WHAT WE DID
The success of any system is reliant on its users acting in accordance with its design assumptions. Hence, our work was guided by the conviction that a comprehensive understanding of current passenger behaviour provides crucial input into the design of the next generation of ticket gatelines. We undertook an observations study to identify factors that inhibit or promote fast and efficient passenger flow through current ticket gates. The aim of this study was to analyse passenger behaviour both from a quantitative and a qualitative point of view. We recorded video footage of multiple gate lines at two different rail stations: London Victoria and Gatwick Airport. The observed gatelines at the two stations cover a wide range of different passenger, train and ticket types, thus working with a wide representative sample of rail passenger behaviour. Our analysis was partly guided by observations made on site visits to both stations. We supplemented our observations with gateline transaction data recorded by the ticket gates, in order to complement behavioural observation with quantitative evidence.
We also drew on our expertise in crowd movement and human behaviour to advise partners in the development of design concepts. Furthermore, we used pedestrian simulation modelling to assess the wider station impact of possible design changes.
RESULTS
We captured a set of both behavioural and operational findings, revolving around aspects such as queuing behaviour, passenger flow, passenger-staff interaction, and differences between ticket types. Our data analysis uncovered various factors impacting the successful and efficient use of ticket gates. We also provided quantitative benchmarks for current throughput rates at different gate types.
How facial recognition could replace train tickets, view the video from the BBC website here: http://bit.ly/Facial_recognition