In Defence of Physical Tickets
"TICKETS, PLEASE!" (not "phones, please")
Tickets issued in physical form do not cost a lot to produce, but they may take longer to process and handle (batching). From a security perspective, they're typically better (hard to forge 'at scale'). Losing them is as likely to happen as a loss of one's digital device and a ticket - unlike a device - does not need batteries to work, it does not crash, and it can be kept for purposes like claiming refund/reimbursement. Tickets have historically been printed out and strictly used in this form because that technology was available; going "paperless" - like in many other contexts - has nothing to do with the environment. Tickets, once printed, do not consume energy, whereas a "modern" phone (or tablet) requires charging every day or several times per day. Producing those gadgets requires extraction/mining as well as smog-producing power generation.
Tickets one can possess to hold in one's hand or inside a wallet can in many ways be considered a "step forward" - not back - in terms of technology. We see people denied access to transport for all sorts of reasons connected with their digital devices rather than human/social factors. Tickets in the "traditional" sense (not codes one can "scan") are a lot more robust. Similarly, and for related reasons, it is foolish to keep important phone numbers only on some device rather than on a piece of paper (or both). Device uncertainty/anxiety - a situation where the battery is low and no "power bank" is available - can result in catastrophes. At one point we saw someone waking up passengers nearby simply because she could not activate the charging socket at the back of a seat. Tickets are not some "app" and not some "code" on some "screen". Tickets are old and reliable "technology" which made no assumptions about the integrity of thousands of devices. If one such device having a fault (or low battery) can cause delays for thousands of people, maybe we need to adopt another approach altogether. Much of the same can be said about cash. There are bars and restaurants where they can barely handle cash payments anymore (they hardly know how to). Is it not OK to order a pint without giving away who you are? █