Simplifying Public Transport: The Success Story of Östgötatrafiken and WebTickets
Cajsa Ljungberg
Bussiness Developer
Qinshift implemented a concept called WebTickets together with our client Östgötatrafiken. The purposeof WebTickets is to make traveling by public transport easier and more accessible for all citizens
Our Business Developer, Cajsa Ljungberg, had the pleasure to sit down together with Ylva Aspenberg,Business Development Manager at Östgötatrafiken, to get insights into why Östgötatrafiken decided to implement WebTickets and what business value it brings to their organisation.
Why WebTickets?
Östgötatrafiken, the public transport authority (PTA) of Östergötland, Sweden, serves approximately 470,000 residents in the region. To ensure public transport is accessible for everyone, many PTAs encounter challenges when it comes to distributing secure, non-copyable tickets that are the travelers, all without having to install an app.
Having long experience within ticketing eco systems, Qinshift took on the challenge to solve this matter. The result was WebTickets – a concept where travelers can obtain tickets without the requirement to install an app.
WebTickets Benefits
Increases simplicity and accessibility for additional traveler categories
Additional way of distributing and using secure mobile tickets
Easy sales administration and mass distribution of tickets via SMS or E-mail
Case Study: Group and Event Implementation
There are several different use cases for WebTickets, but the main reason why Östgötatrafiken decided to implement the concept, was the Group and Event. It creates a unique opportunity for Östgötatrafiken to expand their customer base by targeting companies and organisations.
WebTickets has enabled Östgötatrafiken to offer public transport tickets for companies and event organisers, simplifying the distribution and encouraging more sustainable travel. Ylva confirms that the companies they have been in contact with so far have been very interested in the opportunities WebTickets provide.
Ylva Aspenberg
Business Development Manager at Östgötatrafiken
Previously, we haven’t had any good way to distribute tickets to groups or to events outside of our app. We believe that WebTickets could broaden our customer segment by giving companies and organisations a possibility to encourage their employees and visitors to travel by public transport. We feel that everyone has been very interested. There are many reasons for companies and organisers to encourage people to travel by public transport, both since visitors and employees see it as a benefit and as part of the organisations’ sustainability efforts.
Strategy Alignment
The decision to implement WebTickets was positively affected by the solutions alignment with several of Östgötatrafiken’s strategic goals.
Firstly, Östgötatrafiken aims to reduce the subsidy rate by covering their cost with revenue instead of tax.
Another important strategic goal for their organisation is to increase traveling by public transport. By providing new ways of traveling, they believe that the widespread number of travelers choosing public transport will increase.
Ylva Aspenberg
Business Development Manager at Östgötatrafiken
Hopefully, traveling by public transport will increase because people may take public transport to a greater extent where they had not thought they could before. […] For example, the day before your planned travel, you will get a text message from the WebTickets service, reminding you of the public transport alternative Maybe you avoid public transport because you don't really know how it works, and it seems complicated. But if you try it once, our hope is that you notice that it’s quite easy.
Last but not least, Östgötatrafiken is hopeful that implementing innovations, such as WebTickets, will contribute to the brand being perceived as innovative and forward thinking.
The Potential
Östgötatrafiken are optimistic that WebTickets have a lot of potential and they constantly discuss new use cases of the solution, emphasising:
Ylva Aspenberg
Business Development Manager at Östgötatrafiken
This is also one reason why we decided to implement WebTickets, we see a lot of potential with Group and Events. But we also see that the technique is good for us, where there are a lot of different areas of use that we can add to it. We can be creative with different ways to spread public transport to several different contexts and occasions. I really believe in getting people to try public transport and discover that it works
The Future of Innovation in Public Transport Sector
WebTickets are one step closer towards having a more modern and accessible public transport system for the whole sector. Today, we are solving the challenge for the sector to sell tickets outside the app that are secure and non-copyable.
Ylva Aspenberg
Business Development Manager at Östgötatrafiken
This is a way to distribute secure tickets outside of our traditional apps. They can be validated in our readers which is important for both customers and drivers and gives us the valuable possibility to follow up on usage and travel patterns. It is a big thing.
Östgötatrafiken is pioneering as the first PTA in Sweden to implement and use WebTickets. Ylva and her team see significant potential for how WebTickets can contribute to Östgötatrafiken and the rest of the public transport sector.
The implementation of WebTickets paves the way for further innovations in public transport. We at Qinshift are excited about the potential to expand and adapt this solution, making public transport more accessible, secure and easier to use.