Public transport tickets on your mobile

 

Eleven German transport authorities are launching an initiative to allow customers to select and purchase their tickets by mobile phone.

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This will enable commuters to get straight onto the bus or train without having to wait or find the right change.
 
The Association of German Transport Operators VDV is behind the 'HandyTicket' project, working in cooperation with several transport operators and networks, Siemens IT Solutions and Services, the Fraunhofer Institute for Transport and Infrastructure Systems IVI and DVBLogPay.
 
The project will test customer acceptance of the new system in eleven German cities and local transport regions over the next two years.
 
Public transport users in these areas will be able to purchase single-journey and day tickets simply using their mobiles phones.
 
They will also be able to buy tickets not only for their local region but also for all the other regions participating in the project.
 
"This means that if you are travelling into another tariff area, you will be able to buy your day ticket conveniently at home," said VDV President Günter Elste.
 
Research engineers from IVI developed a software system which integrates the various tariffs and all the different timetable information.

HandyTicket convenience

"This component makes it possible to easily integrate completely different regional fare structures in the system," explained Dr Torsten Gründel, Head of the Ticketing Research Group at IVI.
 
"The collaboration between science, industry, and transport operators and networks has produced a mobile phone ticket solution that sets new standards, not least due to its nationwide availability."
 
Timetable information can also be obtained by phone, and in the future it will be possible to purchase the right ticket for a connection straightaway – a useful function which is initially being tried out in Hamburg and Nuremberg.
 
With HandyTicket, users log on to one of the participating transport networks or operators via the http://www.dashandyticket.de/ website and select the desired payment method.
 
After registration, customers can download a small Java program for use on mobile phones by SMS. This enables tickets to be selected and purchased for all eleven tariff areas, and within seconds the system transfers the ticket to the phone. Some of the regions are also making their tickets available by SMS.
 
During a ticket check the passenger simply shows the inspector the stored ticket on the display. The person’s identity card or mobile phone number is all that is required to validate the ticket for an inspection.
 
 
 

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