Citizen satisfaction is at the heart of every forward-thinking city. Accomplishing this task is easier said than done due to many contributing factors, but smart technologies are a stepping stone to achieving it. As most people use public transport on a daily basis, mobile ticketing and an integrated transportation system are certainly on the agenda towards creating a more livable city. Smartphone usage increases on a global scale, facilitating the transition towards a smart mobile ticketing system. But how exactly do local governments deploy such systems, and how do they enhance people’s lives?

Embracing technology and the future of public transit

A common misconception is that the change towards a smart mobile ticketing system will be very difficult, time and resource-consuming, and will involve the need to re-educate staff and citizens about the changes. The truth is, this task is not nearly as daunting as it used to be. With many emerging smart solutions, the transition between legacy systems and smart systems can happen smoothly, deployment costs can be covered by savings, and there’s no need to educate or hire new staff as the solutions offer simplified back-end usage without any IT expertise. As for citizens, they are not only ready to embrace new tech, they already expect this type of innovation from their local governments.

It’s estimated that more than half of the global population will use smartphones in the very near future (currently at 45%). And while not everyone using a smartphone uses mobile payments, this is an obstacle that’s easy to be overcome with the right tools.

The era of customer satisfaction

High customer satisfaction in public transport is achievable. It’s not an easy task but it’s certainly worth pursuing, as the majority of citizens need public transport to commute. How do we turn one of the most daunting experiences of a citizen’s daily life into a positive one?

By taking into account the factors involved and using an all-inclusive solution to tackle them all. In order to understand how to create the best customer experience, we have to understand the main reasons why people can be dissatisfied with public transport:

• Waiting in line to get a ticket, or refuel their pass
• The need to have exact change
• Having to wait for someone at the front looking for change
• Losing their pass or ticket means losing the money invested in it
• Irregular bus schedules, waiting at bus stops
• Overcrowded vehicles
• Lack of immediate access to timetables at any point of the journey

When launched correctly, mobile ticketing can address all these issues to create a more satisfying customer experience.

Benefits of a mobile ticketing system for the citizens

• The ability to refuel their pass or buy a ticket anywhere, anytime
• No need to worry about having exact change
• When the bus driver doesn’t handle payments, boarding times are 75% faster, saving time to all passengers
• Passes or tickets live inside the citizens’ phones and in their virtual accounts, therefore they can always have access to it – even if they lose their phone
• Based on aggregated data, bus schedules can be optimised: more vehicles can be deployed on overused lines, underused lines can be cut down or reorganised
• Citizens have access to real-time information about bus arrivals and departures, thus helping them plan their day better

The key strength of mobile ticketing is the ability to evolve and scale with the agency. While with hard-copy tickets (even smart passes) it’s time and resource-consuming to scale as the population grows, with mobile ticketing scalability is as effortless as it can be due to the lack of infrastructural changes to accommodate growth.

Mobile ticketing in a multimodal transportation system allows for unprecedented flexibility. Citizens have different solutions for getting from A to B at their disposal – no matter if it’s one type or a combination of methods, anywhere and anytime. Providing them with the information on how to make their commutes as quickly as possible as well as the ticket they need in one easy-to-use mobile application increases the chances they choose public transport over their cars exponentially.

Smart mobile ticketing solutions have already been deployed with spectacular results in many cities globally. Transportation departments have been able to adjust routes, schedules and fares to match the citizens’ daily travel preferences better – not only improving the overall satisfaction rates, but also saving a lot of resources on the way.

A happy community means a happier city, so it’s worth taking the step towards a smart public transportation system. Reach out to the experts at Telelink City to learn more about how your city can start living in the future today.