Germany: Pioneering NFC Transit Ticketing Project Expanded

 

We're Updating our Interactive Map and Project Pages

Stay tuned for all new an all-new interactive map and exclusive content on NFC projects across the globe.

 

Countinue Reading

 

FrankfurtGermany
Scope: 
Trial
Launch: 
Jul 2007
Main Application: 
Ticketing (transit)
Service Provider (application): 
RMV (Transit authority)
Users: 
270
NFC Handsets: 
Nokia 6131
Other Vendors: 
ToP Tunniste

Six-month trial allowed preregistered users to tap NFC tags encased in plastic “ConTag” disks at 59 transit stops and stations in the city of Frankfurt and the nearby airport. Tapping automatically loads a preloaded Java midlet on the phone and enables users to buy single-use or other low-cost tickets in thee clicks. RMV officially expanded the trial in Feb. 2008 to 750 stops as part of a move toward rollout. A later announced offshoot of the trial in 2008 stored the ticket in the embedded secure element of the phone.

NFC Times Take: 

RMV held the world’s first NFC-based ticketing trial in early 2005 and is one of the first to try to rollout the technology anywhere. It wants to support Germany’s interoperable transit application, and expand to its 5-million population service area. It also intends to put its application on a secure element to sell higher-value tickets and passes and enable conductors to check tickets by tapping their own NFC phones against rider NFC handsets. But for the service to take off it will need phone shops to stock a much better selection of handsets. Yet, the authority has demonstrated transit operators and their ilk can successfully use NFC in reader mode to deliver tickets over the network without installing an expensive network of ticketing machines and gates.

Results: 

82% of respondents said they would recommend the NFC ticketing service to their friends. More than half of survey respondents said they would have wanted more ConTag touch points. 25% of surveyed consumers said they use services more often because of the NFC phones, according to RMV research; 73% said they use them about the same as before.

 

 

* Trusted Service Manager: Defined loosely to include companies or other organizations securely distributing, provisioning and managing applications, generally over the air, on secure elements in NFC mobile phones; or licensing their platforms for this purpose.

N/A: Not available or not applicable.

HEADLINE NEWS

Australian Transit Agency to Launch Mobility-as-a-Service Trial as It Pursues Long-Term MaaS Strategy

Plans by Transport for New South Wales, Australia’s largest transit agency, to launch a trial enabling users to plan, book and pay for multimodal rides is the next step toward the agency’s long-ter

Updated: U.S. Transit Agency Seeks to Reduce–Though Not Eliminate–Cash Acceptance with New Fare-Collection System

Updated: The Spokane Transit Authority in Washington state confirmed that its new fare-collection system will include contactless open-loop payments–with a beta test planned for next October, a spokesman told NFC Times' sister publication Mobility Payments.

UK Government Seeks to Bring London-Style Contactless Fare Payments System to Other Regions

The UK government’s plan to equip 700 rail stations over the next three years to accept contactless open-loop payments is a major initiative, as it seeks to replicate the success of London’s contactless pay-as-you go fare payments system elsewhere in the country–a goal that has proved elusive in the past.

More Cities in Finland Expected to Move to Open-Loop Fare Payments

A fourth city in Finland is beginning to roll out contactless open-loop payments, with “more in the pipeline,” according to one supplier on the project, making the Nordic country one of the latest hotspots for the technology.

Moscow Metro Expands Test of ‘Virtual Troika’ in Pays Wallets, as It Continues to Develop Digital-Payments Services

Moscow Metro is recruiting more users to test its “Virtual Troika” card in two NFC wallets, those supporting Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as one of the world’s largest subway operators continues to seek more ways for its customers to pay for rides.

Ohio Transit Agency Expects Significant Revenue Loss as it Builds Equity with Fare Capping

The Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, officially launched its new digital-payments service Monday, including a fare-capping feature that the agency estimates will cost it $1.8 million per year in lost fare revenue, the agency confirmed to Mobility Payments.

Special Report: Interest Grows in ‘White-Label EMV’ for Closed-Loop Transit Cards

As more transit agencies introduce open-loop fare payments, interest is starting to grow in use of white-label EMV cards that agencies can issue in place of proprietary closed-loop cards for riders who don’t have bank cards or don’t want to use them to pay fares.

Swedish Transit Agency Launches Express Mode Feature for Apple Pay, though Most Ticketing Still with Barcode-Based App

Skånetrafiken, the transit agency serving one of Sweden’s largest counties, announced today it has expanded its contactless open-loop payments service to include the Express Mode feature for Apple Pay.

Major Bus Operators in Hong Kong Now Accepting Open-Loop Payments–Adding More Competition for Octopus

Two more bus operators in Hong Kong on Saturday launched acceptance of open-loop contactless fare payments, with both also accepting QR code-based mobile ticketing–as the near ubiquitous closed-loop Octopus card continues to see more competition.

Moscow Metro Launches Full Rollout of ‘Face Pay;’ Largest Biometric Payments Service of Its Kind

Touting it as the largest rollout of biometric payments in the world, Moscow Metro launched its high-profile “Face Pay” service Friday, as expected, and predicted that 10% to 15% would regularly us

Indonesian Capital Seeks to Expand to Multimodal Fare Collection and MaaS

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, whose metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million people, is notorious for its stifling traffic congestion. In response, the government metro and light-rail networks and now it is funding an expansion of the fare-collection system to enable more multimodal payments and to build a mobility-as-a-service platform.

Exclusive: NFC Wallets Grow as Share of Contactless Fare Payments and Not Only Because of Covid

Transit agencies that have rolled out open-loop contactless payments are seeing growing use of NFC wallets to pay fares, as Covid-wary passengers see convenience in tapping their phones or wearables to pay.