German railway introduces virtual tickets

[sandraoh]

German railway introduces virtual tickets
24/08/2006 - 16:24:41 - breakingnews.ie

Germany’s national railway today launched a service that will allow passengers to buy virtual tickets using their internet-capable mobile phones.

Customers will receive a multimedia message on their mobile phones that will be read by new scanners and serve as a ticket, railway operator Deutsche Bahn said.

Booking via mobile phone is available until 10 minutes before a train’s departure, the company said. Customers will have to register for the service online before buying their first mobile phone ticket.

Deutsche Bahn board member Friedrich Rausch said he expected that the new system will bring the company more passengers, and that it hopefully will appeal to young people and businesspeople.

The railway operator said all train ticket collectors should be equipped with the new scanners by mid-September.