August 2007, Touch&Travel
Germany takes up position at the forefront of public transport ticketing. The Touch&Travel system is not your usual mobile
ticket. It is a combination of a smart travel card, e.g. the Oystercard, and mobile NFC technology. Collaboration between the German railway company Die Bahn and Vodaphone has made this possible. The
technology will be tested in autumn of 2007 on the stretch between Hannover and Berlin as well as in the cities of Berlin and Potsdam.
It is currently possible to buy a mobile ticket from Die Bahn 10 minutes before your journey, but here the paper ticket and the ticket counter are just replaced by
the mobile phone. In contrast the Touch&Travel concept offers a look at the future of travelling. This is how it works:
- The user check’s in to the system with his mobile phone when he is about to board the train
- Upon ticket inspection, the user just shows the inspector his mobile phone that has stored information about the train
- After debarkation the user uses his mobile phone to check-out of the system again at the so called Touch Points
- The system then calculates the route travelled by the user as well as the cheapest fare
- At the end of the month the user gets charged for the trips
This system will be a big step forward for frequent travellers on trains in Germany, since the do not have to worry about buying a ticket on time etc. However most
leisure travellers would like to know the cost of the ticket before they buy it, this is unfortunately not possible with this system.
If you live in Germany and would like to test this system, you can sign up as a test customer on the Touch&Travel website.
Sources:
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