TICKETING FEATURE | |
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Ticketing’s role to meet transit’s unpredictable needs For transit planners, the ability to predict passenger behaviours, needs and wants is imperative to meaningful decision-making, says Philippe Vappereau, General Manager, Calypso Networks Association
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ccommodating these behaviours helps unlock public transit’s attractiveness over private vehicle usage – a critical objective for cities worldwide. Today, networks face a growing need for greater flexibility. This goes beyond structured transit networks to consider new, alternative mobility services and a ticketing offer that combines flexibility with value for money. What does this look like, and what do planners need to consider when scoping ticketing strategies to offer increased flexibility while meeting passenger expectations? The age of the agile passenger Today’s passengers display significantly more agile travel patterns, driven by trends such as flexible working arrangements. We are seeing a gradual erosion of fixed commuting patterns, but many passengers are now also using public transit for the first and last steps of their journeys. This means traditional fare options and siloed ticketing experiences are no longer viable, as they risk diminishing public transit’s attractiveness, nudging passengers towards private vehicles. The pressure is on Public Transport Operators (PTOs) and Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) to deliver a ticketing offering for agile passengers. Achieving this in a scalable, cost-effective way is a significant challenge, but the first step is identifying the pressure points. Let’s take a look… Flexible fares for flexible passengers The first step to supporting agile travel is creating a fare and tariff structure that is less rigid and capable of unlocking better value. Today, more PTOs and PTAs are expanding their offering beyond traditional
weekly/season tickets to include more flexible options, including pay-as-yougo (PAYG). However, as with any agilefocused strategy, there’s a balance to be struck, and the challenge for planners is to offer agile ticketing to boost public transit attractiveness, without negatively impacting revenue. Ticketing for Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) To meet evolving transit needs, many PTOs and PTAs are exploring how to diversify beyond structured networks to support the first and last step of every passenger’s journey. Ticketing’s role in this field is essential to offer a full, seamless, joined-up experience. Reflecting the digital-first nature of MaaS, mobile ticketing will be the core
driver here. However, adopting a digital-only mindset with ticketing for MaaS runs the risk of excluding a significant proportion of passengers. Planners need to consider the needs of all passengers, including the unbanked and digitally excluded, and bring them on board to help MaaS policies succeed. This means considering the role of ticketing smartcards, already used by millions of passengers around the world each day and integrating MaaS payments with existing infrastructures to ensure mass (and MaaS!) inclusion. Delivering a smarter, contactless ticketing experience Nonetheless, we recognise that the IoT revolution is bringing new levels of connectivity and convenience to consumers. Rail Professional
