Together with its partners, FAIRTIQ is proud to be nominated for the Transport Ticketing Global Award in the category ‘Best Commercial Strategy Initiative’. The nomination recognises the collaboration between Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB), Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS) and FAIRTIQ to grow ridership through the digital fare system eezy.nrw.
At the heart of the initiative is a simple idea. If ticketing becomes easier to use, more people will use public transport.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, as in most parts of Germany, the traditional fare system includes multiple price levels and ticket types. For occasional travellers, understanding which ticket to choose for a specific journey can quickly become confusing. In addition, traditional fare systems often create price jumps at the boundaries between fare zones.
To address this challenge, transport authorities and operators introduced eezy.nrw, an innovative digital fare system based on mobile pay-as-you-go (MPAYG) and a distance-based beeline pricing model. Passengers simply start and end their journey with one swipe in the app and the system calculates the correct fare automatically based on the distance travelled, to the exact kilometre.
This removes the need to select the right ticket in advance and makes public transport easier to access.
“Originally launched as a pilot project by VRS, KVB and FAIRTIQ, eezy.nrw has become a success story with role-model potential for ticketing solutions across Germany. Today, eezy.nrw is an integral part of the public transport landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia and continues to achieve record after record. Winning the TTG Award would be a wonderful recognition of the joint efforts of VRS, KVB and FAIRTIQ. For the upcoming award ceremony in London, I am keeping my fingers crossed for everyone who has been and continues to be involved in this project.”
Managing Director, Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS)
Introducing a new ticketing model is only the first step. Encouraging passengers to try it requires a strong commercial strategy.
KVB and VRS implemented a campaign-based approach designed to attract new users and encourage existing users to travel more often. Campaigns were linked to major local events and seasonal moments, from Black Friday shopping to Cologne’s famous Carnival celebrations. Promotions included free travel days, two-for-one offers and targeted discounts. Each campaign was supported by in-person activations and digital marketing.
This test-and-learn approach allowed the partners to identify which incentives resonated most with passengers.
The results demonstrate the potential of combining mobile pay-as-you-go with a data-driven commercial strategy.
By January 2026, the number of active users across the apps had doubled year on year. eezy.nrw now accounts for seven percent of revenue from non-season ticket journeys in North Rhine-Westphalia.
One campaign during Carnival week generated more than 3,000 activations and over 1,500 new users. More than 80 percent of them continued using the app months later, proving that once passengers try the system, they tend to stay.
For KVB, VRS and FAIRTIQ, the lesson is clear. Digital ticketing alone does not drive adoption. Smart commercial strategies do.
By combining mobile pay-as-you-go with targeted campaigns and data insights, public transport providers can turn occasional travellers into regular users.
Because growing ridership often starts with one simple step. Making it easier for people to start their journey.