A ticket to the future

It was reported recently that Sri Lanka Railways is planning to introduce a pre-paid electronic card in addition to the normal ticket system in place, to avoid delays, long queues and to provide a more efficient service to the public.

According to the news item, users of commuter trains could pay their rail fares using a pre-paid card when such a system is in place. Authorities are engaged in a comprehensive study on the feasibility of introducing such a system, says General Manager of Railways B A P Ariyaratne.

Admitting that the present ticket system in place was an outdated one he has said that as a policy his department fully recognised the importance of moving ahead with new technology to provide a more efficient service to the public.

The system is likely to be trialled at the Fort railway station. Depending on its success this mode of ticketing is eventually expected to be rolled out across the train station network.

This is a welcome development in the country's forward march. This would not be the first time that Sri Lankans would be using stored value cards.

In the early 1990s, payphone operators in the country had stored value (pre-paid) cards. Many other countries have introduced stored value cards for the public transport system, most notably the UK with its famous Oyster Cards of which 7.5 million are being used. Australia too has a similar system called 'Go'

This is an easy way to travel, because there is no need to carry change for bus and train fares. Different cards can be configured for different distance zones. There is no need to wait in line to purchase tickets, so the card-carrying passengers can whisk through to the departure terminals. There will also be a considerable saving of paper, which will benefit the environment.

Stored value cards are likely to be a boon mainly for frequent train travellers. The travel card will in effect be a season card that will enable them to travel to and from a given destination within a specified time period. The other biggest beneficiary of the card will be the tourists. In fact, most countries have designed special travel cards and passes for tourists.

They can use one card for bus, rail and ferry travel during a specified period. The Japan Rail Pass and Eurail Pass are major examples. We hope that Sri LankaÆs rail card will also eventually be valid for bus travel as well.

The authorities should also consider the possibility of installing ticket vending machines at major rail/bus stations, to minimize queues and labour. This will be a great convenience to the commuters. They should also study attempts by transport bodies overseas to introduce contactless bank cards for rail travel. With the rising popularity of credit/debit cards, one local taxi operator has installed credit card terminals in his taxis, which is another positive move in the local transport arena.

Train passengers using the Colombo-Kandy Intercity Express can already book seats in advance using their mobile phones. That is a harbinger of things to come, because mobiles could revolutionize the way we pay for travel and other goods/services.

The key is Near Field Communications (NFC), a radio data system which enables people to use the mobile as a payment device. NFC trials have just begun in Sri Lanka.

Just last week Isis, a mobile payment provider established by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in 2010, announced a deal with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Isis offers mobile payment options based on NFC technology, which allows users to "swipe" their phones in front of a scanner to make a payment.

The deal will allow mobile phone users running Isis to use their handsets at any existing Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express machine. NFC-based mobile transactions are expected to reach nearly US$ 50 billion worldwide by 2014, according to a forecast issued earlier this year by Juniper Research. Juniper anticipates NFC-based mobile payment services will launch in up to 20 international markets over the next 18 months.

Mobile phone payments are speedy (you don't have to wait for a printed receipt), there is no need to carry a credit card and even small businesses can get their terminals modified to accept mobile phone payments.

Just imagine having an NFC payment option at rail and bus termini In seconds, your payment goes to the operator.

It is secure and convenient, with no paper trail. For those passengers who are unwilling to embrace this technology, the stored value system would still be in place. Both technologies can exist side by side, offering greater flexibility and convenience to commuters. Our transport systems should keep pace with these technological advancements.

State transport services should also have a greater presence on the Web, inclusive of seat booking facilities from anywhere in the world. Tourists will thus be able to book a seat, say, on the Kandy intercity express even before they land at the airport. This could be linked to some of the existing ticketing sites as well. It is even more important to publish 'apps' for smartphones on Apple, Blackberry, Symbian and Android platforms. For example, if there is a Sri Lanka Railways iPhone app, iPhone users will be able to look at the railways map, see the schedules and even book a seat. There is no need to go to the Web or stand in line physically. Eventually, they would be able to wave their phone at a scanning machine and board the train. All railway stations and main bus terminals should eventually be equipped with LCD screens which display the schedules, platform numbers, ticket prices etc, airport-style. This makes it easier for the commuter to plan his or her journey with no hassle. The áscreens are now cheap enough and the software can be easily configured by a local company.

Our transport services should move ahead with all these latest development to give a better service to the public.