VR to stop cash sales of ticket on board from Sept

The national railway operator VR will stop selling ticket in the train in exchange of cash money from September this year, VR sources said.

Passengers, however, will able to purchase tickets inside the train by bank or credit cards.

VR took the decision following a massive purchase of tickets by digital services.

“As the amount of cash purchases has declined we will concentrate on developing our growing digital channels. From September onwards it won’t anymore be possible to purchase a ticket from the train conductor with cash, but only with card,” VR Communications Manager Janna Viisterä told the Daily Finland.

She said most of the train tickets (over 80%) are bought from digital self-service channels: vr.fi-website, mobile app or ticket selling machine.

The amount of tickets bought with cash has dwindled to half in the last few years and is still declining. Less than one per cent of long-distance train tickets are bought from the train with cash, said Viisterä.

“We are gradually renewing our digital channels this year as well as the sales system in the background. In the summer the new ticket selling machines are being installed and the first version of our new VR mobile application was launched in June. In the autumn the new vr.fi-website will open. We are updating new features gradually to the new channels,” the communication manager added.