Braunschweig / Bern, February 26, 2024. Public transport users in the Braunschweig Regional Transport Association (VRB) in northern Germany no longer need to worry about tariff zones and ticket types. With the MPAYG (Mobile Pay-as-you-go) app FAIRTIQ, users just need to swipe on their smartphone upon boarding to get a valid ticket. The app calculates the right fare and automatically caps costs to the price of a day pass. To encourage adoption, the first 1,000 FAIRTIQ users in the VRB region will receive a starting credit of five euros.
"To promote a shift to sustainable transportation, public transport must be made as attractive as possible," says VRB Managing Director Ralf Sygusch. "That's why we're making it even more convenient for our passengers to travel in the region with the FAIRTIQ app." Indeed, with FAIRTIQ, passengers no longer need to know tariff zones or ticket types. After registration, the app finds the right tickets for all journeys made with public transport during the day. Payment is cashless.
"The system identifies routing based on smartphone location detection," explains VRB Managing Director Jörg Reincke, a basic principle of the ticket app. "With the built-in daily price cap, VRB customers can be sure to pay the optimal price with FAIRTIQ."
To encourage adoption, the first 1,000 VRB customers who use FAIRTIQ will receive a starting credit of five euros.
"We are very pleased that the people in the Braunschweig region can now use our uncomplicated technology for public transport," says Gian-Mattia Schucan, founder and co-CEO of FAIRTIQ. The technology is already in use in many other parts of Germany, now benefiting FAIRTIQ users in the VRB region as well: They can use this app, for example, for local transport in Germany’s biggest state North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Bremen/Niedersachsen transport association, in Göttingen, or in the bordering Magdeburg region.
Source: Verkehrsverbund Region Braunschweig
BMDV funded project
The so-called Check-in/Be-out project for the Braunschweig region is 80% funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) while the remaining 20% is funded by the VRB.
About FAIRTIQ
FAIRTIQ aims to make it as easy as possible to travel by public transport. Its technology can already be used across Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as in parts of Germany, Austria and France. FAIRTIQ was recently selected to provide nationwide ticketing in Denmark.
Over 130 employees are involved in the operation and ongoing development of the product. FAIRTIQ was founded by Gian-Mattia Schucan in 2016 and is a private limited company with headquarters in Bern, Switzerland.
With over 145 million journeys in total, FAIRTIQ is the world’s most successful check-in/check-out solution. FAIRTIQ’s partners include public transport companies and associations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and France. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) uses the technology operated by FAIRTIQ in its own app, EasyRide, and Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) also uses FAIRTIQ technology in its app.
About the Braunschweig Regional Transport Association
The Braunschweig Regional Transport Association designs the unified tariff system for the region. The association comprises 17 transport companies and the regional association as the public authority.