Abstract: A passenger-carrying vehicle (for example a bus) in a passenger transport system is equipped with a ticket reader (18) capable of optically reading information printed on a ticket (10) in bar-code and determining whether or not the ticket is valid. A ticket-printer (16) is provided for issuing bar-coded tickets, and both the reader (18) and the printer (16) are microprocessor-based and associated with a memory (14). Fare-table data is stored in the memory (14a), for reference by the ticket-issuing means, data is stored in the memory (14b) for reference by the ticket-checking means, and both the issuing means and the checking means can communicate information to the memory (14c) and (14d) to enable data concerning tickets handled to be stored for subsequent retrieval for management purposes.

Abstract: A dispensing machine particularly for dispensing bottles or cans. The machine has a storage area formed by a plurality of parallel vertically spaced inclined shelves and at the lower end of each shelf is a pick-up station. A carrier mounted on a carriage moves vertically past the pick-up stations and can receive a bottle from any selected one by operating a release mechanism when it is adjacent the required pick-up station. The carriage takes the selected bottle to a dispensing station at the top of the machine where the carriage tips and rolls the bottle into a fixed position from which it can be removed by a customer.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing containers, in particular disposable cups, from a stack. The apparatus has two jaw assemblies, each having a catch member and a lever member pivotable about horizontal axes between a first rest position in which the stack of containers is supported by the lever member and a second dispensing position in which the lowermost container is pulled from the stack by the lever member while it is supported by the catch member, and the inner edges of the catch member and lever member are formed as concave segments of a circle to provide good support and even loading on the containers during operation.