Denmark introduces ‘virtual’ bus ticket
True sustainable mobility is not just about cleaner fuels, it's about the total social, environmental and financial impact of transport. A Danish bus company introduces an alternative to paper tickets.
Clearly, the fuel and emissions vehicles produce are probably two of the most important factors, but anything that improves the resource efficiency of transport is a step in the right direction.
And Denmark already was the nation with the highest Hapiness Index...
Three cheers, then, for the Danish city of Odense, where public transport company FynBus has introduced an SMS bus ticket pilot project.
How and why?
Passengers send an SMS to a special ticketing number, specifying the ticket they want. They receive an ‘SMS ticket’ back, which replaces the standard paper ticket. When boarding the bus, they simply show the SMS ticket on their phone to the driver.
As well as reducing the amount of paper needed to print tickets, SMS tickets are slightly cheaper than conventional ones. In addition, it is hoped that by making bus travel more convenient, it will encourage more people to travel by bus.
Context
“We are very proud of the SMS ticket and believe it will play an important role in the future of public transport. FynBus focuses on making it simple, easy and attractive to go by bus and in this context the SMS ticket fits really well", said Lars Oksbjerre, managing director of FynBus.
FynBus has launched the twelve-month trial in conjunction with mobile phone firm TDC. The project, which follows a similar one in (where else!) Sweden in 2006, is being part-funded by the European Union’s Civitas-Mobilis programme.
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