Smart card readers at Stourbridge Town

[Ossie]

There's a couple of smart card readers installed at Stourbridge Town station - they seem to be operational but are they used at all, and if so, what for?  There's invariably a ticket check by the second man on the Parry People Mover .......

I'm not aware of any other similar readers installed at stations elsewhere - unless you know differently, of course!  ;D

[Tony]

There's a couple of smart card readers installed at Stourbridge Town station - they seem to be operational but are they used at all, and if so, what for?  There's invariably a ticket check by the second man on the Parry People Mover .......

I'm not aware of any other similar readers installed at stations elsewhere - unless you know differently, of course!  ;D

They are on all stations between Worcester and Leamington/Stratford for a smart card being trialled by London Midland on that route.

One of the most noticable is at Jewellery Quarter between the NR platform and the Metro platform

[Stu]

I noticed one at Langley Green station last time I was there.

[Roy]

The system is known as The Key.  It is currently being trialled by some season ticket holders between Worcester and Birmingham via Stourbridge.  Once it is bedded in on that line, it will be extended first to the Snow Hill to Dorridge/Stratford services, and then rolled out across the entire London Midland network and extended to other types of ticket.   

[Roy]

Sorry.  I forgot to add a link that gives more information
http://www.londonmidland.com/smart-card/

[Ossie]

Ah, cheers, guys!  And thanks for the link, Roy.

I've done a number of trips between Birmingham and Stourbridge recently, and you can't miss the yellow readers at Stourbridge Town as they're "pole mounted" but I see they are (presumably) incorporated in the automatic ticket gates at Snow Hill, so that's why I haven't noticed them there!

Thinking about it, yes, I recall seeing them on the platforms when changing trains at Droitwich, which makes sense now.

[D10]

Presumably this will eventually all fit in with the readers on the buses too and one Smartcard will cover all modes of Public Transport, at least within the West Mids County.

[Ossie]

Bring it on, D10!

And that's coming from someone who couldn't exit Five Ways station last year because his Centro concessionary smartcard doesn't operate automatic gates, and there wasn't anyone on hand to open them manually ......  ;D ;D ;D

Cue loud shouting until I managed to attract someone's attention in the ticket office!  ;D

[Tomjusttom]

Somehow, my Cardiff Bus Iff card works on the readers but my Bluestar Key doesn't!