I think the Permit to Travel scheme used in smaller stations in the UK could bear a lot of fruit. The way it works is if you can't buy a ticket from the TVM (or there is none, or it's not working), you put some coins into the machine (up to the value of your ticket or whatever you have) and it spits out a voucher, not unlike a pay and display machine, with the station name and amount paid printed on it, valid for 2 hours. This voucher is then exchanged or used in part payment for a ticket with an onboard ticket-checker or at the destination station. Or in the worst case, the railway has got some money that it wouldn't otherwise get. They're also used in stations with limited booking office hours.
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