TapNGo: Offer your passengers easy tap-and-go ticketing with Ticketing-as-a-Service!

It is ideal for occasional public transportation users if they can use existing payment media as fare media, such as their contactless bank card or smartphone. They simply tap on the validator when boarding and, if necessary, when alighting. They don’t even have to think about the fare structure because a best-price guarantee ensures that they pay the lowest possible fare. They don't need to register beforehand, so passengers can just board and tap to travel. Your public transport company can easily offer this service to your passengers thanks to TapNGo, INIT's Ticketing-as-a-Service (TaaS) solution.

Why is it called Ticketing-as-a-Service?

Ticketing-as-a-Service means that the software is installed and operated by INIT in the cloud (a web-based development of the INIT ticketing back-office system MOBILEvario for digital ticketing without paper). It is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. You therefore do not have to install and maintain your own software version and have no acquisition costs, but instead benefit from full access to the solution via a web browser. INIT maintains, administers, and operates the ticketing software. You can securely view all transactions, configure fares and tariffs – and enjoy complete autonomy. The entire system is fully EU-GDPR compliant.
A major advantage of the SaaS principle is that the system is developed as a “standard product” meaning the same range of functions is available to all operators. The system is continuously developed and enhanced thanks to client feedback, meaning that customers benefit from regular system updates and functional enhancements. Thanks to the cloud-based platform, security updates and operating system updates are carried out automatically in the back-office system without the need for time-consuming installation processes but with the bonus of minimal downtime to the system. The solution is suitable for small and medium-sized companies, as well as for larger companies and groups of companies (multi-client system). It can be used individually or as an additional sales channel in the cloud with EMV alongside your existing ticket system.

The basis: Account-Based Ticketing and EMV

TapNGo is compliant with the standard for contactless bank cards, known as EMV relying on a chip in passengers' bank cards to make payments as secure as possible. The title EMV refers to Europay, Mastercard and Visa: the three companies that created this standard.

The foundation of EMV ticketing is an account-based back-office system. All transactions, tariffs, new products, or test specifications are defined within the system. Booking requests from field devices are checked and executed in real time. The transport authority is empowered to create tariff structures, new products, or to modify existing ones. In TapNGo – as in all account-based ticketing systems – all data and the entire fare logic are stored exclusively in the back-office system. The end device only has read access to the card. Within our back-office system MOBILEvario, TapNGo can be quickly and conveniently added to your public transport company’s ticket and fare offerings, thereby allowing the implementation of contactless payments even in addition to existing systems.

To simplify the terminology, we have created a glossary of terms - click here: INIT Ticketing glossary>> 

Best price for everybody - fare capping with TapNGo

Fig.: Example of the best price structure. After the (daily) maximum fare (in this case: 5.50€) is reached, all further trips are free of charge.

 

TapNGo ensures that passengers always pay the best possible price for their journeys. All they have to do is validate their card every time they board or alight. Should a predefined daily or monthly limit (cap) be reached, the system automatically ensures that only this limit, and no further amount within the capping period, is charged (fare capping). The caps can apply to daily or monthly tickets, for example. However, the back-office system also permits the definition of additional, freely definable time periods. Fare capping can also be applied to non-consecutive days, thereby enabling a fare structure that is geared to new mobility and work habits. Even complex fare/tariff systems are no longer a barrier to travel. Passengers can board and ride without needing to understand the system.

A long list of successful worldwide ticketing projects

The concept of Ticketing-as-a-Service is new but the INIT group has considerable experience of Account-Based Ticketing in general. Here are just a few examples from a long list of successful ticketing projects worldwide:

1. The ‘Nottingham Contactless’ ticketing system. The client-based system includes the three main public transport operators in Nottingham and enables passengers to pay to travel in the majority of the city's buses and trams using bank cards and smart devices. No matter how many journeys they make in a day, the system charges them a maximum daily fare. Learn more: Nottingham, Contactless project>>

2. In the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, we implemented the ‘Hop Fastpass’ ticketing system together with the transport company TriMet (Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon). It includes account-based and EMV-based ticketing so that passengers can use both the transport company's customer cards and their own bank cards and they are automatically charged the lowest possible fare. Learn more: TriMet project>>

3. In an ongoing project, INIT is introducing the ticketing system AFC 2.0 (Automated Fare Collection) for MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) in Atlanta. In future, it will offer MARTA's approximately 500,000 daily passengers the opportunity to pay for their travel on buses, trains, trams and other forms of public transport using their bank cards and smart devices via ‘tap and go’. The system is designed in such a way that MARTA's regional public transport partners can be integrated quickly so that it can be deployed across all public transport in the metropolitan region. Learn more: MARTA project>>

Be the next company to offer Account-Based Ticketing! 

Advantages for your company:

  • Cost-effective and future-proof solution, thanks to Software-as-a-Service 
  • Low cost investment with only set-up costs, an annual service fee, and transaction-based charges
  • Reliable, low-risk and transparent payment model
  • Fast implementation with certified INIT passenger terminals
  • Secure and certified execution of all transactions
  • Easy set-up with only an up-to-date web browser -> central system administered and operated by INIT

Advantages for your passengers:

  • ONE medium for fare payments and as travel authorization.
  • Passengers simply board and ride - no need to know the fare structure.
  • Faster boarding times.
  • Best price fares, because they always pay the lowest price
  • Safe, contactless payment method
  • Automatic check out at the end of the journey (in cases where passengers forget to check out).

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Contact

Sascha Heyer, Product Manager Ticketing-as-a-Service

INIT GmbH

Germany

Phone: +49 721 6100 224