Amtrak ticketing to be integrated into iPhone Passbook?

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jamesontheroad

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Yesterday, Apple Inc. gave a preview of their forthcoming iOS 6 operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPods. In it, they referred to a new app called Passbook that will store boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, etc. in one place. In the demonstration images, you'll notice that Amtrak has a tab (along with Starbucks, United Airlines etc).

Details are here: http://www.apple.com/ios/ios6/#passbook

Screenshot:
passbook_gallery_overview_1.jpg


The app will be able to update you on delays to flights (and presumably trains) and will be location based to prompt air travellers if (for instance) they're waiting in the wrong terminal at an airport.

Any thoughts?
 
It was nice to see Amtrak getting the shout-out there. Good marketing for them, and a sign that at least in some ways they're keeping a strong eye on the technological future.
 
I suspect that the use of the iPhone as the on-board device for e-ticketing had some influence in Apple including Amtrak in the presentation.
 
I suspect that the use of the iPhone as the on-board device for e-ticketing had some influence in Apple including Amtrak in the presentation.
Incidentally, during my Acela weekend, all Conductors on the Acelas that I traveled on, used their iPhone devices for scanning tickets, even though of course they were all regular paper tickets.
 
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Incidentally, during my Acela weekend, all Conductors on the Acelas that I traveled on, used their iPhone devices for scanning tickets, even though of curse they were all regular paper tickets.
At this point, all (or very nearly all) conductors are supposed to be doing so.
 
Can barcodes be successfully/reliably scanned off the iPhone's display?

I know that this was the "Achilles Heel" in past attempts to do such with cell phones.
Amtrak's system uses a third-party device installed with the iPhone for scanning both the barcodes on conventional tickets and the QR codes on the new e-ticket boarding documents.
 
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Can barcodes be successfully/reliably scanned off the iPhone's display?

I know that this was the "Achilles Heel" in past attempts to do such with cell phones.
Amtrak's system uses a third-party device installed with the iPhone for scanning both the barcodes on conventional tickets and the QR codes on the new e-ticket boarding documents.
The scanning device seems to be similar to the ones used by airlines for scanning both paper and smartphone screens. So I suspect that it would work. However, not having an instrument to read from the smartphone yet, it is hard to verify this guess.
 
Can barcodes be successfully/reliably scanned off the iPhone's display?

I know that this was the "Achilles Heel" in past attempts to do such with cell phones.
It has been stated in Amtrak's documents somewhere that the plan is for the eTicketing scanner to be able to read QRS codes off of smart phone displays (and I would expect tablet computers as well). Having the Amtrak iPhone app able to display a QRS code to be read by the ticket taker iPhone scanner would be a logical step to allow entirely paperless ticketing.
 
The app will be able to update you on delays to flights (and presumably trains) and will be location based to prompt air travellers if (for instance) they're waiting in the wrong terminal at an airport.

Any thoughts?
If the app can tell you are in the wrong terminal, why not a future update for the app to alert people when they are approaching their destination to make sure they get off at the right station? Don't have to monitor where you are anymore, your phone does it for you!
 
If the app can tell you are in the wrong terminal, why not a future update for the app to alert people when they are approaching their destination to make sure they get off at the right station? Don't have to monitor where you are anymore, your phone does it for you!
There are third party apps available already for Android (so I guess for iPhone too) that can "wake you" before your destination approaches. iNap: Arrival Alert is one, there are several others, though I haven't used any so can't comment how accurate they are. So yea, it shouldn't be difficult for Amtrak to add such a feature in their native app if they desire so.
 
I being the Apple fan I am, am pleased that this passbook app will be introduced. Will make it a ton easier when I will travel with the new eTickets. While it'll come out in the fall most likely when the new iPhone comes out I think this app will make it a ton easier to find things on the ticket end.
 
Luckily I will be up for a iPhone refresh about the time the new iPhone comes out. So I am looking forward to this App and the rest of it in a new iPhone.

Actually having used the iPhone App from Continental/United to board planes using my iPhone, I think this will be a huge huge improvements, notwithstanding all the Luddites worries about how their phone will quit just before its is time to board a plane. It has never happened to me yet in over a hundred or so boardings in the last four or so years. I like the integration of the Status info too. I find the real time status info from United very useful including info about where the equipment is coming from and what the status of that flight is. Helps one guess what is in store ahead. I somehow suspect that Amtrak will not have that feature, at least not immediately, until they get a more integrated IT framework in place.

One thing I would love to see Amtrak adopt is the likes of the NJ Transit DepartureVision for all its service, available remotely on any device that is internet connected and web enabled. Now that would be cool! On the NJ part of NEC I often use NJT's DepartureVision to see how Amtrak trains are doing say at Metropark or Newark, or even New York Penn Station. Too bad they don't have a corresponding ArrivalVision too!
 
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Incidentally, during my Acela weekend, all Conductors on the Acelas that I traveled on, used their iPhone devices for scanning tickets, even though of curse they were all regular paper tickets.
At this point, all (or very nearly all) conductors are supposed to be doing so.
In my experience, most conductors on the NEC are lifting the tickets normally (save 10 rides & monthlies), and then returning to the cafe car to actually scan the rest of the tickets.
 
Did they announce when iOS 6 would be available?
Speculation has it that it will be sometime in the fall in conjunction with the expected release of the iPhone5. With Apple, you just never know anything for sure until it is announced.
They confirmed that it was "this fall" during the Keynote.

I'm pretty excited about this, and Amtrak got some good love during the keynote:

applewwdc2012liveblog3861.jpg
 
The new Passbook app sounds cool, but on a related note, there will, unfortunately, be no transit component in IOS6's new maps program. According to Seattle Transit Blog,

Apple announced iOS 6 today, which replaces the built-in Google Maps with Apple’s own mapping solution. While the upgrade will include such niceties as turn-by-turn directions and 3D city flyovers (cool!), transit directions will be conspicuously absent from the new operating system, due this fall.

For many people (myself included), transit directions are a key feature of Google Maps. Perhaps Apple decided that building up a competitor to Google Transit wasn’t worth the effort. It’s also possible that the suburban-centric culture in Cupertino didn’t see the value in the service.
 
Can barcodes be successfully/reliably scanned off the iPhone's display?

I know that this was the "Achilles Heel" in past attempts to do such with cell phones.
I suspect the iPhones they are using actually use the camera to read bar codes and not a red laser like the Quicktrak and other bar code scanners. That way it can be read off of screens.
 
I suspect the iPhones they are using actually use the camera to read bar codes and not a red laser like the Quicktrak and other bar code scanners. That way it can be read off of screens.

Lasers can read bar codes off phone screens just fine, as I can tell you from successfully using a code on my iPhone screen to board airplanes. (Jis mentioned the same, earlier in this thread.)
 
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