[nly]

I feel the same way about people who use mobile phone NFC payment at ticket barriers on the tube instead of a plastic cards (again via NFC)

Using your phone is much slower and there's a significant chance it'll just fail and hold up the person behind you (me).

[brewdad]

Last April, I did the credit card tap in NYC. Last month I was there again and tapped my iPhone and never had an issue. It felt just as fast or even faster since my phone is usually more accessible than a given card in my wallet.

I wonder if the Tube’s tap in tap out setup contributes to the issues you see.

[nly]

It's not the tech per se, it's that you have to open the app or at least unlock the phone (whichever it is), and people are more cautious with their phones compared to a card. They also tend to watch the screen instead of where they're going.

I can slap down my card with my arm outstretched, without breaking my stride, and before I hit the barrier it opens.

Observe a phone user in a London rush hour and it causes a noticeable backlog at gates

[kamilner]

You neither need an app nor do you need to unlock your phone in order to use it for the ticket gates on the tube. Perhaps older phones need to be unlocked?

I use my phone exclusively without unlocking it and there's no delay.

[djhworld]

That hasn't been my experience at all, at least in London, UK.

There used to be a time where the oyster card was slightly faster than the phone in terms of registering at the barrier but that's improved a lot over time.

I don't live in London anymore but when I've visited it's been so good just tapping your phone through everything.

Additionally the hold ups at the barriers in my experience are more down to people's misunderstanding of the cadence required between each passenger. This applies to both oyster/card and phone, and is more of a UX problem of the barrier rather than the technology used to activate it

[NoZebra120vClip]

Last week I was picked up by a bus that had technically already departed, so the operator told me to take a seat quickly. I really needed to test out the mobile fare for the pilot project, so I waited for the next opportunity to scan the QR at a safe, legal stop.

A dude was attempting to board, and I was hardly 10 seconds at the scanner when he urged me to get out of his way! It's bad enough when a magstripe pass doesn't scan on the first try... it's going to be murder if everyone's fumbling with their phones and apps and wireless connections.