FAIRTIQ, a mobile pay-as-you-go (MPAYG) ticketing company, has announced the launch of three smart ticketing pilots across Slovakia, the UK, and Norway.
These pilots span national rail networks, a government-backed rail reform trial, and regional bus systems.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
FAIRTIQ also ensures compliance with GDPR, using location data strictly for fare calculation from journey start to end. Credit: FAIRTIQ.
They aim to streamline travel, enhance passenger experience, and establish new benchmarks for equitable and accessible public transport.
In Slovakia, FAIRTIQ has partnered with ZSSK, the national railway operator, to launch the first nationwide MPAYG pilot encompassing the entire domestic rail network.
This one-year pilot will cover tourist-favourite lines such as the Tatra Electric Railway and the Cogwheel Railway.
Passengers will benefit from the convenience of starting and ending journeys with a single swipe, eliminating the need to pre-select routes or zones.
This marks FAIRTIQ’s inaugural partnership with a Central and Eastern European national rail service, building on a prior regional introduction in the Czech Republic.
The trial will also provide anonymised data on passenger travel behaviour, aiding ZSSK in refining its offerings while strictly adhering to data protection regulations.
ZSSK CEO Peter Helexa said: “More than 52% of our customers already use digital services to purchase tickets via mobile or online platforms. FAIRTIQ is therefore a natural continuation for us on the path toward simpler and more convenient train travel.”
In the UK, a nine-month digital PAYG (DPAYG) ticketing trial will be launched on the Sheffield–Doncaster route in South Yorkshire to make rail travel more accessible and straightforward.
This initiative, part of the UK government’s Plan for Rail reform, is a collaboration between FAIRTIQ, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Northern Trains, TransPennine Express, and Arriva CrossCountry.
The trial will involve up to 1,000 travellers utilising the FAIRTIQ application to initiate and conclude their trips with a simple swipe, while ensuring they are charged the most advantageous fare automatically.
This pilot programme will collect crucial insights from users to shape the direction of ticketing systems in the UK.
FAIRTIQ UK market lead Steve Broadley said: “We are delighted to bring FAIRTIQ’s proven, modern, multimodal technology to the UK rail network. By removing complexity from ticketing, we can make it easier and more appealing for people to use public transport – benefiting passengers, operators, and the environment.”
In Norway, FAIRTIQ is set to launch the country’s first distance-based fare pilot, in partnership with Brakar, the public transport authority for Buskerud County.
This one-year pilot, running on all Brakar lines in Lier, Drammen, and Øvre Eiker, will replace the traditional zone system with a fare model based on the actual distance travelled.
Passengers will simply swipe in the FAIRTIQ app to join, and the results will influence fare strategies in Norway and potentially inspire similar projects nationwide.
Brakar CEO Terje Sundfjord said: “Today’s zone system is often perceived as unfair. We have been tasked by the Buskerud County Council to explore new pricing models. Distance-based payment was a natural next step.”
FAIRTIQ’s partnerships in Slovakia, Norway, and the UK come after successful implementations in Switzerland, Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
The company also ensures compliance with GDPR, using location data strictly for fare calculation from journey start to end.
Sign up for our daily news round-up!
Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.