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PORTIS (Portable Operated Ticket Issuing System) and latterly SPORTIS were portable ticket issuing systems used on Rail transport in Great Britain from 1982 [1] until 2006. The system was also formerly used by Northern Ireland Railways for the issue of all tickets, including at railway station booking offices.
These machines were developed by Thorn EMI [2] with the prototype of PORTIS being introduced from 3 May 1982 in the Bristol area.
They replaced the Almex machines with Omniprinter that were used previously for on-board train ticket sales.
The PORTIS was the first British Railways ticket issuing system to use thermal roll ticket stock.
The production version of PORTIS was introduced in 1986.
A modified version which accepted credit-cards was introduced slightly later, known as SPORTIS (Super Portable Ticket Issuing System).
The SPORTIS memory was configured for each route that the machine would operate, so that it held the most likely fares that would be requested. If an unusual fare was requested, then the ticket inspector would have to refer to fares manuals and enter the details manually. SPORTIS could not encode the magnetic stripe on the back of tickets, so tickets issued using the system could not be used in automated ticket gates.
SPORTIS weighed around 2.9 kg. The original specification stated that it should be about the same weight as two bags of sugar.
As of 2006 all SPORTIS have been replaced by Avantix Mobile or Paper Ticket Pads, RSP 4407/4408 series for those Train Operating Companies, for example, Merseyrail, who did not adopt Avantix Mobile as a replacement.
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by the British Railways Board, from 1965 using the brand name British Rail. Northern Ireland, which is bordered by the Republic of Ireland, has a different system. National Rail services share a ticketing structure and inter-availability that generally do not extend to services which were not part of British Rail.
The Oyster card is a payment method for public transport in London, England, United Kingdom. A standard Oyster card is a blue credit-card-sized stored-value contactless smart card. It is promoted by Transport for London (TfL) and can be used on as part of London's integrated transport network on travel modes including London Buses, London Underground, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, Tramlink, some river boat services, and most National Rail services within the London fare zones. Since its introduction in June 2003, more than 86 million cards have been used.
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The Family and Friends Railcard is an annual rail travel discount card for use in Great Britain by adults travelling with at least one child. Cards valid for either one or three years can be purchased at a cost of £30 for one year or £70 for three. It is one of the discounted and concessionary fare schemes available on Britain's railway network to people who either belong to particular groups or who are willing to buy tickets ahead of the date of travel. Before 18 May 2008 it was known as the Family Railcard, but the name was changed to reflect the fact that discounted travel is not restricted to adults and children who are related.
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The Two Together Railcard is a scheme which gives discounts on certain types of railway ticket in Britain. Launched nationally in 2014 after a successful trial in 2011–12, it was the first new Railcard scheme since the 1980s. It is available to any two named individuals aged 16 or over and is priced at £30.00. There is no restriction on the number of times the Railcard can be used to purchase discounted tickets during the period of its validity, and there are no geographical restrictions on its use.
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