How to Use Mobile Ticketing Service Benefits Service
Plusdial offers Mobile Ticketing Service on turn-key basis for Public Transport organizations. The model has been developed in close cooperation with Helsinki City Transport since 2000 and further refined into a product-like service during 2002.
Each Plusdial mobile ticketing service implementation utilizes the same core applications and service concept, meaning that every service is 80% based on a tested and proven solution, resulting to a reliable and cost effective service. To be able to fulfill the needs and requirements of each customer about 20% of the service will be tailored in order to match the service to the operational, functional and legal environment of each Public Transport system.
Implementation of the Plusdial mobile ticketing system consists of three different stages: Pre-pilot study, pilot and production stage.
1. Pre-pilot Study and Action Plan
The purpose of the Pre-pilot study is to find out the customized part of the service and analyze operation model of Public Transport organization from the mobile ticketing point of view.
The Pre-pilot study report includes all the relevant information concerning customized mobile ticketing service for Public Transport organization. The Pre-pilot study also produces an Action plan including preliminary scheduled implementation project plan, risk analysis, cost estimates and business case calculations.
Based on the Pre-pilot study report and Action plan the management personnel of Public Transport organization is able to make the decision of piloting mobile ticketing service.
Plusdial will execute the Pre-pilot study as follows:
In a preliminary, internal desk study phase Plusdial will study the local public transport market and legal issues as well as organization specific issues to collect background information for further analyses and to prepare for the next phase work group sessions. There are usually 7-9 separate 1-2 hour meetings, each concentrating on a specific operation area of Public Transport organization, scheduled within a calendar week. The subject areas described in more detail below (see draft of the table of the content of the Pre-pilot study). In each of the sessions 1-2 customer's business professionals will be interviewed about a specific function or part of the operation model that they are responsible of.
In parallel to these meetings, telecom negotiations and other possible third party meetings will be carried out by Plusdial.
2. Pilot stage
Plusdial mobile ticketing system is piloted with the types of tickets and routes determined according to the jointly agreed and finalized Action plan. The recommendatory duration of 6-12 months of running the implemented system provides a period of time during which enough feedback from both the end users and the organization of the customer can be gathered.
Plusdial services include support to the following sectors:
Implementation of the Plusdial mobile ticketing system is planned and executed covering all following functions.
- The ordering codes for ticketing
- Digital coding and security systems of tickets
- Server facilities and their technical solutions
- Cooperation agreements with the telecoms
- Router (connectivity) implementation
- Adjusting the service to telecom SMS connections
- Localization of the Graphical User Interface to the system
- Installation of ticket scanners
- Operation models for technical support and customer service
- Reporting practices for the public transport company
- Implementation and testing of the software solutions
- Organizing technical support and customer service
The service is implemented according to the basic characteristics determined in cooperation with the Public Transport organization. The implementation is carried out by a project that is managed and executed mainly by Plusdial. The customer nominates also a project manager for the implementation stage, but his/her role is mainly to participate in project steering and to act as a contact person if any organization specific instructions or decisions are needed. Therefore, the implementation does not require any substantial personnel or other resources to be allocated for the project.
Plusdial assumes the responsibility for the acquisition and maintenance of the servers and other hardware. Plusdial also installs the software required for the service and takes care of the maintenance of the service.
The basic security of the system is maintained with regular application and system backups, controlling the access to the physical location of hardware and managing any access to the system with at least firewall, username and password restrictions and secure IP connections, when applicable.
The telecoms are responsible for the SMS communication from the mobile phones to the router as well as for charging the customers and transferring the ticketing revenues to the named account.
3. Production stage
After or during the pilot stage Public Transport organization makes the final decision about entering the production stage. Duration of the first production period is agreed separately with the customer. During production, Plusdial continues to offer full service maintenance and development support.
Why to take on the project?
- No commitment to any technology or supplier’s standard
- No investments or need to tie internal personnel resources
- Independently manageable and without financial risk
- Fast execution with a coherent 3-step implementation plan
- Concrete sales results & positive feedback in only a few months
- Several opportunities to expand the service to new areas or with new functionalities
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