Mobile Phone Replaces Bus, Train Ticket | Wireless IQ

Mobile Phone Replaces Bus, Train Ticket

March 16, 2005

Nexus is piloting a program that issues bus and train tickets by SMS text message to mobile phones in the UK. Trial subjects are charged £4 for a 24-hour travel ticket on the Tyne and Wear Metro. Fares are added to mobile phone bills and are payable within the regular billing cycle.

Currently the trial involves only Nexus staff, but the company clearly hopes the idea will catch on in the UK as it has in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. The European Union (EU) is funding the Tyne and Wear trial as well as similar trails in Bologna and Bucharest.

Nexus sees text ticketing as a crucial step in changing transport habits for years to come, particularly in the North East, where mobile phone use is high among young people.

From: Mobile Phone Replaces Bus, Train Ticket | Wireless IQ