SimplyGo! service allows all citizens of Austria to make contactless fare payments for both single and multi-modal journeys with just two swipes on their smartphone screen
Image: pixabay
A new ticketing function SimplyGo! added to the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB Tickets app was launched to support fare payments on ÖBB local and long-distance trains, ÖBB buses, trains run by selected regional companies and “all regional bus and city transport companies that accept transport association tickets”.
The service allows passengers travelling on rail, bus, tram and subway services across the whole territory of Austria to make contactless end-to-end fare payments even for multi-modal journeys. The new function uses GPS to track the routes and distance travelled. Based on this data, SimplyGo! automatically calculates the fare fee and charges the user.
To enable that, customers should make two swipes on their smartphone screen. The first one activates the journey, and the second one indicates they have reached their final destination. The solution uses a check-in and check-out system developed by Swiss technology provider Fairtiq to register and track the whole journey.
Besides, SimplyGo! features a fare-capping option so that a user making multiple journeys on a single day does not pay more than the price of the corresponding day ticket.
Before the nationwide rollout, the technology was tested through limited implementation in selected locations.
A recent survey conducted by ABI Research on behalf of the NFC Forum discovered that the use of contactless ticketing on public transportation is a key driver of the NFC contactless technology growth.
Many countries across the globe are now implementing different types of contactless fare payments.
In February, the Dutch railway operator NS launched the contactless open-ended fare payment system as part of its OVpay service. In Türkiye (Turkey), the contactless fare payment system is rolling out in over 40 provinces.
