Bern, Switzerland – 15.09.2026 – FAIRTIQ, together with Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV, Germany) and IDZK (Zlín Region Integrated Transportation, Czech Republic), has been awarded funding under the EIT Urban Mobility Strategic Innovation Open Call 2026 for BIBO Next. This two-year project (September 2026 – August 2028) will develop and validate the next generation of seamless ticketing based on Be-In/Be-Out (BIBO) for commercial deployment across Europe, aiming for a scalable, sustainable, and user-centric public transport solution.
A key innovation is validating a software-based approach that does not rely on in-vehicle beacons. By reducing onboard hardware needs, BIBO Next makes BIBO ticketing easier and more cost-efficient for transport authorities to deploy. The project will also validate performance across different transport systems and regulatory environments, preparing the technology for wider commercial deployment.
BIBO Next builds on the simplicity of Mobile Pay-As-You-Go by removing the need for passengers to interact with their smartphone during a journey actively. The project will develop and validate a BIBO experience that automatically detects journeys and calculates the correct fare, while assessing how the technology performs across different operational, regulatory and passenger contexts in European public transport.
The ambition is to make ticketing virtually invisible, removing another barrier between passengers and public transport. This would make travel particularly easier for frequent passengers, while giving everyone – including occasional travellers, tourists, families, older passengers and persons with reduced mobility (PRM) – the convenience and peace of mind typically associated with having a public transport subscription. For transport operators and authorities, BIBO also has the potential to reduce fare evasion and missed swipes, simplify operations and deliver a more seamless customer experience.
BIBO Next builds on FAIRTIQ's ongoing development of its core Be-In/Be-Out technology in Switzerland through the FAIRTIQ GO pilot in collaboration with 10 Swiss transport partners.
While Swiss activities focus on underlying technology, BIBO Next prepares the solution for wider European deployment by adapting and optimising it for different operational conditions without requiring additional in-vehicle hardware. Beyond technical validation, the project strengthens commercial readiness through user research and improved partner integration via the BIBO Software Development Kit (SDK), examining varying passenger expectations regarding privacy and accessibility.
BIBO Next will be validated in two complementary pilot environments: the Frankfurt metropolitan area with RMV and the Zlín Region with IDZK. Together, the pilots will evaluate technical performance, passenger acceptance, and operational viability across different transport systems and user groups.
Testing in two European markets with different setups and regulatory frameworks will help the consortium understand how BIBO can best be adapted. The pilots will explore user expectations around privacy and trust, ensuring the technology meets the needs of passengers and transport authorities across Europe.
"The next step in digital ticketing is not simply making the ticket easier to buy – it is making the ticketing process disappear altogether," says Gian-Mattia Schucan, Founder and Co-CEO of FAIRTIQ. "With BIBO Next, we are taking this vision one step further by preparing BIBO ticketing for deployment across Europe. Together with RMV and IDZK, we want to demonstrate that the technology can perform reliably across different transport systems, passenger expectations and regulatory environments, paving the way for commercial deployment."
Thomas Kern, Head of Marketing, Sales and Innovation at Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), says:
“Passengers expect public transport to be easy to access. BIBO ticketing can remove one of the biggest barriers to using public transport, giving occasional travellers the same level of convenience that is usually reserved for season ticket holders. At the same time, the solution needs to work in practice for transport associations and operators. BIBO Next allows us to validate a beacon-free approach across a large transport network spanning both urban and rural areas, and to explore how the technology can be scaled under real-world conditions.”
Ing. Martin Richtar, Managing Director of Zlín Region Integrated Transportation (IDZK) adds:
"Innovation in public transport succeeds when it is developed and tested through European collaboration. By bringing BIBO Next to the Zlín Region, we can evaluate how a beacon-free Be-In/Be-Out solution performs in a different operational environment and gain valuable insights from a more rural, regional implementation. Together with the experience from RMV’s metropolitan setting, this provides an important contrast and allows us to better understand how the technology performs across diverse public transport contexts. We look forward to helping shape a future where travelling by public transport is even more seamless and intuitive."
BIBO Next is designed to move BIBO technology towards commercial deployment. FAIRTIQ, in collaboration with EIT, aims to achieve the first commercial implementation during the project. Participation in the EIT Urban Mobility ecosystem will support this by connecting partners with cities and operators across Europe.
By making public transport easier to access, BIBO Next supports the EIT Urban Mobility mission for sustainable mobility. The project lowers barriers for occasional travellers and people with reduced mobility, contributing to wider European ambitions for user-centric public transport networks.
FAIRTIQ, RMV and IDZK will present BIBO Next at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin. Representatives from the project consortium will be available at Hall 2.1 Stand 500 on 24.09.2026 at 14:00 to discuss BIBO Next, the future of Be-In/Be-Out ticketing and the project's roadmap towards commercial deployment across Europe.
With over 400 million journeys, FAIRTIQ has established itself as the global leader and pioneer in postpaid ticketing and Mobile Pay-As-You-Go (MPAYG) solutions. The platform serves more than one million active monthly users and is currently available in 13 countries: Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. Across 27 regions, the app enhances accessibility and ease-of-use for public transport on a regional level, while providing nationwide coverage in three countries. Leading transport operators and authorities rely on FAIRTIQ’s solutions as the company continues its rapid international growth and global user expansion.
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is one of Germany’s largest public transport associations. It coordinates regional bus and rail services across around 14,000 km², covering roughly two-thirds of the state of Hesse and serving an area home to around five million people. RMV is responsible for areas including fare design, timetable planning, procurement of transport services, network development and quality standards, with a unified fare system across the network.
Zlín Region Integrated Transportation (IDZK) connects public transport services across the Zlín Region and its surroundings. The integrated system brings together buses, regional and long-distance trains, and urban public transport under a single tariff, with coordinated timetables and connections. Its operation and development are managed by KOVED, the Zlín Region Public Transportation Authority, with the aim of providing comfortable, competitive public transport and contributing to quality of life in the region.