Why does my paper train ticket stop working?

For anyone not stupid enough to have been suckered into buying a scamming robbing Oyster card, the only alternative is a paper train ticket. However, have you ever wondered why these paper tickets seem to stop working at the automated barriers?

You know the drill; you insert the paper ticket and get the dreaded “Seek Assistance” message. You try again and get the same message, the back of your neck now burning from the huge queue that has built up behind you with suspicion that you’re a fare dodger. At length, annoyed by the constant tutting and exasperated noises of people who think you’re an idiot for not knowing how to use a paper train ticket, you clump off to find a uniformed official to let you through the barriers.

The reason your paper train ticket has stopped working is simply because you’ve kept it somewhere near your mobile phone. The paper tickets have a magnetic stripe on the back that is affected by all manner of electromagnetic fields and even after just a few hours, can render said ticket stone cold dead.

The solution therefore is obvious. Keep it away from your moby and quickly sail through those automated barriers at ease whilst clueless mugs with Oyster cards continue to be scammed, tracked and robbed blind by London Transport.