In October 2020, FAIRTIQ went live in Magdeburg. A little over a year later, the regional public transport company Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe (MVB) has plans in place to roll out the FAIRTIQ app across the entire marego network and introduce a weekly fare cap, too. We wanted to get the inside story on this major announcement. Cornelia Muhl-Hünicke, marketing director at Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe, kindly agreed to talk about the thinking behind the company's expansion and its experiences with FAIRTIQ so far.
The app is currently available across the city zone. Travellers can use it to purchase short-hop, single and one-day tickets, either at the standard or reduced rate (children/youth fares). Instead of buying a ticket at the ticket counter, from the ticket machine or on board, the fare is automatically charged to the credit card (Visa and Mastercard) or PayPal account which the FAIRTIQ user has registered when setting up the app. The FAIRTIQ app itself is free of charge and can be downloaded from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).
"Through our cooperation with FAIRTIQ, we are now able to offer our customers a really easy and more convenient way to use MVB services. Passengers no longer need any prior knowledge of our fare system; all they have to do is board and enjoy the journey", Birgit Münster-Rendel, Managing Director of MVB, speaking shortly after the FAIRTIQ launch in 2020.
Magdeburg is the second major city, after Halle, in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt to adopt FAIRTIQ. The VVO and VMT transport associations in neighbouring Saxony and Thuringia also use the innovative technology developed by the multiple award-winning Swiss start-up. FAIRTIQ is now available in 13 transport areas across Germany.
FAIRTIQ: Why have you decided to introduce a weekly fare cap and roll out FAIRTIQ across your network?
Cornelia Muhl-Hünicke:
"We want to build on the success of the 2020 launch by expanding our existing seamless and simple fare model to add a weekly best price guarantee alongside our existing daily best price guarantee which caps the total daily fare to the price of a one-day ticket. Another motivation is our desire to be able to respond quickly and proactively to changing mobility needs."
FAIRTIQ: One year on since the FAIRTIQ launch, how would you rate the journey so far?
Cornelia Muhl-Hünicke:
"It has been a pleasant trip across a landscape which is like nothing we have seen or experienced before. We got off to a great start and really appreciate the excellent cooperation with FAIRTIQ in general, as well as the virtual collaboration, particularly at the height of the pandemic."
FAIRTIQ: What has working with FAIRTIQ been and what do you particularly like about the FAIRTIQ solution?
Cornelia Muhl-Hünicke:
"It has been very positive and the active approach that both sides take to cooperation is mutually beneficial, whether it is sharing expertise and experiences as part of the FAIRTIQ partner exchange, or marketing support with its professional, regionally coordinated modules."
FAIRTIQ: What about future cooperation with FAIRTIQ?
Cornelia Muhl-Hünicke:
"We are also planning, at a later point in the project, to make the electronic fare option available to all users of marego public transport services. This means that anyone travelling in Magdeburg and across its borders will no longer need to work out what fare they need or have cash on hand to pay for it."
Thank you, Ms Muhl-Hünicke, for the great interview!
For more information on fare caps, take a look at this interview with A-Welle, a Swiss fare association, which launched a monthly fare cap back in summer 2021.