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Just the Ticket for Mobile Travellers
(17 Dec 2008, BWCS Staff)Passengers on almost all UK trains will soon be able to pay for their journeys direct from their mobile phone. The new system is based on an agreement between mobile application developer Masabi and the Rail Settlement Plan, set up by the Association of Train Operating Companies. The new national standard will allow customers to pay for their journey by simply sending a text, even as they jump on board the train. They will also be able to purchase a single ticket, even if they use more than one train company during their journey.
Masabi said that the system is currently being trialed with Chiltern Railway, National Express and the Heathrow Express. The association hopes that more rail operators will now adopt the standard.
Passengers wishing to use the system need to enter their credit card details the first time they use the system. After that, they just need to tap in their three-digit security number on the back of the card. The journey information is sent in a text and in return a barcode is sent to the passenger's phone. The barcodes can then be read by ticket inspectors equipped with suitable readers. Some companies say they will have the readers installed at stations.
According to Ben Whitaker, chief operating officer of Masabi, "In the past, trials have been small-scale because they were limited to a single rail operator and a single trip, and passengers had to buy tickets in advance over the internet. It was never going to make great inroads into people's lives, partly because 88% of tickets are sold at the station, not in advance or online. The new barcode contains enough information and security for people to buy them immediately before travel and step right into the train. When you're running across the station platform, running to get your train, you can buy a mobile ticket and hop straight on.
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