Mobile Ticketing
Mobile ticketing is an application of mobile commerce. In Germany, the mobile ticketing is also called cell phone ticket. Mobile tickets replace tickets, tickets or other documents previously used by a message sent to a mobile phone or similar device, where electronically stored information. For use mobile tickets are already in the public transport (PT ), on -street parking lots ( Handyparken ), in the air and rail transport as well as at sporting and cultural events.
- 2.1 Online testing
- 2.2 Offline examination
- 3.1 Per mobile phone bill
- 3.2 Per Financial Services
- 4.1 HandyTicket Germany of the Association of German Transport Companies ( VDV)
- 4.2 Touch & Travel Deutsche Bahn
- 4.3 HandyTicket at Deutsche Bahn
Order process and delivery
Per application on the phone
The client installed on his cell phone an app that communicates with the background system. A problem here may be the variety of smartphone operating systems in conjunction with the variety of wireless provider. Such apps are usually available for the operating systems Apple iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS and for java- enabled phones. The application communicates depending on the design of the application via the WAP or HTTP channel of the mobile phone. Both channels must be configured correctly, which can lead ( mobile telephone and configuration comes from provider A, SIM card comes from Provider B) to problems in "mixed " mode.
Benefits of Apps: The program can guide the user during operation, the ticket is stored in encrypted form, ( eg logged in Hamburg and moved to Dresden) a change in the region is possible without any problems, other functions such as timetable information easy to implement. Disadvantage: the possibly difficult installation of the Java application and the connection costs when ordering.
Via SMS or MMS
The ticket shall be appointed by SMS and delivered as SMS or MMS. Advantage that may not always easy installation with Java phones is bypassed, but more and more phones are based on more modern operating systems where the installation is easy. Disadvantage: the order by SMS ( ticket type, departure stop, region) can become quite unreadable and cryptic. MMS deliveries are not economical for mass transit, because the MMS will cost as a ticket even in the same order. MMS is only used for the Deutsche Bahn ( Aztec barcode as in online printing ). Another disadvantage is the cost of the order SMS. There is no provider that charged the SMS costs only at the receiver, so that the SMS for the station is free of charge (analogous to collect call in voice services )
By Web Portal
The ticket is appointed by the computer in an internet portal and delivered as SMS or ordered via a mobile website right from your phone to be stored and delivered as an image file. This distribution is available for a large part of the users and easy to use.
By phone number
The ticket will call a special telephone number, usually free of charge, ordered and delivered as SMS. Each ticket type has its own number and enabled when placed in contact memory (phonebook) of the phone with a suitable name (eg " day pass "), a very simple and often free stuff.
Examination procedure
In public transport tickets are to consider either " controlled front entry " by the driver or by testing services that control a random basis. For a full vehicle should be between two stops can be tested, which should not exceed a total duration per customer of about 5-10 seconds. That's about the time that takes a visual inspection with a paper ticket. This is currently still a problem with both online as well as offline test that require both longer test durations.
Online test
The ticket inspector is connected to a background system or can send a test query and then receives from the background system, the information whether a valid ticket exists. The required online connection must be ensured at all times, even, for example, in the subway tunnel. The online connection is usually accessed http://www.dashandyticket.de/portals/wap/kontrolle.html to the address. There, the last four letters of displayed on the phone ticket ID must be entered (among P = identity card; K = credit card, etc.).
Offline testing
The ticket inspector can identify with an appropriate selection procedure, whether a valid ticket for this particular passenger is present. In addition to the ticket is an identification check required ( rail card plus credit card at Deutsche Bahn or identity card for public transport ). If the ticket is not on the phone display is readable directly, the auditor needs a reader.
Statement
By phone bill
Until about the middle of 2008 to pay by phone bill was only possible for " phone near" services. Since the last quarter of 2008, is also permitted for tickets and is also offered in Germany. Advantage: the registration shall become invalid ticket suppliers, because you're a registered user of the mobile provider. Disadvantage: With registration you are a customer of the public transport and well known there and not only customer of the mobile provider, which allows CRM activities. Furthermore, falls to a service charge for the provider, which further increases the cost of distribution channel in addition to the pure transport costs for order SMS or GPRS Java.
As financial service providers
The fees for the tickets have calculated and collected, the revenue must then be discharged to the care provider (eg transport companies ). The associated services such as debit accounts receivable, prepaid accounts may settle, collect bad debts, debit reversal, incorrect account information, credit check, etc. are offered by financial institutions with a banking license.
Application Examples
HandyTicket Germany of the Association of German Transport Companies ( VDV)
In April 2007, several transport undertakings from different transport associations launched under the coordination of the VDV a pilot project in which a trans-regional market testing, customer acceptance of Java technology on mobile phones and the development of a nationwide public transport standards were the focus. Another aim of the project was to answer the question of whether such a technology with which available on the market mobile phones and contracts can be implemented easily and comfortably.
