Amtrak to Use iPhones to Verify Train Tickets

Comment (1)Numerous companies have incorporated Apple's popular iPhone and iPad into their everyday services. Amtrak joins the list - the government-owned passenger railroad company.

Amtrak announced yesterday that the company's 1700 conductors will be using the iPhone as a ticket scanner.

The conductor's iPhone will be equipped with a case, which will include an extra battery, a bar-code scanner and will come pre-installed with a special app to scan tickets.

The iPhones will scan barcodes on physical tickets to verify their validity; they will also be able to scan digital barcodes from smartphones.

The New York Times reports the following regarding the new system:

By late summer, 1,700 conductors will be using the devices on Amtrak trains across the country, the company said.

With the new system, passengers will be able to print tickets or load a special bar code on their smartphone screens for conductors to scan, and conductors will be able to keep track of passengers on board, Amtrak said.

Matt Hardison, chief of sales and distribution at Amtrak, has voiced in with his opinion:

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