My dad is older, but has a strange relationship with technology. He used various computer systems for his work for years and could manage that along with several printing systems. However, with all this new stuff he sometimes just throws up his hands. He's called me up to go over and help before because he couldn't get his printer to print something from a web page. It was just that the printer was reset to the default, which was to create a Microsoft OneNote document. He couldn't figure out how to select the actual printer, especially since there were other options like the FAX function of the Canon multi-function machine I got for him.
I don't see a conflict between the removal of Quik-Trak machines and the technology gap. QT machines are essentially ATMs which don't dispense money, and while many older folks use them just fine, many more do not and have no desire to. My parents lived their entire lives without ever using an ATM and gave people who suggested they could get cash by using a machine funny looks that suggested a "why would I want to do that" response. The pre-generated PIN mailers they received went in a drawer with the cardholder agreements they never read, either. As technology increased and the card activation routine became automated, they left it to me to perform that task. They loathed "talking to machines".
I still use them in places like CHI Union Station so that I can have a readmission pass to the Metropolitan Lounge since they've stopped handing the pre-printed ones out and, currently at least, use highlighters to mark eTicket printouts---or Quik-Trak ticket printouts.
Amtrak will not print and mail an eTicket. For those who have absolutely no way get printout or electronic copy of their eTicket, if they at least can remember their own name, that is all the conductor needs. He can pull up the manifest on his device, find the reservation, mark it lifted, and they are good to go. As I said previously, Amtrak does not want conductors to have to do this with everyone because more time consuming than simply pointing the scanner at a code, so they don't advertise this capability, but I've seen it done multiple times.
I thought that could only be done on routes that are "unreserved" like Capitol Corridor or Pacific Surfliner. I did that once just because I never tried it before. The conductor first started chewing me out for wasting his time since I had a smart phone and he asked me if I had the Amtrak app (which I did). Then as he wrote up the ticket he spent a lot of time explaining what all the notations on the ticket meant. Go figure.
