Successful start for smart cards in Aalborg
The travel smart card was introduced on 16 May in Aalborg and a colourful communication campaign was a great success. In total, seven stations and one bus line have been included in the first phase of operation.
Travelling with public transport will be simpler and more seamless with the travel smart card, replacing the hassle of different forms of payment. The smart card works similar to a credit card and can be used for bus, train and metro. For each journey, the customer checks in at the travel card machines at the beginning of the journey and out again at the end of the journey. Depending on the number of journeys, discounts are given. Furthermore, relevant information about where and when people travel can be gathered for public transport authorities. The roll out in the ARCHIMEDES corridor started with a pilot project containing 40-45 buses starting May 16, 2011. This day was marked with a big information campaign and one of Aalborg’s buses wearing a white polka-dotted coat. In the introductory phase, the busiest bus lines and train journeys were chosen to test the technology and collect customer experiences. The first 500 test customers received a special offer to purchase the travel smart card. The offer was a big success and the 500 test customers were found within a month, which exceeded expectations. In the first week, 49 active journeys (cards with at least one journey within a week) were registered. The same week, a total of 120 trips were registered with the smart card. Five weeks later, there were 255 active journeys and 850 smart card trips. In October 2011, the rest of the city buses and the regional trains will be connected to the Travel Card System. The nationwide rollout is expected to take place in 2012 and is a large, advanced technology project. The introductory phase in Aalborg was supported by funding from the CIVITAS initiative.
Author: Wust Anna
