Norderstedt, August 9, 2017 – The digitalization of local public transportation is gathering pace. It is becoming more and more common for passengers to book their public transportation journeys by using an e-ticketing system that comes with a range of flexible pricing models. Increasingly, passengers also expect new services to be available to them both during and after their journeys – like unlimited WLAN or real-time traffic information. It can be seen, therefore, that customer demand for flexibility, individuality, speed and comfort when using public transportation is on the increase. Lufthansa Industry Solutions has provided an IT solution for public transportation operators in the states of Hesse and Bavaria that allows them now to offer new mobility experiences to their target groups. The system is called Patris (Passenger Transport Integrated Sales System).
E-ticket system launched for school kids throughout Hesse
Working together with the public transportation company in Kassel, Lufthansa Industry Solutions took just four months to put a new e-ticket system in place for school kids across the whole of the state of Hesse. As from August 1, 2017, school kids and young people doing apprenticeships will be able to use the entire Hesse public transportation system for just one euro per day. The idea of the school-kid ticket was conceived jointly by the Hesse Ministry of Economic Affairs and the state’s traffic syndicates and public transportation organizations.
Over 200,000 school-kid tickets had already been sold in Hesse prior to the launch of the new facility.
Jump onboard, enjoy the journey and pay at the end of the month
In Schweinfurt, traditional bus tickets have now been replaced by e-tickets. In effect, the ticket now exists in the form of an encrypted data record stored on a chip on a plastic card the size of a regular credit card. The electronic ticket can be purchased in weekly, monthly or annual units. There is also a flexible fare for people who make only occasional use of the system. This product allows passengers to make as many bus journeys as they like throughout the year. They pay the reduced multi-journey rate and are allocated a specific monthly cost allowance. Once they reach the price limit, each additional journey is free.
Lufthansa Industry Solutions developed the e-ticket solutions together with IVU Traffic Technologies, a Berlin-based software company specializing in the development of software solutions for public transportation, freight transportation and logistics. Patris is the IT solution used to handle e-ticketing operations for around eight million passengers a year.
Lufthansa Industry Solutions is a service provider for IT consulting and system integration. This Lufthansa subsidiary helps its clients with the digital transformation of their companies. Its customer base includes companies both within and outside the Lufthansa Group, as well as more than 200 companies in various lines of business. The company is based in Norderstedt and employs more than 1,300 members of staff at several branch offices in Germany, Switzerland and the USA.