MOBILE phones will become the new tickets to ride for Arriva bus customers as the company becomes the first UK bus operator to introduce mobile phone ticketing for all its regional services.
Customers across Arriva’s regional bus businesses will be able to buy daily, weekly and four-weekly tickets via their mobile phones following the national launch of Arriva’s m-ticketing service.
It covers 1,000 routes served by Arriva’s regional fleet of 4,500 buses. It will enable passengers to use their mobile phones to purchase tickets and then display them to the driver. Arriva has worked in partnership with Concept Data Technologies to create the m-ticketing service, which is a free application that is downloaded directly onto customers’ phones.
Once downloaded it allows people to purchase a range of tickets. Tickets can be bought either directly through the application via a registered card or by purchasing credit from any PayPoint outlet either by cash or card.
People using the m-ticketing service can save 10 per cent off Arriva four-weekly saver tickets.
The m-ticketing technology can be operated on any GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) enabled phone.
The service also works on Blackberry smartphones and from early 2010 will be iPhone compatible as well. Phones with green screens, which are typically four or more years old, cannot be used. Arriva’s m-ticketing service will work on all mobile networks.
Customers can register online now at arrivabus.co.uk/m-ticket. Once registered, the m-ticket application will be sent - free of charge - to their phone.
