A ticket in one click? Yes it is possible! FAIRTIQ has demonstrated this in 4 European countries. Indeed, in Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, you no longer need to buy your ticket in advance. Or compare prices, FAIRTIQ does it for you. Zoom on this young startup, recently crowned “Gold Winner” at the third edition of the European Startup Prize for Mobility, alongside Pony, Surve Mobility and Skipr.
FAIRTIQ, in a few words
“Be passionate, have courage but also the right partners” is the recipe for success illustrated by the booming Swiss start-up. The Bern-based company was formed from the merger of three transport companies, RhB (Rhaetian Railway – Rhätische Bahn), TPF (Transports publics fribourgeois) and VBL (Public Transportation Luzern AG), and has been able to meet a latent need among public transport users. As mentioned in the introduction, the company already has all the advantages of a major player in the field of ticketing.
How? By integrating the reservation of different modes of transport. Train, bus, streetcar, boat… On a single ticket. Or by halving the fare on all business trips for its subscribers or their FAIRTIQ bonus. A loyalty program for regular travelers. From its launch, the Bernese startup was an almost immediate success and has won several awards: Best of Swiss Apps 2016, Transport Ticketing Awards 2018 & 2019, UITP AWARDS 2019, in the top 10 of “The Spark” award …
How does it work
Available on the App Store, Google Play or Apple Watch, the FAIRTIQ application allows you to buy your ticket in just 2 clicks. Indeed, before boarding, you just have to click on “Start”. and then “Stop” when you reach your destination. Enough to quietly settle down and enjoy your trip.
Thus, during a correspondence, it will be enough for the user to let activate his application. Then, at the end of his trip, click on STOP and find out the price of his trip. A price calculated as advantageous as possible and directly debited on the linked user account. Finally, it is important to note that in case of forgetfulness, the application automatically and intelligently detects the trip made. And this in particular, via the movements of the smartphone, in a pocket or a handbag. This is then signaled by a notification reminding the user to end the trip.
What about technically?
As explained by the CTO, Michel Yerly, in a FAIRTIQ blog post, “The application starts collecting GPS positions and transmits them to our servers along with other relevant data, such as remaining battery power. The server issues a travel authorization that can be presented at a ticket check.” A tracking technology offered as an SDK, for any application wishing to integrate this ticketing system.
He also adds that “The data is then analyzed using automatic learning algorithms to reconstruct a list of stations covered during the trip”. This list is used to determine the best ticket at the best price for the entire trip. Tariff data from NOVA, for example, a platform coordinated by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport. Amounts subsequently debited via the credit card associated with the account or mobile payment applications such as TWINT. To date, FAIRTIQ has 21,363,323 trips per year, 280,933,200 km of travel, 31 partner members. And above all, a new challenge to conquer North America!
