In May 2021, RLG Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe GmbH launched the pilot project “eTicketing for Student Monthly Travel Passes” (SWMT) at nine schools in Soest and Arnsberg, covering the Hochsauerlandkreis and Soest districts. Around 2,000 eligible students were able to register online and receive a digital eTicket in the “mobil info” smartphone app in addition to their paper ticket. The pilot phase ends on July 3 with the close of the school year and will continue in live operation after the summer break. Additional schools are expected to join the program in the fourth quarter of 2021. “With the Student Monthly Travel Pass, we’re expanding our range of eTickets with a significant product. Around 40% of our passengers at RLG could benefit from the digital SWMT. We’re very pleased to have implemented this pilot project with AMCON and aim to roll it out across the region as soon as possible,” says Thomas Rissiek, Head of Sales at RLG.
Experience has shown that students are more likely to forget their paper tickets than their smartphones. Students without a smartphone can continue using paper tickets. Switching to the VDV barcode in the app is optional and not mandatory.
Subscription management with web interface for easy registration
All students eligible for a Student Monthly Travel Pass receive a QR code by post, which they can scan to register online. In addition to their traditional paper ticket, they then receive a digital eTicket for the smartphone app. This process is solely focused on providing students with a digital ticket, as paper value stamps were previously used in this area. The project uses AMCON’s customer management and eTicket modules, which are neatly integrated into the backend system. From there, data can be managed and the appropriate ticket media prepared. In the final quarter of this year, the project is set to be gradually expanded to additional schools within RLG’s service area. Under the umbrella of Westfälische Verkehrsgesellschaft (WVG), RLG is conducting the pilot project on behalf of its sister companies RVM Regionalverkehr Münsterland GmbH and VKU Verkehrsgesellschaft Kreis Unna mbH.
