For several years now, the electronic ticket systems have begun to be implemented even in the European countries where passenger traffic is not very well developed. Why are these systems chosen over the more conventional systems? Statistics show that the new systems and technologies allow daily/monthly/yearly/comparative tracking of the number of passenger carried, per type of customers, per train. Moreover, the use of these systems gains more time: a higher number of tickets can be sold over a certain period of time.
Selling tickets through SMS
“CFR Călători (the main passenger transport operator in Romania) is currently using modern channels to sell and distribute travel passes: the electronic reservation system for all domestic and international trains, as well as the on-line ticket selling and reservation system for all types of domestic fast/express/intercity trains”, say CFR Călători officials. Moreover, lately, the company has relied on the system that allows ticket selling using special vending machines, which commercialize various other products as well and which are placed in strategic public places, such as malls and supermarkets. Aside from the pilot-project which is currently being developed by CFR Călători (which supposes the use of several mobile ticket taxation systems and seat reservation on-board trains), the company is also working on another project, based on which tickets will be sold via SMS. “We are currently analyzing the possibility of implementing such a project. We should also mention that the on-line ticket selling system also allows the tickets to be printed at home”, added CFR officials.
Transparency in sale
Another method that could help increase the number of tickets sold is to provide transparency when establishing the price of the tickets, something passengers are very sensitive to.
One example is French company SNCF which, last year, announced that they will post a calendar on the ticket sale/reservation website for high-speed trains, mentioning the days which offer promotions and discounts, shows www.lefigaro.fr. More than once, the passenger protested against this method. The reason was that those who purchased their tickets even one month in advance, in some cases, ended up paying more than those who purchased their tickets several days before departure. Everything started from the fact that SNCF began to sell cheaper tickets when they didn’t manage to fill in all the seats. “We will include a calendar that will allow passengers to compare ticket prices over a period of one month. Initially, we will use this calendar for 25 destinations leaving Paris, which cover more than 40% of the demand”, said SNCF officials.
And because the issue related to ticket pricing is dealt with differently according to the region, Swiss company SBB might introduce a new pricing system starting with 2012, shows www.tsr.ch. In other words, the company is looking for new ways of obtaining revenue in order to finance railway development. To that end, SBB has considered the possibility of setting the price based on the quality of the offer and the rolling stock used. Initially, SBB also thought of setting higher prices for the trains that run at rush hours.
Train vs. Tram
Related to ticket pricing, we should also mention the tram, a different kind of “train”, different as design, speed and route. Many industrialized cities have already introduced sophisticated ticket selling systems for trams, similar to the ones used for trains.
In Amsterdam, for instance, a city which is famous for its quality transport services, the tickets can be bought from the driver or from the vending machines located on-board the tram. Moreover, for every tram there is a ticket controller who checks every ticket. There are also very few cases in which the passengers have to validate their own tickets. What is remarkable is that, after the tickets have been validated, they are valid for one hour, even if the tram is changed (the ticket is valid for a specific area). And there are many more examples. In many cases, the boundaries between the methods applied for the two means of transport – train and tram – are almost invisible.
by Ionela Micu
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