The pilot project ran until January 2010 and was then transferred to a regular operation. For this control mode with its numerous improvements EU-wide competition was conducted during the year 2009. The contract was awarded HanseCom GmbH, a joint venture of Hamburg elevated railway AG and Siemens AG. Beginning of 2013, 25 transport companies participate from 19 transport associations in the joint venture. In February 2014, the Transport Association Berlin-Brandenburg joined the Mobile Ticketing, so that all companies now make provisions connected a total of 33 million inhabitants.
Touch & Travel Deutsche Bahn
Touch & Travel was first tested in two phases on long-distance routes between Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hanover as well as in local and regional transport in Potsdam and Berlin. Mid-December 2008 launched pilot stage 2, in which the first 500 of a total of 2,500 customers to use in an extended field test Touch & Travel recognized as a travel document. Here, the customer keeps his phone to a contact point (formerly in the pilot phase as a touchpoint called ). When registering, be doing with the technology Near Field Communication (NFC ) is automatically transferred to the departure point on his mobile phone ( check-in ). When getting the phone is again kept to a Touchpoint ( check-out ) and the Ausstiegsort determined and stored on the phone. The Touch & Travel background system determined from the check-in and check-out dates, meanwhile crossed mobile radio cells, the virtual forceps impression in the control and the IS schedule data, the distance traveled and the fare.
It is filed no visible ticket, but is stored in the phone memory Departure time and location. Control is achieved by the control device, the write also a virtual forceps impression to the phone, or through a so-called control card. Since mobile phones with NFC capability were commercially available hardly mobile prototypes were used for the field test.
The Touch & Travel area was expanded from October 2009: The remote transport connections to Frankfurt and from 2010 as part of the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 on the Capital of Culture in the Ruhr area and other major long distance railway stations in North Rhine -Westphalia. Since November 2011, the system is available nationwide in all long-distance trains of Deutsche Bahn (eg ICE, IC, EC ). This purpose are - for lack of dissemination of NFC - more registration options: GPS tracking, scanning the contact point barcodes manually entering the contact point number as well as the failure of all other methods, the manual input of the starting point ( Station / Stop ). In August 2012, it was announced in December, to transfer the registration over NFC from the pilot test, so that each registered users with NFC - enabled mobile phone has the ability to such application. This was converted to the timetable change on December 9, 2012.
Privacy advocates warn of Touch & Travel: The phone must remain switched on during the entire trip and save when each radio cell was passed through ( for Smartphones: GPS coordinates ). At the end of the trip the motion profile will be sent to the web that it is " a maximum of ten months for billing purposes maximum of six months and for the purposes of technical testing and the accompanying research " long save. Prosecutors, police and secret service could view the data under certain conditions. To settle it would be sufficient if the departing and arrival station is stored, the further storage of distance and travel time is contrary to data protection law. The radio cell of the last trip and the last 20 ride receipts remained indefinitely stored on the SIM card of the user. Moreover, the double fare would be payable if the user at the destination forget to unsubscribe.
On November 2, 2011, a serious security vulnerability has been identified with which it was possible that new users at the login screen the personal information of others, including address, phone number and bank details, see. Then turned on the German railway system completely. On the following day the German railway was known to have corrected the problem and gave the system freely again. As long as the customer data was already publicly available, is not known.
HandyTicket at Deutsche Bahn
On September 1, 2006, the German train up a cell phone ticket for train travel over 50 km. It was initially only available for pre-defined compounds that payment had to be made by credit card or direct debit. Besides the rail card discounts were not initially accepted. Business customers in bahn.corporate program could also purchase smaller distances for mobile tickets. Tickets may, after a single application are booked on mobile.bahn.de. BahnCards and corporate discounts are taken into account. October 31, 2012 was attributable to private customers, the limit of 50 miles: It is for each connection, a cell phone ticket ordered if the DB tariff applies. Since January 2012, an app is also available for mobile tickets Deutsche Bahn. The ticket with 2D Aztec Code is sent via MMS or can be purchased and downloaded directly from the app DB Navigator. Since the beginning of 2014 HandyTicket automatically included when you buy a ticket with rail card discount also the City Ticket.
A mobile ticket can be printed on the book review in the pages of Deutsche Bahn as an online ticket and thus for example, for tax or asserted in the travel expense report. To check the validity of the driving authorization identification is necessary. This is usually an identity card, a customer card of the web, or a credit card.
Mobile ticketing in Europe
In Stockholm and Helsinki a ticket system, which has already sold 30 million tickets since 2001 is running. It must be considered that to the cash sale has been reduced to the vehicle or the preparation of very expensive machines. This is not currently being considered in Germany from customer service reasons. The settlement runs over the phone bill, therefore is not necessary to register.
In Austria, a system is used, which goes far beyond the German use. The approach is to use the phone as a universal means of payment for goods and services of all kinds. This includes public transport ticket. Are charged to your mobile phone bill. The private Western Railway, however, used QR codes with which the Web or spontaneously on train tickets purchased anonymous can be validated on the mobile phone at any time. An offline test is possible despite flexible ride date.
Since 2002, Estonia is also a mobile ticketing. It is interesting that there were two different pilot projects in Tallinn and Tartu. While in Tallinn Tickets can be requested through SMS, there is the possibility of using voice commands through a call to order a weekly or monthly ticket in Tartu.