It is estimated that 25% of trips on public transport in Germany are made by occasional users, representing a major target for interoperable e-ticketing. The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) took the opportunity to develop a nationwide standardised electronic fare management system, the VDV Core Application. The application covers electronic payment for paper tickets, electronic tickets and automated fare calculation by automatic check in / check out system. By 2011, the VDV Core Application will have five million cards in the market, and 10 million cards are forecast by 2015. Austria and other countries are also evaluating the VDV Core Application. The success factors are the interoperability and simplicity of the system from the point of view of the customer, the state of the art security of the system, and the continuous and unanimous support of the system by all relevant stakeholders. Most metropolitan districts have started their own implementation projects and further developments of the technology are in progress.
Abstract