JUST THE TICKET
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A survey of machines on the British market
ONE of the features of bus operation in Britain in the past 10 years or so has been the preoccupation with farecollection methods — much of it inspired by the wholesale switch to Almex Ticket Machine Co Ltd, Stenmar Works, Station Rd, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6ED.
ALMEX has a comprehensive selection of bus ticket machines ranging from the simple model F for issuing preprinted tickets up to the sophisticated A/0 model, designed for speedy self-service use. Their model F has a capacity for 250 double or 500 single length tickets and up to eight wheels print the required data, such as date etc, on one line.
The ticket is dispensed by pressing a lever on the front of the machine. Extra machines may be added to one another, for different fare values, up to a total of six.
Almex claim that their model one-man operation. Slow ticket issuing especially on o-m-o buses, can lead to service delays, bad tempers and lost revenue.
In this feature we take a look at the A is the world's best-selling portable machine. It has thumb-operated keys to select fare, stage and so on, which are then printed on individual tickets from a blank roll. Each ticket is also printed with the company's name, while printing, dispensing and zeroing of the keys is carried out in one operation by depressing a single lever. It is possible to have rolls of 300 or 1000 tickets and an audit strip for up to 1500 entries is included.
Available in either manual or electric form, the model E was designed for o-m-o buses to speed up boarding time. Despite this the manual version ranges of ticket issuing machines available ; the summary has been compiled from data supplied by those manufacturers who replied to our request for information.
is portable and so can be used for all types of operation. With a ticket capacity of 750, using blank paper rolls, it has a minimum of controls: one lever to set the fare, then either a push button or a lever to issue the ticket, depending on whether electric or manual is specified.
Top of Almex's range, the model A/0 is fully automatic, incorporating a built-in model E to print and issue the tickets with push-button controls and coin slot on the top. A remotecontrol unit for the driver to alter any of the variable data without leaving his seat, can be used in conjunction with this model. Almex machines are used by a number of British and Continental operators, including London Transport, the National Bus Company and the Greater Manchester Public Transport Executive.