Collectable Bus and Coach Ticket Machines
As smart ticketing and contactless payment rolls out across the country, collectable bus and coach machines have become popular among those yearning for a piece of old-fashioned technology and public transport nostalgia.
Old machines in carry cases with harnesses, which would have been worn by a bus conductor, early electronic machines, which would have been first used in the 1980's and more up-to-date digital machines are all collectable by those interested in public transport technology.
It is many years since a conductor has been seen strolling down a bus to collect fares, but the machine and harness they would have worn have become very collectable. The London Transport Gibson A14 ticket machine and harness would have been carried by a conductor onboard one of the capital's famous red buses from 1943 until 1993, when they were replaced by electronic machines. Also collectable is the Setright clipper, which a conductor would have used to punch a hole in a ticket to show it had been checked and you could also find Setright Speed ticket machines, which were used by conductors across the country in the 1960s.
The older the machine is, the rarer it will be. Not all will be in working order, but their 'old-timey' aesthetic will inspire nostalgia in any collector and make a great addition to any collection of old tech. Different regions would have had different machines, taking advantage of more local producers, meaning a London ticket machine from the 50s may look completely different to ones used in Scotland at the same time. Because of this, there is a surprisingly vast array of collectable bus ticket machines available.
As technology began to take over, early electronic ticket machines became widely used during the early 80s. These first machines are highly collectable due to their dated tech and the fact they represent a turning point in history.