Location-based ticketing in public transport

Electronic fare management is a subject currently intensively discussed all over. A lot of different solutions have been implemented in the past. But a new kind of solution was coming up in the last few years: mobile ticketing. This ticketing concept uses customer's mobile devices to buy public transport tickets, instead of special devices owned by the transport operators. Another topic of discussion in mobile technology is location-based services, which are services offered via the customer's mobile device and based on his actual location. The benefit of location-based services is a well-fitting service offering adapted to the actual consumer's needs. This document presents a concept that combines both ideas of mobile ticketing and location-based services to location-based ticketing. A research project, started spring 2005 in Germany, would demonstrate how public transport customers can obtain a mobile ticket by tracing their mobile phone via GSM, UMTS or WLAN.