building the market

The UK is currently one of the world’s foremost rail mTicketing markets following a string of operator deployments in 2011 including Virgin Trains, Chiltern Railways and others soon to be announced.

mTicketing opportunity

Masabi identified a high demand for mTicketing due to:

high rail usage

1.3bn passenger journeys per year.

ticketing difficulties

70% of tickets are bought in the station on departure, putting pressure on sales facilities, especially at peak times. Operators are also obliged to meet maximum queuing time targets.

rising passenger numbers

With passenger journeys increasing every year, the situation could become even more challenging.

multiple private companies

Train operators on strict budgets needed an economical solution.

masabi’s solution

The rail mTicketing market in the UK was built by involving all the rail operators, regulators and technology companies in the value chain.

 

2007: introduced secure payment system

Masabi developed encryptMe a highly secure payment platform for mass market handsets, paving the way for the introduction of mTicketing. Masabi’s award winning system was independently verified by the US Government and BT’s cryptographic labs, and fully meets Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS compliant)

 

2008: agreed UK mTicketing standard

Working alongside the Rail Settlement Plan (RSP), part of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), Masabi developed the national standard for mTicketing in the UK. It features improved security, decreased costs for ticket delivery and allows most phones to use the service – not just smartphones.

 

2010: partnered with Atos & thetrainline

The two dominant systems integrators for internet train ticketing in the UK – Atos and thetrainline – partnered with Masabi to supply mTicketing to train companies across the country.

 

2010: developed fast barcode scanning technology

Earlier barcode mTicket reading speeds were too slow to be suitable for mass transit and busy stations, so Masabi collaborated with barcode scanner manufacturer Access IS to cut barcode mTicket scanning times to an average of 240ms – faster than smartcard and paper tickets.

 

2011: designed secure visual inspection

In 2011, Masabi worked with ATOC and RSP to create a secure mTicket that allowed guards on routes without scanners to validate mTickets through a simple visual check.

 

2011: launched with multiple operators

Masabi has now launched mTicketing services with multiple train companies and ticket retailers, including Virgin Trains, Chiltern Railways and thetrainline, and has more launches scheduled for late 2011. Click here to learn more about Masabi’s live deployments.

 

“Rail travel and mobile technology have played an increasing role in people’s lives for many years, yet the huge potential where these two services overlap has never before been fully realised.

Masabi and Atos’ innovative approach to both transport ticketing and mobile has provided us with a secure and easy to use mTicketing platform that has the potential to revolutionise the way
in which customers interact with us
and use our services.”

Thomas Ableman, Chiltern Railways



Contact Masabi today to discuss our mTicketing work in the UK and internationally.