For several years now, FAIRTIQ technology has made it simpler and more convenient to travel by public transport in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, as well as parts of Germany and Austria. In 2022, FAIRTIQ welcomed more regions to its ever-growing family. In spring, Ingelheim, in Germany, adopted the FAIRTIQ app, followed by the Stuttgart public transport association. With the addition of Bentheim in December, there are now a total of 15 regions in Germany where travellers can buy the right ticket for their journey with a single swipe on their smartphone. FAIRTIQ now has a sizeable footprint in the German market and the number of active FAIRTIQ app users in the country has doubled in the space of one year.
But it is not only in Germany where train users have benefited from FAIRTIQ technology. In France, more than one million journeys have been recorded in the FAIRTIQ app since it was launched in the regions of Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine back in April. The introduction of innovative fares for specific user groups alongside the app launch has certainly aided this impressive rate of uptake.
Transport operators who would like to find out how their passengers would respond to digital fares and FAIRTIQ's technology can test it with the FTQ Lab app. It is an exact replica of the FAIRTIQ app, with one important difference – the number of users can be limited, which makes it ideal for transport companies to test use cases. In 2022, two public transport companies in Germany (BVG in Berlin and HAVAG in Halle) and one in Denmark have started using the FTQ Lab app and have gained valuable insights as a result. In North Jutland, in Denmark, more than 4,700 users registered during the four-month test phase, which is more than double the target. Clearly, there is a strong demand for FAIRTIQ in the region. More information about the test phase in Denmark can be found here.
FAIRTIQ on film
Another highlight of the past year, which we are incredibly proud of, is our participation in a global film series produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions for the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and its members. Each short film zooms in on an innovative company, organisation or project that is helping to shape the urban mobility of the future. Switzerland is represented by FAIRTIQ and its game-changing check-in/check-out solution. It was a real honour for us to take part in this programme!
The 9 euro ticket: a formidable challenge
FAIRTIQ also had to contend with some tough challenges in 2022. The German Bundestag launched the '9 euro ticket' to alleviate the financial burden on the public of the rising fuel prices observed during the first half of the year. Throughout the summer, travellers in Germany could enjoy unlimited public transport use for the princely sum of 9 euro per month.
FAIRTIQ had only a matter of weeks to come up with a solution that would enable FAIRTIQ app users in its partner regions in Germany to benefit from this great offer too. Our team of developers rose to the occasion. As soon as a FAIRTIQ app user reached 9 euros' worth of fares, they were automatically issued a 9 euro ticket in the app, at no extra cost. All this hard work paid off. Despite a temporary drop-off over the summer, FAIRTIQ app use rose steadily from September onwards and, in some cases, broke previous records. Background information on the 9-Euro-Ticket can be found in our blog post.
Beating our personal bests, again
2022 has been another record-breaking year for FAIRTIQ. In spring, the number of journeys recorded in the FAIRTIQ app hit 50 million. By the latter half of the year, this number had risen to over 82 million.
Another record was broken in the Vorarlberg region, FAIRTIQ's oldest partner outside Switzerland: in just one month, 60,000 journeys were recorded in the app. In terms of marketing, the transport operators in the Austrian province clearly brought their A-game and are now deservedly reaping the rewards.
The FAIRTIQ team has also grown in 2022: from 100 employees at the end of 2021 to 137 at the end of this year. We are thrilled with what we have achieved together over the last 12 months and look forward to an exciting 2023. We will continue to work every single day to make it as simple as possible to use public transport and buy the right ticket, and bring more regions in Europe on board with this vision.
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