a new app as an electronic ticket scanner.
The New York Times reported that train conductors have been training to use the tech during select routes since November. The addition allows passengers to load a specific bar code on their smartphone screens that the conductor can scan for tracking purposes. Of course, passengers can still print their tickets per usual for Amtrak’s iPhones to scan.
Amtrak said 1,700 conductors would use the iPhone on routes across the country by late summer. The iOS device will come with a case containing an extra battery and a bar-code scanner. It will also come equipped with an app for scanning and indicating special conditions, such as whether passengers are disabled— and when and where they are departing— for coordinating a wheelchair lift. The app will even enable conductors to report the train’s mechanical failures.
The iPhone app features a few perks for passengers too: It will allow passengers to change train times online, whereas the old process only allotted options for ticket refunds and subsequent repurchase at a machine or help booth.
“All aspects of the app, from the customizable font size and expanded touch areas to the task-focused architecture, makes conductors faster, happier, and more accurate. Amtrak’s conductors can view real-time schedule updates and ridership stat visualizations, as well as instant fraud validation,” Übermind further explained.
The iPhone-powered system will further help Amtrak better manager when passengers board or depart at different times—all while monitoring real-time check-ins. The previous system was slow and methodical: Tickets were punched, collected, and then sent to a location for traditional scanning and keying into a database. The lengthy process clearly presented a delay that hindered Amtrak from keeping a proper headcount.
The transition is costing Amtrak $7.5 million for software and hardware development. The corporation admitted it is also working on an Android version of the system due for a fall release.
