Transport Ticket Booking Information Index Purpose Description Relevance for Large Scale Events Options Technologies Impacts Integration potential Implementation Best Cases and Examples 1 of 9
Purpose Advanced technologies, e.g. internet, smartcard and Smartphone have made significant impacts on transport ticket booking. Almost all airlines, train companies, long-haul coach operators and ferry operators now provide online booking. Online ticket booking can significantly save cost for both transport operators and end users. Online ticket booking has a potential to increase usage of a transport mode since online booking is often associated with traveler information services. With increasing market penetration, Smartphone based online booking has been widely used. Smartphone itself can be used as ticket through application of 2-D barcode. Current practices of transport ticket booking will be introduced below. Description Traditionally, a transport ticket is purchased at kiosk either from person or from vending machine. Telephone booking has been available for many years and recently has been replaced by web-based online booking. Many Smartphone apps have been developed for transport ticket booking. Online booking service and Smartphone apps often integrate ticket booking with traveler information and location based services. Some Smartphone apps support integrate ticket booking with personal calendar and social networks. Paper-based ticket is therefore also transferred to electronic ticket (e-ticket). E-ticket can be inspected via booking number/e-ticket number, credit card used for the booking or barcode. Relevance for Large Scale Events Online transport ticket booking can be integrated with event ticket booking of a large scale event. An integrated ticket may be beneficial for visitors. The booking should also be integrated with event information, travel information and local tourism information. Options Currently, main transport ticket booking is done: - Via telephone - website based online ticket booking; - Smartphone app based online ticket booking Telephone booking Telephone booking has been used for many years. In recent years it is gradually replaced by online booking. However, few transport operations still provide telephone booking services. It often requests a credit card of a buyer and gives the buyer a booking reference number. The buyer may use the booking reference number to pick up the ticket at a kiosk. Some telephone booking services are free of charge while many of them charge users for using the service. 2 of 9
Website based online ticket booking Online ticket booking is boomed in the last decade. It has become the primary tool for travellers to book their tickets. Online transport ticket booking covers a wide range of tickets, from intercontinental air travel tickets to local public transport tickets. Some online ticket booking systems provide a booking reference number and/or e-ticket number. For example, an air travel ticket booked through an online booking system includes booking reference number and e-ticket number. A user can use either the booking reference number or e-ticket number for check-in. Different airlines have different codes for e-ticket number. Below is an example of an e-ticket from an airline. Figure 1 An example of airline e-ticket For train tickets, some operators will deliver the tickets by post to users, e.g. www.raileasy.co.uk. Users can also use booking reference numbers to collect tickets at train stations. However, more and more operators directly deliver e-tickets to users after payment is made via email. After the payment is received, the booking website will send an e-ticket to the user s email address. The e- ticket normally includes a 2-D barcode for inspection. User can print the e-ticket or download it to Smartphone. Below is an example of online ticket from Deutsche Bahn (DB). When the ticket was inspected, a user is often asked to show the credit card used for the booking in order to avoid fraud. 3 of 9
Smartphone apps based online ticket booking Figure 2 An example of online train ticket with 2D barcode Currently many transport operators such as airlines, airports, train companies, public transport companies provide Smartphone based e-ticket booking. To book a ticket, a user can use his/her Smartphone to access an operators online booking website. However, many transport operators developed specific Smartphone app for ticket booking (e.g Heathrow Express App). A user can directly uses such app to book ticket. The purchased ticket will then be received by the Smartphone. Such a ticket is often a ticket with 2D barcode. The user can then use the Smartphone to access the transport services and pass ticket inspection by scanning the 2D barcode. After purchasing tickets, such apps often also provide to travelers timetables and real time updates of any delays associated to a booked itinerary. 4 of 9
Figure 3 An Apple App for Train Ticket Booking and Purchasing An example of Smartphone train ticket is shown below. Figure 4 An example of train ticket on Smartphone 5 of 9
Technologies Barcode and ticket inspection Barcode can be one-dimensional and two-dimensional. The barcode can be scanned for access and/for inspection, as show below. Figure 5 scanning e-ticket to access transport Figure 6 e-ticket for inspection Impacts Yet there is no publication on cost benefit study on online ticket booking. However, it is expected that online ticket booking can significantly reduce costs for both operators and travelers. It can often increase ticket sales since online ticket booking is often associated to traveler information services. It also makes ticket purchase easy and save travelers time. An early research in 2002 studied impact on distribution cost for airlines in US by United States General Accounting Office. In its report Impact of changes in the airline ticket distribution industry, it is indicated that between 1999 and 2002, on average, the percentage of air tickets purchased via internet (either online travel agencies or airline websites) grew from 7 percentage to 30 percentage, resulting significant reduction in the commissions airlines traditionally paid to travel agencies. The research shows that the online booking can significantly save distribution cost for airlines. Users also benefited from lower internet-only fare, which may lead to increase ticket sales. 6 of 9
Integration potential Integration potential includes: - Integration with tickets from various transport modes, e.g. train ticket, public transport ticket - Integration with event ticket, particularly for large events - Integration with traveler information services - Integration with location based services and tourism information - Integration with personal calendar and social networks - Analysis of travel behaviors and consumer behaviors Implementation Implementation must consider online payment security and protection of personal data. Security is a key issue for online ticket booking since it will concern usage of security and personal data. Online booking must respect privacy laws even though many online booking websites collect users personal data for research. By analyzing personal data and purchasing behaviors, important information about consumers behaviors can be obtained. A booking website may be able to sell such data for profits. However, provision of such data must not violate users privacy. Moreover, concerning Smartphone apps, ideally the implementation should be able to be used by all main stream operation systems, e.g. Apple s IOS and Google s Android at least. If an app is developed, the app should be uploaded to main app stores, e.g. Apple s app store and Google s Android Market, to enable users download (with or without charging). Examples Case studies describing use of the tool: a) in previous large scale events London Olympics Games 2012: Games Travel Card During the London Olympics Game 2012 period, spectators with a ticket for a London 2012 sports event or ceremony in or around London received a free Games Travel Card. The travel card is valid for use on public transport in London zones 1 9 on the day of the event. 7 of 9
b) DeutsheBahn: ticket booking b.1 Telephone booking Figure 7 Games Travel Card for London 2012 The German railway operator, DeutsheBahn(DB), offers online booking and telephone booking. A traveler can use +44 8718 80 80 66 to book train ticket (English speaking). The number is not a free telephone number, i.e. users need to pay telephone cost. However, there is no booking charge. After payment is made, the ticket can be send to home address by post. Alternatively, tickets can be collected from ticket vending machines at major train stations in Germany. b.2 Online booking A traveler can also book tickets usingwww.bahn.comto book tickets. The website will deliver e-ticket to users by email. 8 of 9
Figure 8 DB s online booking webpage b.3 Smartphone apps DB also provides apps for ticket booking. However, users must have a mobile phone from a German mobile operator to be able to use the apps. Currently the apps are available for IPhone and Android. Figure 9 iphone app from DB for ticket booking 9 of 9