I used OOB (Austrian Rail) to purchase the following itinerary: Zurich airport to Salzburg; Salzburg to Munich; Munich to Innsbruck and Innsbruck to Zurich airport. I paid by credit card for the transportation and seat reservations for all segments. I read that I could print paper boarding passes or send them to my cell phone (I had downloaded the OBB app).
The problem. Three out of four times when I handed my phone to a conductor checking tickets he acted like I were handing him a grenade. On the first journey a group of passengers whose German was better than mine formed a committee and convinced the conductor that this was a valid ticket. The same thing happened on the next segment. My seatmate explained it to the conductor after much discussion. The third segment was in first class (I splurged) and this time no amount of explaining in any language would help. I was required to purchase a new ticket or get off at the next station. I caved. Once in Innsbruck I visited the OBB office in the station and they said, "Too bad, nothing we can do". On the last segment our conductor was a young guy and he took the cell phone ticket in stride and was very polite with everyone.
I have to say that outside of the cell phone ticket problem all of my travel in second class and in first was very comfortable and enjoyable. I have been using cell phone boarding documents on airplanes all over the world for many years. It is very convenient. I have learned my lesson. OBB must be in the learning stages. I guess they are offering something and many employees are not familiar with it. Much like the advent of paperless (electronic tickets) introduced by the airlines decades ago.
My advice to me and others: choose to print your ticket. It is safer. They are used to it.
Posted by
Chicago
8165 posts
Agreed. Thanks for sharing this.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
Well, I would be sending an email to OBB stating those facts and requesting a refund of either the cost of the online purchase or the onboard purchase ( ask for the greater of the two) All they can do is say no. This assumes you have backup (credit card charges or receipt from the train)
Thanks for the heads-up. I always print out rail tickets, but this will remind me for the next trip.
Posted by
Washington DC
28078 posts
I must say that you are a lot more philosophical about this than I would be!
I felt like a luddite for having bought Spanish bus tickets out of machines when, all around me, youngsters were just showing the driver their cell phones. I don't feel so old-fashioned now. (But no one in Spain seemed to be having a problem.)
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
I am glad that I use a ticket out of a machine or one printed from home or one bought from a ticket counter, or I buy the ticket on Westbahn when not using a Pass instead one on a phone. The conductor never has any problems or doubts in checking my ticket.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32351 posts
jerry,
Thanks for posting this as it may save others from the same fate. I always prefer to have a hard copy of rail tickets, either bought online or from a Kiosk. I've found when using a smartphone for airline tickets, "Murphy's Law" sometimes occurs and I can't retrieve them.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
Last October I traveled three times on Austrian Rail with mobile tickets. Each time the conductor accepted them without any issues. It was all very routine. I also had mobile pass/tickets for the Vienna transit and the airport express train; again no issues with the inspectors.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
We found OBB only accepted tickets printed on paper, too. Luckily, we had them. Good warning to others and maybe you could see about having this info included in the RS books.
Posted by
Green Bay
21152 posts
If Oebb is crowing about their new mobile ticketing, I think they got some 'splainin to do.
http://www.oebb.at/en/angebote-ermaessigungen/oebb-app
The Chicago Cubs went to 100% mobile ticketing now, which is kind a freaking this dinosaur out. They seemed to have disappeared off my phone once the season started, but now as we are getting closer to game day, I see they have reappeared. Seems to be a solution to the problem of scammers printing out multiple copies of print-at-home tickets and selling them to unsuspecting rubes.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Till not totally trusting the digital age so for Europe I always have a paper copy. In the US have finally gone to no paper. But still worry a little that the battery or something else fails. At least you had a decent attitude about it. Some posters here would have declared it a scam aimed at American tourists making them buy extra tickets. (Did the airlines really introduce electronic tickets decades ago? I am behind.)
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
When e-tickets are introduced for something, I see hesitation and uncertainty on both sides (the ticket holders and the people who have to scan them). Gradually, it goes from being unknown and exotic to being routine. I see that OeBB is still in the early stages.
I saw this progression on Amtrak, since I take it every few months. When they first started the system where you could have your ticket on your phone, it was an adjustment for the staff. Now, it seems paper ticket holders are in the minority. And even I, who was leery for the reasons stated above (will they accept it on my phone? what if my phone dies?) use the Amtrak app for my ticket, and I no longer print out the backup copy as I did just a year ago.
I did feel really weird using my phone as my boarding pass last year (going from Atlanta to San Antonio, and San Antonio to New York), but I'm sure I'll get used to it going forward.
A tip for using tickets stored on phones and tablets: turn your gadget up to brightest setting, as it makes it easier for the scanner to read.
I agree that you should try to get a refund, particularly since, in the link Sam gave, they are bragging about how great e-ticketing works!
Posted by
Central Valley, California
293 posts
.....and you can probably get your credit card company to reimburse you too.