This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
TICKETING


T The ‘quiet but essential’ revolution


in mobile ticketing


While most hype surrounds smart cards after the success of Oyster, for long distance rail a more cost effective alternative has matured and is on its way, saysBen Whitaker, CEO of Masabi.


here is a ticketing revolution taking shape in UK rail. Some operators


and ticket vendors, such as thetrainline. com, have already launched systems which allow rail ticket purchase on almost any mobile handset, not just smart phones.


In the coming months, this situation will progress dramatically as TOCs start to replace pilots of proprietary single-opera- tor barcodes and accept standardised and interoperable barcode tickets displayed on the mobile screen, rendering the ticket machine redundant for many commuters. So what is the business case?


Coping with increasing passengers


Firstly, it is important to appreciate why, in the current financial climate, several rail operators are voluntarily launching bold new mobile ticketing initiatives.


The rail industry must expand ticket sales capacity, but bricks-and-mortar projects to increase traditional station sales facili- ties are disruptive and expensive in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating ex- penditure.


Getting customers to serve themselves through their mobile is the obvious way to remove the need for station expansion, al- lowing operators to avoid further spend on ticket vending machines (TVMs).


Staged roll-out to limit CAPEX


Historically, the cost of fitting new ticket scanners to every part of a network has been a barrier to eTicketing rollouts. To avoid this, a soft roll-out strategy has emerged, where the initial inspection roll- out is visual only, and scanning hardware gradually introduced to parts of the net- work that see greatest adoption. This can be done securely through animated vis- ual watermarks on the tickets and offline methods so inspectors and gates need not have data connections.


Changing consumer habits


Although internet based self-service has grown, it is still unable to meet the de- mand for last minute ticket purchase; the default habit for most travellers. Where


While initial launches will use visual in- spection and barcode tickets, they can also be presented via mobile near field commu- nication (NFC) technology instead when it is supported in more handsets, operates


Are mobile apps the real future of smart ticketing?


once the mobile could only provide travel information, advances in payment security mean it can now also sell tickets anywhere at any time.


However, apart from ‘early adopters’, most consumers will only try new methods when the old method is broken. It’s when a passenger is queuing, potentially miss- ing a train, that adverts offering mobile purchase will be most effective. It takes around three minutes to download the app and then buy a ticket – subsequent pur- chases take seconds - so there’s nothing to lose in trying while queuing.


While smart cards are good for metropoli- tan environments with simple zonal fares like Oyster, they don’t work for complex journeys where travel times and fare op- tions vary. Despite this complexity, some new mobile purchase systems have been praised as ‘better than the web’ and, unlike standard TVMs, recall favourite journeys. Crucially, they also support the vast ma- jority of handsets so everyone can use the service, not just smart phone users.


Barcode & NFC


Passengers waiting in queues are among the most likely to consider alternative ticket purchasing methods.


quickly enough and the commercial model becomes clearer.


Disruptive new channel


New revenue opportunities also abound, including the ability to intelligently cross- sell and up-sell services based on the commuter’s purchase and travel history. Perhaps most excitingly, once a rail opera- tor has its mobile ticketing application on the commuter’s handset, it can take the commission on all of that customer’s ticket purchases. This highlights the disruptive nature of mobile ticketing for those rail operators that embrace it first.


2011 looks set to be the breakthrough year for mobile ticketing. The initial launches have taken place and numerous other op- erators are set to go live.


The reality is that almost all commuters are potentially carrying ticket machines in their pockets. Capitalising on this can remove the pain point from the cus- tomer’s journey, and solve real business needs for the opera- tors.


Ben Whitaker


TELL US WHAT YOU THINK E: opinion@railtechnologymagazine.com


rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11 | 57


How long until ticket queues are a thing of the past?


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112