{{Short description|Vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets}} {{more footnotes|date=April 2014}} [[File:Bahnautomat.jpg|thumb|Pushbutton and touch screen Deutsche Bahn ticket machines in Hinterzarten, Germany]] [[File:Pénztárak a Nyugatiban.jpg|thumb|In addition to ticket machines, most larger railway stations also feature staffed ticket counters. Pictured: Ticket counters at the Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary]] A '''ticket machine''', also known as a '''ticket vending machine (TVM)''', is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations, transit tickets at metro stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams. '''Token machines''' may dispense the ticket in the form of a token which has the same function as a paper or electronic ticket. The typical transaction consists of a user using the display interface to select the type and quantity of tickets and then choosing a payment method of either cash, credit/debit card or smartcard. The ticket(s) are then printed on paper and dispensed to the user, or loaded onto the user's smartcard or smartphone.
==Ticket and fare formats== For most of the twentieth century, ticket machines issued paper tickets, or tokens worth one fare each.Modern ticketing kiosk machines have expanded this capability by incorporating digital payment and instant ticket issuances for maritime logistics, streamlining the transition from traditional systems.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abu Dhabi Ports self-service kiosk project - Abu Dhabi, UAE |url=https://panashi.ae/abudhabi-ports-self-service-kiosk-project.html |access-date=2026-03-13 |website=panashi.ae}}</ref> Later, fare value was loaded onto stored-value cards (first paper, later smart cards). Passengers could load any amount within a range; it did not necessarily have to correspond to any particular single fare. The cards could be reloaded until their expiration date, again with any monetary amount within a given range.
To encourage usage of ticket machines and reduce the need for salespersons, machine prices may in some cases be lower than those at a ticket counter.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}
==Timeline== *'''1904''': first self-service ticket machines on the Central London Railway, now part of London Underground<ref>[http://www.metadyne.co.uk/pdf_files/AFC4.pdf M. A. C. Home, ''Automatic Fare Collection on the London Underground and London Buses'', Chapter 3]</ref> * '''1954''': Toronto Subway opens and has tokens in machines from day one<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blogto.com/city/2012/12/a_brief_history_of_ttc_tokens/|title=A brief history of TTC tokens}}</ref> *'''1977''': San Diego–based airline PSA introduces vending machines for airline tickets<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S-_BCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48 | title=US Airways| isbn=9781439650028| last1=Lehman| first1=William| date=2013-02-04| publisher=Arcadia}}</ref>
== Staff-operated machines == [[File:BEST-Electronic-Ticketing-Machine-2.JPG|200px|thumb|A handheld ticket machine used in BEST buses in Mumbai]] Mechanical ticket machines were used by bus drivers and conductors since the late 1920s. Their functions may include printing tickets, recording of sales and payments. Some manufacturers are MicroFx, Almex, Setright, AEG, CAMP (Compagnie d'Ateliers Mecaniques de Precision), Gibson GFI Genfare, Parkeon, Xerox, Beckson and Corvia (Ticketer).
Since the 1970s (jobs), electronic computer terminals and printers are used.
Handheld ticket machines are used on buses in India to sell tickets, validate smart cards and renew passes.<ref name="BESTmachine">{{cite news|title=BEST tickets will be issued electronically |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/BEST-tickets-will-be-issued-electronically/articleshow/7035812.cms |first=Somit |last=Sen |date=4 December 2010 |work=Times of India |location=Mumbai |access-date=May 10, 2015}}</ref> These machines replaced the earlier manual fare collection system where tickets were often punched to indicate journey and fare stages.<ref name="collectiblecolour">{{cite news|title=The coloured bus ticket is now a collectible! |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/the-coloured-bus-ticket-is-now-a-collectible/article2322514.ece |first=Priya |last=Sheth |date=4 August 2011 |work=The Hindu |location=Mumbai |access-date=May 10, 2015}}</ref>
==Enforcement== In many countries where trains and urban transport tickets operate largely on the honor system (with enforcement by roving inspectors or conductors), there are also machines in stations (or in vehicles) for validating tickets. This is for the situation in which one buys a ticket in advance and decides to use it later. Usually, the ticket is time-stamped to determine its validity period. A common problem is forgetting to validate, and then being fined as if one had no ticket(s). Such machines are generally not used in the United States. Nearly all American mass transit networks operating on the honor system expect their users to buy tickets immediately before use; regular riders can avoid that inconvenience by buying period passes in advance (often from the same machines that sell daily or one-time tickets). Recently, however, commuter rail systems like Metrolink have adopted the use of validators for at least some tickets.
==Issues==
Ticket machines that are out of service or accept 'exact change only' result in losses for transport providers.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}
==Applications== Ticket machines are also often used for amusement parks, cinemas (in those cases sometimes called ticketing kiosks), car parking (see pay and display), as well as those that issue free tickets—for example, those for virtual queueing.
Japan uses ticket machines in restaurants, cafes and other establishments. Customers select an item on the machine, insert money into the machine then receive a voucher that can be exchanged for their order, unlike a vending machine where the customer would receive their item. Some ticket machines are standalone machines while other versions of the machine are located at the counter.<ref name="LJ">{{cite web|title=[Vending machine powerhouse Japan! ] How to use a ticket machine that foreigners do not know|url=https://livejapan.com/ja/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-asakusa/article-a0001973/|language=en}}</ref>
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Opal card Top up machine at Engadine train station.jpg|Opal card ticket and top-up machine in Sydney, Australia File:Presto card at Oriole Station (20181011172332).jpg|A ticket and Presto card top-up machine at a suburban train station in Toronto File:Automat biletowy2.jpg|Ticket machine in Otwock, Poland File:14-08-12-helsinki-RalfR-N3S 0439-069.jpg|A VR ticket machine at the Helsinki Central Station in Helsinki, Finland File:WuKaiShaStation-TicketMachines.png|Ticket machines in Wu Kai Sha station of Hong Kong's MTR File:MetroNorthRRTicketMachine11172007.JPG|Machine for Metro-North Railroad, a metropolitan New York City commuter rail system, United States. File:Jordanhill station ticket machine.jpg|A ticket machine at the Jordanhill railway station in Scotland File:Transport Ticket Machine in Olomouc.jpg|Ticket Machine in Olomouc, Czech Republic File:Trenitalia self service ticket machine.jpg|Trenitalia's ticket Machine at the Acqui Terme railway station </gallery>
== See also == * List of tram and light-rail transit systems * Self service * Ticketing kiosk
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Ticket machines}} * {{citation |chapter-url=https://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/ticket-machines.html | chapter = Ticket and change machines |title = Railway Wonders of the World | year=1936 |pages = 471–474 | editor-first=Clarence |editor-last=Winchester }} Illustrated description of these machines on the London Underground * {{citation|title=Financial Self Service Kiosk Solutions and Online Banking Services|url=http://www.kiosksinc.com/kiosk-solutions/financial-kiosks|access-date=February 20, 2014|year=2014|publisher=Electronic Kiosks|archive-date=July 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724063933/http://www.kiosksinc.com/kiosk-solutions/financial-kiosks|url-status=dead}} - Financial services Kiosk
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Category:Tickets Category:Vending machines Category:Street furniture Category:Self-service