The West Midlands Metro has implemented a 'Buy Before You Board' system, requiring passengers to purchase tickets before boarding trams. While conductors remain onboard during the transition, their roles are set to change, prompting discussions about job security and accessibility.
00:00Ticket machines are now live across the entire West Midlands Metro network, a move that signals a major shift in how the service is run.
00:10Passengers are now expected to buy tickets before boarding, either from the machines, through the Metro app or using swift cards.
00:18While conductors are still present, their role is clearly nearing its conclusion as part of a wider effort to modernise operations and reduce fare dodging.
00:28The goal is to improve revenue protection and streamline the boarding process.
00:33With fewer staff navigating packed carriages to take payments, the Metro hopes to make journeys smoother and more efficient.
00:40But the biggest change may be behind the scenes.
00:44Conductors aren't being made redundant, but the job they've done for 25 years is disappearing.
00:50Many are expected to shift into enforcement roles, focusing on checking compliance at stops rather than on board.
00:57Others will be offered retraining as drivers, supporting the planned network expansion.
01:03Discussions with staff are ongoing, but no fixed deadline for the transition has been announced publicly.
01:09Still, the direction of travel is clear.
01:12The Metro is moving to a tech-first model and staff on the ground are being repositioned to fit that new structure.
01:19For passengers who rely on face-to-face assistance, especially those with additional needs, the timeline for that handover matters.
01:27For now, conductors are still working, but in a limbo of sorts.
01:31They're expected to remain in place during the rollout, but for how long remains unconfirmed.
01:37With ticket machines fully live, their days are clearly numbered and the countdown has begun.
01:43To end, the meaning of the projection of the entry line is when using the deadline is gre beat by the randomness of your wife,
01:45and theLo.
01:46And the expectation of planning was night in the end.
01:48You can't wait to close the deadline.
01:49You can't wait to close the deadline to close the deadline.
01:51If you don't see your wife's back, the room is completely different.
01:52Either that will be done, you can't wait to close the deadline.
01:53Or the redo and the deadline is not up to close the deadline.
01:55Itizable is going to come to take a permit.
01:56It will be in place until the purpose of the day is not up to close the deadline.
