On 29/03/2015 11:27, Clive Page wrote:

that if I were just arriving in a foreign city for the first time I
might reckon it easier to get the right ticket from a human than from a
machine, given the complexity of the system.

Depends.

For city transport, I tend to head for the machines these days. They are
likely to speak a language I can understand (English-speakers have an
advantage with this), be more tolerant of phase-book usage, and in many
cases will spell out the various options.

Also, experience suggests a machine is likely to admit the existence of
singles, returns and travelcards (or even better 24 h tickets), rather
than push me towards some kind of all-inclusive touristic ticket which
involves paying for admission to museums I don't want to go to and
discounts at restaurants I won't be eating at.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK