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German Touch&Travel pilot goes live with Vodafone
Deutsche Bahn and Vodafone have started a pilot test of the Touch&Travel e-ticketing system ahead of the national introduction of the technology in 2010.
The NFC-based system – being tested by 200 people – is being put through its paces in one of Berlin´s suburban rail sub-networks, on local train services in Potsdam and on the Berlin–Hanover intercity express service.
The system enables passengers to use their mobile phones to check in when they get on the train and then to check out again when they reach their destination. All the station platforms and bus stops will have ´touchpoints´ installed. The length of the journey and the ticket price are calculated at the end of the journey, and the customer receives a regular statement of journeys made.
"We´re driving growth in the public transport sector by simplifying rail journeys. It´s the only way we can make our products and services attractive to young people," says Hartmut Mehdorn, CEO of Deutsche Bahn. "Touch&Travel is a nationwide and standardised e-ticketing service that we are offering in conjunction with Vodafone, and it will be available to all transport operators. Standardisation ensures there is no hotchpotch of different technologies.
"These days, when people leave the house, they always take their mobile phone with them, in addition to their keys and wallet. I´m convinced that mobile phones will be used for payments and identification purposes in future," says Friedrich Joussen, CEO of Vodafone Germany.