Surprisingly, a definition of ‘ticket’ is missing

I recently stumbled upon something that both surprised and alarmed me as an AFC expert (okay, maybe “alarmed” is a bit strong, but it definitely raised my eyebrows).

Shockingly, it’s difficult or even impossible to find a clear definition of a ticket for public transit in the legislation of many developed and developing countries.

In the absence of a unified definition, it’s no wonder that vendors, developers, and transit companies can’t agree on a common understanding. It might sound absurd, but some people are even suggesting the complete elimination of tickets (I’ll likely explain why this is a disastrous idea in a future post).

The confusion is evident even among transit agencies, as their definitions of tickets (in passenger rules, for example) often sound like alternative payment methods. For instance, “A ticket shall mean any type of fare media issued for the payment of a fare.”

It’s as if public transportation operates as a separate entity within a nation, with its own unique currency known as the “ticket.” Talk about a transit conspiracy!