HiQ International: Mobile ticketing system by HiQ and Plu...

Mobile ticketing system by HiQ and Plusdial expands to Stockholm Stockholm Transport (SL) has adopted the public transport mobile ticketing system created by Plusdial Oy together with HiQ. The system is already used by Helsinki City Transport and several Swedish cities. Mobile tickets have been available in Stockholm since Monday 29 January, and more than 3 300 tickets were sold during the first day. The Helsinki City Transport mobile ticketing system was introduced in 2001, and an average of 270,000 tickets are sold through it each month. Through the system Helsinki residents can easily order a metro, tram or ferry ticket with their mobile phone. In Stockholm mobile tickets are valid for travel in all inner-city transport: buses, local trains and the underground. Ticket types include a full-price ticket for adults and a reduced-price ticket for children, pensioners and students. Mobile tickets are valid for 75 minutes from the moment of purchase. HiQ has helped Plusdial with local adoptions of the mobile ticketing system and has been a partner of Plusdial Oy in updating and developing the software platform used in both Finland and Sweden. - We have managed to localise the system cost effectively to several transport authorities, and now two Nordic capital cities are using mobile tickets in their local transport networks. Stockholm will be a good reference, when the system is marketed elsewhere in Europe, says Pekka Neva, managing director of HiQ Softplan. The mobile ticketing system can be easily localised in different countries, because approximately 80 per cent of the system is based on a tested solution that has been in use in Helsinki for several years. Plusdial is familiar with the operating methods of European local transport authorities. - Competing systems require registration and users must make an effort to learn to use them. Our system is based on basic SMS messaging and is clearly distinguished by its ease of use, Kimmo Mattila says. - In the pilot project with Länstrafiken Mälardalen (LTM) we created a few Sweden-specific solutions. The same solutions were utilised now in Stockholm. The system operates under stringent reliability demands, and therefore it is important to use technologies that have been tried and tested in practice, says project manager Juha Mynttinen from HiQ Softplan - Localisation was necessary to accommodate for local billing standards. Swedish mobile operators use different SMS and billing systems than Finnish ones, so localisation in these areas has been necessary. In addition, we have modified help desk and other user interfaces depending on the market area, Mynttinen continues. Plusdial's managing director Kimmo Mattila is happy about the conquest of Stockholm. - Everything has run smoothly during the first days. There have been no problems. Stockholm is an important step towards internationalisation. We have now proven that a system developed and tested in Finland can be adapted for other countries. Finland has been thought of as a special case in terms of mobile ticketing, and there have been doubts about the suitability of Finnish systems to other markets, Mattila says. The system enhancements also facilitate compatibility with local operators' SMS and billing systems elsewhere in Europe. For further information please contact: Lars Stugemo, President and CEO, HiQ International, tel.: +46 8 588 90 000 Pekka Neva, Managing Director, HiQ Softplan Ltd, Tel. +358-9-4355 8634 Kimmo Mattila, Managing Director, Plusdial Oy, Tel. +358-40-548 5656 Annika Billberg, Head of Corporate Communications, HiQ International, tel: +46 8 588 90 015 HiQ is an IT and management consultancy that focuses on high-tech solutions in the fields of communication, software development and simulation. The company is a leader in these fields and the Nordic region is its domestic market. HiQ employs nearly 800 people at offices in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. HiQ is listed on the Nordic Stock Exchange midcap list. For more information, please visit www.hiq.se. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://wpy.waymaker.net/client/waymaker1/f.aspx?id=372229&fn=wkr0001.pdf